The Joy of Woking

A few observations.
 
1. Hell fuckin' yeah for carbon steel
 
2. What the hell, after a year glorifying in finally having gas, then back to sad ol' electric, NOW I FIND OUT I CAN MAKE A ROCKET ENGINE OUT OF A GAS TOP STOVE?
 
3. Nobody cares for Yan and Barber? I've been watching them both from birth. I never thought I would live long enough to praise an Albertan, but Burning Colon is spot on XD
 
Love cooking in woks. Got a carbon steel thats 18" across. Don't do any flipping but got a couple curved spatulas that I use to fly shit around in it. Wipe it out when done, heat it up, add some oil, turn off heat a wipe that oil around before it cool completely. Pretty much like cast iron. And just like CI, you can cook on a campfire if you have to. Good shit :dance:
 
WTF is that?


a signal ...

SIGHUP ...

literally "Hang Up," but practically broadcast as directive to respawn a server thread or instance ...

I'm using it like "bump" ...

I'm dying to explore Asian cuisine finally ...

I tried to get started a few years ago, but just got too busy and had the electric range blues about it ...

I'm going to season a couple of 14" SS and get started any day now, though ...

Danielle doesn't eat Asian food, so I'll flying solo on these dishes ...
 
If what I am about to add has already been addressed, sorry. I am going to cut to the chase and inform all those concerned. You do not want a wok made of cast iron. A wok is designed to heat up rapidly and have a hot spot for cooking(the bottom of the wok) and the walls a cool spot to rest the food. cast iron heats too slowly, retained heat too long and heats too evenly making it inadequate for wok use.
The best type of material for a wok is high carbon steel that has been hammer forged. The hammer marks help retain the food resting on the sides keeping it from sliding back to the hot spot. this is why Teflon and not stick coatings on woks also make the inadequate.
 
 
 
Again, sorry for cutting to the chase, I see this was indeed addressed already. one of the problems of trying to surf the site with a cell phone and then getting to a pc a short time later and seeing you shanked  one.
 
Burning Colon said:
when i was a young lad-late 70's, early 80's, we had 2 cooking shows that were fun to watch. Martin Yan, "Yan Can" and James Barber "the frypan man" - just like it sounds, everything was cooking in 1 cast iron frypan and at the end of his show he showed how to properly clean the cast iron pan with salt.

here are a couple vids to watch, unfortunately not from their origin tv series - that would have been a blast, martin yan was funnier and james barber dawn a long ponytail.
enjoy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x1z_Kt30HvQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=66syNhYJtls
Click to expand...
Wow blast from the past I got started cooking watching yan can cook, and Julia Child's. I agree with SavinaRed hand hammered carbon steel is the way to go :)
 
ok ... so, i haven't cleaned or seasoned the 14" SS woks, and I don't have a fresh protein and i may have had some madras ...

ImageUploadedByTapatalk1416710254.691900.jpg


ImageUploadedByTapatalk1416710265.492095.jpg


the DC is dead, despite the whimpers of those who disagree on that ...

viva la wok.

indoor faux wok, tonight, as it turns out ...

ImageUploadedByTapatalk1416710366.031454.jpg


I put the range on high, put the heavy ass lid on it, and let it get smoking hot ...

I checked things by flicking water and watching it sizzle/evaporate ...

not depicted, I used a tbsp ghee and swirled it around the wok - two-hands ...

I put the pressed garlic in, stirred it around a bit, then added the ginger, and finally the shallots ...

Shit happens mad fast, even inside ... and you can't slow down w/ the indoor wok because it's CI ...

Then I added the ham ...

After a min, I added the bok choy, doused it w/ the chinese wine, turned the heat down to medium, and covered it for 30 seconds ...

I opened it up, drizzled a little light soy and fish sauce, stirred it for 30 seconds, and slid it onto a plate ...

ImageUploadedByTapatalk1416710797.855737.jpg


ImageUploadedByTapatalk1416710806.589417.jpg


ImageUploadedByTapatalk1416710827.181102.jpg


ImageUploadedByTapatalk1416710837.208359.jpg


pretty dry. i'm happy for my initial attempt ...

ImageUploadedByTapatalk1416710889.010838.jpg


i'll velvet meat next time ...

no significant carbs.
 
Here is one of my 2 woks I've had since the 70's. These carbon steel woks are non stick from years of seasoning.

some veggies prepared for the wok

There is no better way to cook with a skillet than with a good carbon steel or cast iron skillet/ dutch oven that has been seasoned properly. Nothing compares to them. I have a collection of old Griswolds/ Wagners from the late 1800's - 1940's. Don't let anyone kid you about these old gems with glass smooth surfaces. If you come across one at a garage sale buy it and have it cleaned and seasoned. You will not regret it I can guarantee it.
 

Attachments

  • Wok.jpg
    Wok.jpg
    83.4 KB · Views: 63
  • veggies.jpg
    veggies.jpg
    134.5 KB · Views: 57
Very nice ...

Next time I fire up the grill I need to season all of the steel ...

I have a lodge skillet that I plan to use for biryani, paella, blackening, and ? stove top pizza ... it needs seasoning ...

I have a 14" SS round bottom, and a 14" hammered carbon steel flat bottom to put into service here shortly ...

ImageUploadedByTapatalk1416760423.552987.jpg


Thanks for sharing yours!
 
I can promise you that once you season that carbon steel wok you will absolutely love cooking with it and all that is needed for clean up is a sponge and water. Do not use soap.
 
Great thread guys all this food we should all do more walking great for your cardio and the surgeon General says you should walk after every meal awesome that your promoting healthy lifestyle and oooohhhhh "Woking"
NEVER MIND!! :)
 
Well, it has been quite a while since I bought the CI wok.  I am still loving it, but now I am considering giving carbon steel a shot.  My method of wok cooking seems to do ok with cast iron... But, I am always a sucker for new kitchen gadgets.  The CS fans do make some great points... I will have to see how much money I have to spare after doing some Christmas shopping.  :)
 
westin said:
Well, it has been quite a while since I bought the CI wok.  I am still loving it, but now I am considering giving carbon steel a shot.  My method of wok cooking seems to do ok with cast iron... But, I am always a sucker for new kitchen gadgets.  The CS fans do make some great points... I will have to see how much money I have to spare after doing some Christmas shopping.   :)
Click to expand...
carbon steel woks are inexpensive. look up the wok shop in SF Chinatown.
 
Yeah, in fact, the two you see above are their 14" ... one is 14" round bottom stainless ... the other is 14" flat bottom carbon steel that i ordered two days later when I realized I ordered the first as plain stainless ...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top