We were given a wok for Christmas. I have never used a carbon steel wok or anything else carbon steel to cook with. I scrubbed it up and seasoned it today, the flash and reflections kinda messed with how nice the seasoning looks in the picture. I half am expecting it to be similar to my cast iron since it is seasoned similarly.?.? What does anyone make in them or have for cooking in them tips? I believe it was a Helen Choy brand or something like that. Extra credit in you can name the band that sings the song this thread stole its title from.
I have a couple recipes I could share. When my wife and I were just dating, I once took my parents wok to her mothers house to cook them a meal. This was probably 89ish. Sweet and sour chicken. They enjoyed it very much. My dad does most of the cookin’ and used the wok quite a lot growing up. He got very good at it. We were given one when we got our own place. I don’t use it frequently but enjoy it when I do. I never got into cast iron so I can’t compare. For cleaning, it gets a light wipe down with a scrub sponge. Not enough pressure to remove any seasoning, then dried and a very light wipe with a paper towel that has cooking oil on it.
Lol, I doubt it would even hallway work on any electric / inductive range. The deal with woks is that they need extra BTU's to work like they are intended. You'll want to use the burner with the highest btu output you can. We don't have a wok, but I'm sure we'd use one of we had it. Do you have a wok ring? Those are handy so you can set it down and not have it wobble around on the stove grate.
A couple favorites. The sweet and sour chicken isn’t so much stir-fry but I bet you’d like it. if there is anything specific you’d like to see, lmk. I’m more than happy to share. Substitute Lychee w/ pineapple chunks.
Interesting. Consider yourself an outlier. Especially with a traditional round bottom wok. Is yours a flat bottom or traditional?
Thanks for the recipes and tips. Keep the recipes coming! The wok we have is flat bottomed (didn't Queen have a song something like this sounds) and it didn't come with a ring. Just ask Mama Bear, I have gas! Oh, you mean what the stove runs on? Yup it is natural gas. So I should run it at a fairly high heat it looks like. Are there oils better than others to take high heat and not smoke but won't alter flavor?
Great to hear on the the gas range. All woks work best with a gas range. 10 Reasons to Stir Fry with a Frying Pan Instead of a Wok | Omnivore's Cookbook. Yes the type of oil is crucial. Don't use low smoke point oil. Peanut oil is good. Oh and I looked, we do have a flat bottom wok as well. Just hidden
I will cook in a Wok from time to time , well sort of a Wok anyway. Actually a cowboy wok or discada (sp?). I made it out of a plow-disc from a harrow, welded a plug in the bottom and added some handles. Works great ; very heavy and really holds the heat. It is a little big ( I think 20 or 22 inches in diameter) for the burners on my inside stove so usually gets the outside burner like you use for a turkey fryer. Now I am craving a good stir-fry.
I have flirted for a couple years about making a Hillbilly Wok. Did you get a used one or get a new one and grind paint off? Handles just re-bar or did you make wooden ones. Pic?
I used a new one and ground the paint off. Grinding paint off was the hardest part , there was a ton of it on there. I just used steel round stock for the handles for two reasons ; #1 ) that's what I had and #2) I was not sure about the wood if I used it over an open fire. I figured the steel will last forever , but the drawback is it does get hot. I will try to remember to grab you a picture .
Love cooking in my wok. Don’t really even use other pans except that and my 14” cast iron. Couple quick tips; no need for a flat bottom wok or to spend much on a ring. Also, helps to remove your gas diverter and use the jet engine flame!!! I also use mine on my turkey fryer burner and kamodo grill. I can’t get as much heat out of the kamodo but it helps keep the mess and smell outside. For recipes I really like “the art of cooking” channel on YouTube. Has a lot of really great recipes on there. I’ve made his chicken/beef broccoli recipes so many times I can do it in my sleep now. Hasn’t posted any new videos in years, sadly I heard that he passed away. Enjoy woking.