Here’s why you’ll love this wok!
If you have experience with wok cooking, then there are three things you’ll want to know about this wok...
Pre-seasoned,
Lightweight,
Cast Iron.
If you’re new to wok cooking (and are confused by all the choices), the place to begin is by giving some thought to the following considerations when choosing a wok...
#1 Shape
Regarding shape, your choice is between round or flat bottom. The traditional Chinese wok is round but there are functional considerations for choosing the round bottom wok that go beyond “tradition”.
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•The round bottom is a natural shape. The curve allows a smooth, continuous stroke with no hard edges to break the free flowing stir fry movement. The round bottom just “feels” right.
Flat bottom woks have more flat surface area (they use more oil), and are not as deep. The angled sides get scratched so food starts sticking making cleanup a chore. This is one of the most common complaints I hear. Another complaint, and one I’ve experienced myself when I was experimenting with flat carbon steel woks, is “soupy” stir frys when used on electric stoves. This is because electric stoves don’t generate enough heat to stir fry. See also Flat Bottom Hybrid in right box. -
•“Adjustable Size” pan. The continuous curve of the round bottom effectively makes the round bottom wok an “adjustable size” pan. Two examples:
When my husband makes omelets, he swirls the wok to spread the eggs to the desired size. The wok is an “all-in-one” small, medium and large omelet pan.
Once he was reheating some turkey leg soup and started with a small saucepan, but the leg was sticking up and he couldn’t put the lid on. So he changed to a bigger pot but it was so wide the liquid didn’t cover the leg. Finally, he thought “why not the wok?”, since he uses it for everything else-- the sloping sides were the perfect solution and the wide lid covered the whole dish. -
•Correct balance with two handles. Some people are attracted to the big handles on designer woks or the stout wooden handles on carbon steel woks. With a heavy wok you HAVE to have a large handle to be able to lift it (leverage). A big handle on a round bottom wok makes it unbalanced and “tippy”. I personally think these large handles get in the way. My wok doesn’t have a big handle because it wouldn’t be consistent with the design strategy of keeping everything LIGHT. Because of it’s lightness, you can handle mine with one hand even when it’s full. To assist you in gripping the wok, I designed a small wok mitt with a magnet which keeps the mitt attached to the wok when you take your hand off the handle. See wok mitt for more details.
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•Ideal Size. The 15” diameter (37 cm) is perfectly matched to use with the 10,000 btu Stir Fry Stove. It’s the ideal size whether you’re cooking for yourself or a family of 4-6 people. Woks smaller than 15” are difficult to use because there’s not enough room to flip your food and are impractical.
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•Wide opening and deep sides. The wide opening and deep sides of the round bottom wok keeps the frying action in the center. This prevents food falling out of your wok and dirtying your stovetop.
Flat Bottom Hybrids. See discussion in box at right.
#2 Material
There are only two types of material: CAST IRON... and all the rest. Let’s look first at “all the rest”-- carbon steel, stainless steel, and the most popular, non-stick.
Carbon Steel. I find carbon steel "cold and steely". Food stir fried in a carbon steel wok lacks flavor. One advantage of carbon steel is that it can withstand being bashed around and this is one reason it’s popular in many Chinese restaurants. Cast iron is a brittle material and casting it thin to achieve lightness makes it susceptible to breaking if you drop it. My experience is that carbon steel doesn’t build a patina as nicely as cast iron (therefore the food sticks). I’ve also found, If you don't use it regularly, it gets rusty.
Stainless Steel. The biggest advantage of stainless steel I can think of is that it’s shiny. A saleswoman in a cookware store selling stainless steel woks told us she had a special polish to keep it shiny. Two points... One, scrubbing the wok to keep it shiny takes time and effort (my philosophy is maximum flavor with minimum effort). Two, scrubbing the wok is removing the material that forms a natural non-stick surface. You’re throwing out the “baby with the dishwater”.
Non-Stick. See discussion “Non-Stick Woks” in box at right.
CAST IRON. This is the best choice because of the following benefits:
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•Flavors the Food- The number one reason to use cast iron is that it gives your food flavor. You all remember the cast iron skillets your mother or grandmothers used and the wonderful meals that came from them. A food writer who hosts a radio show I was invited on described the taste as “a smokey, barbeque taste”.
