Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with wok

Recommendations for a good Wok

pakora1 — Wed, 01 May 2013 14:45:45 -0800

So we are all into stir fry cooking now and looking for a good quality WOK Having never used a wok before, we would love some pointers and maybe links to the best quality ones out there. Don't mind spending a bit more if it will last for awhile. One caveat is that we want to avoid any teflon like qualities and prefer cast iron material (not sure if it even exist or they make it out of a totally different material).

We will be using this mostly for stir fry for Chinese/Thai dishes.

Thanks for all the suggestions.

But they're 90% hole!

Diablevert — Mon, 21 Jan 2013 12:41:13 -0800

Kitchen Cleaning Gurus of MiFi: What's the best way to clean 1) oily gunk from between the handle and the netting of my all-metal spider, 2) a colander/strainer? Tips and tricks requested! Wrinkles: I have no dishwasher. Hand washing only.
Also, re: the spider, an SOS pad was of course my go to, but it doesn't seem to get inbetween where the supports attach to the basket. This pic looks a lot like mine, though my spider's basket is a net or mesh rather than simply rings.

Also, at first I thought the gunk was rust, but upon closer inspection it seems to be a build up of partially plasticised oil.

Teach me how to Wok!

daboo — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 14:46:36 -0800

I recently got a wok (I've never owned or cooked on one before). I seasoned per the instructions that came with the wok, but it seems to be looking worse for wear. What am I doing wrong? Pictures: with flash, without.

After seasoning it the first time, it looked fantastic, with the dark patina the edges still have. After cooking a few meals, the patina gave way where food was being cooked, and I'm left back where I started.

I'm completely ignorant here, so don't feel like you're insulting my sensibilities. Is this due to how I'm cooking (high heat, always)? Could it be how I'm washing (no soap, shortly after cooking)? Do I just need to re-season my wok every week or so?

How to fix stained wok?

shivohum — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 10:42:23 -0800

I have this cast iron Ikea Identisk wok. After I first cooked with it many months ago, it got these brown stains. I then set it aside, not knowing what to do. I hadn't seasoned it before. How can I clean/season/whatever it to make it good again, and how should I be using/cleaning it to prevent this from happening in the future? Or should I just go with non-stick for stir-fries from now on?

it's mostly in the wrist

d. z. wang — Wed, 15 Sep 2010 20:30:36 -0800

Please recommend some good exercises for my arms and my grip, mainly so I can cook better with a wok. Here's the main motion. I can do it with a little 10in wok, but I'm just too weak to get that explosive little flick at the end with my new 16in wok, even if I use both hands. It'd also be nice if I could hold it slightly above the burner for 5-10 minutes at a time and swirl it rapidly to stir the food. (In terms of necessary torque, we're talking about maybe 3lbs of pot and definitely no more than 3lbs of food, on a 14in stick.)

A mouse probably shit in my wok. How to clean?

bingo — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 08:47:23 -0800

A mouse may probably took a shit in my well-seasoned wok. How thoroughly must I clean it? The wok is this carbon steel model. It's a couple of years old, well-used and well-seasoned. I have cooked all kinds of things in it, mostly veggies and tofu, but sometimes meat.

Over the past year, a few mice showed up in my apartment, and could sometimes be heard (or seen) scampering across the kitchen counter, leaving droppings. At one point, one night, I heard what sounded like a mouse scrabbling against the curved surface of the wok. I later found that a section of the "seasoning" was missing, as if it had been eaten or clawed away.

Since then, the mice have gone (I humanely trapped and freed three of them, and the apparent fourth seems to have died or gone away), and the kitchen is much cleaner than it used to be, I have my food mostly in sealed containers now, etc.

However, I haven't used my wok in quite a while, because I'm concerned that it's not really clean, and that there may not be a way to clean it without scraping or burning off every particle of the "seasoning" and starting from scratch. In fact, if that's necessary, I may prefer to just get a new wok. I've also considered sticking it in the oven or the broiler at maximum heat and trying to cook the coating off that way.

All that said, I had come to like the idea of my wok, seasoned with the grease of hundreds of meals, and it seems such a shame to discard it or scrape it clean because it didn't manage to stay sterile all the time. I'm puzzled whenever I read someone talking about their wok that has been seasoned for generations. And I think, really? Nobody ever sneezed into it? A child never threw a dirty toy into it? Nobody ever touched the inside of it without washing their hands first? I realize that these things are not the same as mouse shit, but wok/seasoned cookware people, I ask you as a sub-question, where do you draw the line in terms of telling yourself that you need to let go of your "seasoning" situation and actually clean the thing down to the way it was when you first got it?

