How to Buy a Wok: What We Recommend
If you’re new to Chinese cooking, you’ve probably asked yourself: what kind of wok should I buy? Stainless steel? Cast iron? Non-stick? Don’t worry! We’re here to help you with a comprehensive guide to buying the right wok (it’s what we use!) so you can cook our recipes and get the best possible results.
How to Season a Wok & Daily Wok Care
We’ll walk you through the detailed first-time seasoning process you should apply to your new wok. For ongoing care, we’ll show you how to maintain it for years to come. We’ll also go over some key misconceptions about wok care. Follow this advice, and your carbon steel wok will form a beautiful seasoned patina that any Chinese cook would be proud of.
How to Prevent Food from Sticking to a Wok!
We’ve all dealt with terrible messes from food sticking to a wok. A pan-fried fish ending up skinless, a crusty coating of rice or noodles impossible to scrub off, or bits of meat that just won’t come loose. Frustrating. In this post, we’ll share the ONLY technique you need to keep food from sticking without special equipment or ingredients!
How to Make Stir-fry: The Right Way
Though cooking a stir-fry dish takes minutes, there’s more to stir-fry technique than meets the eye. In this post, we’re sharing our need-to-know tips on how to make Asian stir-fry dishes in your wok the right way, no matter what ingredients you’re using.
Your website is wonderful, I have learned so much about Asian cooking! I have not had problems with sticking as I follow your tips. My question is about after cooking. Often my husband and I will grab our portions from the wok and go eat at the table, leaving the wok on the stove with food in it. Is this making the clean up harder/affecting the woks seasoning? Should I remove the food to a dish and swirl some water through the wok? Advice needed!
Hi Karen, It’s always best to remove the food from the wok to a dish for easier cleanup. As long as you wash the wok soon after cooking you should be alright. If the dish is acidic like hot and sour, then it would be good to do wash the wok as soon as possible after the dish s done. Hope that helps!
I have a glass top stove. Oh how I long for the gas stove I had before this stove. The heat is uneven. Hot in the middle and no heat around the outside edges of the burner circle. I there any tips you can give me about Wok cooking and this glass top?
This will be my first time buying a wok and cooking with it.
Hi Lisa, cooking on an electric cooktop just takes a little getting used to it. The heat does come fast and you may have to adjust the heat often. Use the largest area burner setting to the best results and move the pan around as needed.
What brand of cooktop do you use/suggest to provide an open circle of flames (like in your wok pic)? Is it commercial only?
Hi Lisa, our residential gas range is a Viking brand model that has been discontinued. Many older commercial wok burners used these same round burners, but I have not seen many for residential appliances.
I noticed in your pictures that you use a gas stove. I only have an electric stove. Any tips? Or should I buy a propane burner and cook everything outside?
Hi Michael, if you have an electric stove, you can make do with a flat-bottomed carbon steel wok!
What are your feelings on using a cast iron wok instead of my carbon steel one?
Luv your recipes and just viewed Episode 1.
A cast iron wok is ok, Linda, but they can be brittle if they’re on the thinner side (they can actually crack!), or very heavy if they’re thicker. They also take longer to heat up!
I did buy a wok but found it too heavy for me to work with quickly and easily. Lately I’ve used my cast iron pan instead. It’s still heavy but more manageable for me. I’m considering buying smaller carbon steel pan since I only cook for myself. Do you think that option would be better in my situation? I’m 70 years old and my structural problems that I was unaware of in the past have taken over and have put a limit on what I am able to do.
If your wok is heavier than a cast iron pan, then it may not be carbon steel. I would get a small 12-inch wok if you’re cooking for 1, and make it a lightweight carbon steel. That said, if the cast iron pan is working for you, by all means use it!
Thank you Sarah. Could you explain to my why a 12″ wok is better than a 8″ carbon steel pan? My cast iron pan is heavier than my wok but it’s easier to maneuver I like the idea of a pan with larger surface area more than the more round shape of wok..
Hi Liz, a wok’s thin metal sides are better at heating up quickly and staying hot during stir-frying. It’s shape is also more ideal for stir-frying, since there is more surface area. It’s also a more versatile cooking vessel, for steaming, frying, blanching, etc. But I wouldn’t want you to buy something that you didn’t like or use, so if the cast iron pan is working for you, then by all means keep using it!
Thank you. Will do.
Hi, hoping you can help. Not realising that carbon steel needed to be seasoned, we started using our new carbon steel d.line wok right away like a usual non stick wok. After a couple of stir frys, I have found this site and realised that the wok we have requires seasoning. The colour of the wok has darkened, it almost looks burnt. Is it too late for this wok? Can I start the seasoning process and save this wok? Thanks in advance, Anthony
You’ve “accidentally” seasoned your wok. Yes, the color is supposed to change, and it will dark substantially. Read the guide, and go ahead with the steps.
Hi Anthony, you can start over with seasoning like we describe in the post, but I kinda think you have already started the gradual seasoning process. :)