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•Lightweight - My wok is a thin walled cast iron and weighs only 3 pounds so it’s easy to handle (I can lift it with one hand). People are surprised when they use my wok because they associate “cast iron” with HEAVY. (See also “Flat Hybrid Woks” discussion in box at right).
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•Pre-seasoned - I’ve seasoned this wok for you which means it’s ready to use right out of the box. Seasoning a wok is a tedious, smelly job that requires time, ventilation and patience. Many people have confessed to me they have unseasoned woks stashed away at the bottom of their cupboards because they never got around to doing the onerous task. I've eliminated this obstacle for you, to guarantee you'll have success the very first time you attempt stir frying.
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•Conducts heat evenly - As a cooking material, cast iron is unsurpassed because there are no hot spots and it cooks evenly. Cookware does for heat what a lampshade does to light, it softens and smoothes it out.
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•Natural non-stick surface - Cast iron builds up a natural non-stick surface that improves with use. This patina is a TOUGH surface and is able to handle my metal spatula without scraping off. People are always amazed when I use “metal on metal”, as they’re familiar with wooden utensils for their non-stick pans. (Read more in “Spatula” below and “Non Stick Woks” in the box at right).
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•Easy Clean-up - When I’ve finished my stir fry, I just add a little water to the bottom of the wok to soak while we’re eating dinner. It’s usually only a 15 second swish with a light scouring pad or brush to wash out, then wipe it dry with a paper towel. Never use soap or steel wool because it ruins the patina you're building up! I don’t put oil on my wok because it makes it sticky and can go rancid.
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•Personality - Each one of my woks is unique. They are cast in a mold but each one is finished by hand in the final stage. One student even gave his wok a pet name! My wok isn’t “fancy”, it’s not as finished (no chrome handles) as many of the designer woks. But it possesses a beauty captured by the Japanese expression, “Wabi Sabi”: a rustic simplicity and understated elegance with a beauty and serenity that comes with age. (See discussion “Designer Woks” box at right)
Architects and designers who appreciate good form and function, love my wok. It’s attractive displayed on your stovetop. If you don’t pack it away you’re more apt to use it. I’m confident you’ll find yourself using it for everything. It will become your number one favorite pan.
Spatula
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•This special stainless steel spatula with a curved shovel and wood handle is PERFECT for stir frying. I took this spatula for granted because in Asia, we all use this tool, but I’ve found it very difficult to find one for homestyle wok cooking in America.
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•The wood handle is cool to hold when it touches the hot wok. Some designs in steel look stylish but become hot which make them awkward to hold.
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•The edge of the steel shovel is curved which matches the curve of your round bottom wok.
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•The pointed edge of the shovel can cut meat and veggies in the wok by applying a slight rocking motion with pressure. It’s not sharp, however and won’t cut your hand.
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• The raised sides of the spatula allow you to scoop liquid so you only need ONE tool.
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•The length and size are IDEAL to use with the 15" wok. Most spatulas in Asian markets are for restaurant cooking in huge woks. Spatulas for western cooking do not have raised sides and are not curved, making stir frying very clunky.
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•Wood spatulas are useless for stir frying because the edge is thick so you are just moving food around, more like stirring, not stir frying! It’s not good for getting underneath your food to scoop or flip over. They were designed to be used for non-stick pans so they wouldn't scratch off the non-stick coating.
Final Thoughts
As a Wok Star, your wok is your guitar. It needs to “feel right” and PERFORM (your wok gives your food flavor). If it gives you good results, you’ll enjoy it and use it everyday.
Until I started teaching wok cooking, I didn't realize all the misconceptions people have about woks and stir frying. The difficulty of finding this particular wok in America is what motivated me to develop my Wok Star Kit. I didn't want to get into the hardware business, but there were so many obstacles for people wanting to learn wok cooking...
• buying the right wok
• seasoning it correctly
• running around to 4-5 different shops to shop for tools and utensils
• finding good brands of Asian seasonings
• learning the right stir fry techniques
• and the biggest obstacle, adequate heat (especially on an electric glass flat cooktop). The heat problem has been solved with the portable butane Stir Fry Stove.
My goal is to remove all the obstacles to your getting started. With the right tools and techniques, I’m sure you’ll achieve success on your first attempt at being a Wok Star!