Needless to say (perhaps), I have since rinsed my wok thoroughly with hot water, wiped it with paper towels, and heated it up on the stove. It has been sitting face-down in a cabinet for months.

I'm not looking for pointers to the most conservative course of action here, which is obvious. I'm really just hoping to get advice from other people who used seasoned cookware, and/or have a well-grounded scientific (or tradition-based) understanding of what it's really necessary (or just typical) to do in a situation like this one.

Wanted: Madhur Jaffrey's Ultimate Curry Bible

lioness — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 03:11:31 -0800

Do you have Madhur Jaffrey's Ultimate Curry Bible on your bookshelf? Could you flip through in search of a pork recipe with mustard seeds? I'm hosting a small informal dinner tonight and was planning on making one of my favourite recipes from Madhur Jaffrey's Curry bible. Alas, I can't find my book and I need to start prepping!

The recipe was on the top of a left page and the title was in the vein of 'pork with mustard spices'. It entailed making your own spice mix with the usual suspects. Frying mustard seeds, adding pork strips, the spices, curry leaves and bean sprouts. Maybe some diced tomatoes were added, I'm not sure.

Could you find it for me?

As a last resort I will head to my library, but I'm hoping on a faster response here.

Wok stir-fry cooking: best resources for instuctional cooking videos?

Ligament — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 15:14:29 -0800

Wok stir-fry cooking: best resources for instuctional cooking videos? Hi All,

I recently purchased a very high end cast iron wok, and a very high output outdoor wok stove (165k BTUs). Now that I have the equipment to do true high temperature wok cooking, I'm looking for online cooking videos for some great authentic recipes. I'm interested in any type of cuisine that uses a Wok as a main cooking vessel. I'm also interested in videos that try to instruct on authentic recipes as opposed to easy or watered-down for the American palette recipes.

Links, please! thanks!

Help me cut out the middleman for my thai food fix

OrangeDrink — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 17:27:42 -0800

Tom Yum Fried Rice without a wok? (also, you got any rockin' recipes?) I'm thinking it's time to make my favorite Thai restaurant food - Tom Yum Fried Rice. some problems arise.

1) sometimes it's called Tom Yum Fried Rice. Sometimes it's just called Thai Fried Rice. How can I find an awesome recipe that will set my mouth on fire with the limey, peppery, tomatoey goodness?

2) I don't have a wok, or gas. Electric stove + frying pan + rice = A good day for dog food OR a good day for OrangeDrink and his roommate?

3) You, uh, don't happen to have a recipe for Tom Yum Fried rice that will rock me Amadeus, do you?

WOK FU!

saysthis — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 01:48:15 -0800

Seeking >20 minute recipes, but with a twist: I'm in China, and that means I have a wok, vegetable oil, garlic, black pepper, salt, sichuan peppers, no cheese, and limited options on Western meats. Also got a couple other pans, but nothing to specialized. Aside from the usual (fried rice), what are some interesting meals I can make with this in 20 minutes?

Ideal wok height above the flame?

Jsn7821 — Sun, 14 Dec 2008 13:45:52 -0800

How high above the flame should I have my Wok/frying pan/etc? Is full blast always the hottest setting? When I have my gas stove on full blast the flames push out around to the sides of the wok, and if I turn it down just a little they are more centered (but much smaller). Which is more efficient for cooking with a Wok?

Would it be better to rig up something to hold my Wok slightly higher up so the highest-setting flames don't get "smushed" around the sides of the Wok?

I have read a few conflicting things...

Ow ow ow, it hurts

sanka — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 16:37:12 -0800

How can I not mace my entire apartment with chilis? So I like hot stir fry. I like a lot of hot thai peppers. Problem is, it maces the entire apartment for about 20 minutes.

I generally set the chilis in some oil in the wok on med-low for a bit while I chop up the ingredients. About 10 minutes, all goes well. I crank the heat till the oils smokes, still good. I stir fry a bit of chicken or beef or whatever, still good. Add vegetables and such, stir fry with a little soy and rice vinegar, still pretty good, but I can smell the hot. Add the last bit of sauces to thicken up and now I notice everything is hot. My mouth, nose, eyes all of it, everywhere. My wife in the other room has a reaction.

I have effectively maced the entire apartment.

I have an actually powerful exhaust fan on all the time. It doesn't seem to come from the simmering of the peppers before, but at the very end where everything is hot as hell and just getting together good. That's the only part I'm not willing to give up.

I keep everything under the hood. I see it sucking up the steam as fast as I can make it. It does not escape. I don't know how any "mace" escapes it, but it does. It fills the entire apartment for about 20 minutes. It's literally hard to breathe.

Anyone know a workaround? What am I doing wrong?

