Nothing beats a well-seasoned carbon steel wok

Post #147,431 by pwhysall 3/21/04 3:01:22 PM Reply	Nothing beats a well-seasoned carbon steel wok Single most versatile thing ever. Makes great pancakes :) Peter [link\|http://www.debian.org\|Shill For Hire] [link\|http://www.kuro5hin.org\|There is no K5 Cabal] [link\|http://guildenstern.dyndns.org\|Home Page - Now with added Zing!]
Post #147,457 by FuManChu 3/21/04 6:14:52 PM Reply	Hallelujah! Preach it, brother!
Post #147,464 by Andrew Grygus 3/21/04 6:49:01 PM Reply	Woks are a religion . . I have two woks, a large wooden handled spun steel job from Atlas Metal Spinning in San Francisco, and a smaller cast iron one (I suspect it came from Japan, but I'm not sure). I use them only occassionally, mostly for things that start large and wilt down to small. The problems I find are: On a gas stove they tend to be too hot in a ring around the center and not hot enough at the center where the oil runs to (on the clay stoves they were designed for they'd be hottest in the center). They take up way too much real estate on the stove top. Seasoning is very critical or you end up with a metalic taste in the phase where water is added and you cover it and let it simmer (not as much a problem in the cast iron one but you lose some of instant temperature control). they're a hassle to handle at the sink during clean-up. I tend to do even Chineese stuff in the deep 10" coverable skillet. [link\|http://www.aaxnet.com\|AAx]
Post #147,533 by pwhysall 3/22/04 1:54:49 AM Reply	Sink? Dishwasher BABEH! Peter [link\|http://www.debian.org\|Shill For Hire] [link\|http://www.kuro5hin.org\|There is no K5 Cabal] [link\|http://guildenstern.dyndns.org\|Home Page - Now with added Zing!]
Post #257,402 by Andrew Grygus 6/1/06 2:35:46 AM Reply	Wok Update I now have three woks. The third one cost me U.S. $80 but is well worth it because it makes the wok usable - the Calphalon 13" multiply. It's got a flat spot in the center just big enough for stability so it sits right down on the flame and there's no heat blocking ring stand. The flat spot is small enough it doesn't interfere with normal wok function. Heat in the high conductivity aluminum layer spreads out very effectively to keep heat even across the bottom and up the sides. 13 inches is just a tad small but not so much as to be a serious problem. It cleans easily and there's no chance of getting an iron flavor in acidic foods. It doesn't come with a lid and a lid is very important, particularly one that's high enough to fit over steamers and such. Fortunately I found a 32 cm stainless wok lid that fits with absolute perfection at the Asian Supermarket. [link\|http://www.aaxnet.com\|AAx]

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