Recommend your wok

[Anonymous]

Where can I get a good wok and what should I look for? I don't want a non-stick surface but that's all I know. Any input is appreciated. Thanks!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Where can I get a good wok and what should I look for? I don't want a non-stick surface but that's all I know. Any input is appreciated. Thanks!

(And I cook with gas if that makes any difference.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Where can I get a good wok and what should I look for? I don't want a non-stick surface but that's all I know. Any input is appreciated. Thanks!

(And I cook with gas if that makes any difference.)

I think it has as much to do with the level of heat from the gas burner as the actual wok. I say this because someone I know bought a house from an Asian family who had a range with one of the burners that was clearly geared to produce extreme heat and they found the wok they used suddenly produced way better results than when they were cooking on a more conventional burner.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Where can I get a good wok and what should I look for? I don't want a non-stick surface but that's all I know. Any input is appreciated. Thanks!

(And I cook with gas if that makes any difference.)

I think it has as much to do with the level of heat from the gas burner as the actual wok. I say this because someone I know bought a house from an Asian family who had a range with one of the burners that was clearly geared to produce extreme heat and they found the wok they used suddenly produced way better results than when they were cooking on a more conventional burner.

That's interesting. My stove has two smaller burners and two larger ones and just that makes a difference in things like the time it takes to boil water.

[Anonymous]

I love my carbon steel wok. I got it online--can't remember where from. You do have to season it, but once you've done that and used it for awhile, the surface becomes virtually non-stick. It's very light and heats up beautifully.

[Anonymous]

My MIL is really into wok cooking and she has:

- a simple iron wok that she ordered from Shanghai (I think you could find something similar through google). It was very cheap and is amazing quality.

- a countertop gas burner that produces extremely high heat.

[Anonymous]

I use a cast iron one on a gas cooktop. Works very well.

[Anonymous]

Don't get a non-stick surface wok and use it on very high heat. Stick with plain carbon and season well (as PP mentioned).
I'd just go to a local Asian food store and see what they have in stock.

[Anonymous]

I have a carbon steel wok I bought at IKEA, and I love it. Any of the ones sold in the Asian stores will also be good. I now have a gas stove, so I use the steel wok on the high burner. When the stove was electric I had a Breville electric wok which was OK.
Not a fan of the non stick ones.

[Anonymous]

I've heard that for American stoves you are better off using a large frying pan for stir frying, as woks were meant to be used on stoves that have an opening where a portion of the wok fits down into them. On American stoves, not enough surface area gets hot enough on a wok since our burners are flat, hence making a flat frying pan more ideal.

[Anonymous]

Yup, carbon steel wok. Should be fairly cheap at any Asian market. Didn't know they had them at IKEA, that also sounds good.

It's true that a big flat-bottom skillet is good for stir-frying if your stove is lame like mine. (Electric coil model.) I use my big cast iron. But if you have a gas stove with a burner that will get your wok hot enough, go for it.

[Anonymous]

Pretty sure mine is Taylor & Ng. It must be at least 20 years old. Flat bottom and long handle are a must for western style kitchens.

Agree with others -- season it well! I never wash mine with soap and water. When I'm done cooking I boil water in the wok and then wipe it clean with a paper towel. The inside is totally black by now.