What's the best wok?

jamestwofive — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 12:02:42 -0800

i'm looking to buy my first wok to start cooking and need help picking the right one. what's best? i've read that cast iron woks are very good but need lots of maintenance, whereas non-stick woks are affected by hot oil. i also notice a split between people who prefer single to double handles etc.

my price range is about £50ish ($100ish) and i'll be cooking on gas hobs. i'll be trying to cook chinese food.

also, is it worth buying special utensils?

Help me find the hottest electric large wok possible for (US) home use.

inquisitrix — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 09:13:43 -0800

My husband and I moved back to the States almost year ago from Australia and have yet to find an electric wok that will get hot enough for our gastronomic needs. We cook a lot of yummy Thai & Malay food, and have an electric stove that sucks (and no, we can't switch to gas, unfortunately). So I would like to find an electric wok that will kick ass, which is proving to be a bit difficult. I have researched many, many outlets with no luck. Cuisinart made a large wok that was 1800W but it is discontinued. I would be willing to pay mucho dinero for the right tool. Any help/ideas would be most appreciated.

I'm melllllllltiiiiiing...

allkindsoftime — Wed, 05 Sep 2007 00:42:20 -0800

I want to make one of these bowls instead of buying one. In theory it seems pretty simple to me - all I need is a nice round-shaped wok and a few bags of toy soldiers. I'm thinking it might be rather trial and error, but I don't want to a) get sick from any fumes or b) ruin a wok.

I realize this one might be a stretch but if anyone has some plastics-molding experience they might be able to impart, I would appreciate it...

Help me tame a cast iron wok

slimeline — Sun, 25 Feb 2007 05:14:39 -0800

Help me to tame my cast iron wok. Since I bought this Le Creuset wok I began to question my ability to cook. I realized (too late) that it is not really suited for Thai food but mostly for Chinese. Are there any good sources to teach me how to get the best out of this wok for vegetarian cooking? So I bought this Le Creuset (I know, overrated) huge black cast iron wok. After using it for a month now I still don't feel that I got the hang of cooking with it. First, being cast iron it needs seasoning with oil, I did that following the Le Creuset instructions (rub with vegetable oil, heat for 15 min. repeat) this did not work well, as the coating was not even and food still stuck. I seasoned it in the oven for about 3 hours, this was better for a while, but after a week I had to repeat this process. Does a cast iron wok supposed to be so high maintenance? I know that i should not wash it with soap to look after the surface. And I still have crusts on the bottom that flake and chip next time I use it. Am I missing something?
Related to this: What kind of recipes work best for this wok? And what cooking techniques I need to master to be able to cook good vegetarian and sea food? I am pretty experienced in general oriental cooking. Any tips from owners of this cast iron beast will be greately appreciated.

Recipes in a wok.

ztdavis — Tue, 17 Oct 2006 14:00:29 -0800

What are your favorite recipes for cooking in a wok? Inspired by a previous question about pasta recipes.

Bonus points for being cheap, as I'm an art college student, but I like to treat myself sometimes so it is by no means a requirement.

Thanks everyone!

Hamburger + Wok = Inevitable Smoke?

ztdavis — Thu, 21 Sep 2006 18:29:58 -0800

Have fun and hilarity at my expense! So I tried to pan fry a hamburger in a wok and my apartment is now full of smoke... I don't know much about cooking, especially in a wok.

Here's what happened:

1. I bought pre-shaped hamburgers at Sam's Club, I assumed they were pre-cooked because I was in a rush.

2. I get home and open the box and they are not pre-cooked. I think "whatever, they'll just take longer".

3. Heat up wok.

4. Put in wok.

5. Make sure battery isn't in smoke detector, because dear lord is there a ton of smoke.

At how many and which points did I go wrong? What should I have done differently? Should I have pan cooked it in a pan, perhaps? Should I have put oil in the bottom of the wok first (I didn't want an oily burger, so I didn't).

It does taste good, for the record; I'm eating it right now.

Please feel free to laugh at my expense, I have a self-deprecating sense of humor anyway.

Wok -- round or flat bottom?

10ch — Sat, 24 Jun 2006 10:30:25 -0800

I want to buy a wok. For the typical American (electric range) kitchen, which style is best? Flat or round bottom?

Healthy oil?

signal — Mon, 23 Aug 2004 10:53:21 -0800

What's the healthiest type of cooking oil? I do a lot of faux-Indian / Thai / whatever cooking (think a big wok with lots of turmeric and pepper) and, being on a low cal diet, usually just use water or a drop of olive oil to stir things in. I would like to be able to use more oil, but don't know which, if any, could be considered healthy. Googled, but haven't found a comprehensive non-biased source yet.