by Charles Asbury

Created on: December 02, 2008

Cooking with your new WOK

When my wife and I first got married, we couldn't cook squat. No really, we were stationed in England, on our own and three thousand miles away from family. That meant no long distance cooking classes from our mothers.
We were in the BX one day, and there was this gentleman showing us how to cook in a Wok. We thought cool, how hard can this be. Needless, the Wok became out first purchase for our brand-new kitchen. I can't cover everything about wok cooking due to helium writing limits, but I can share some helpful information regarding the wok and preparation for cooking.

How a Wok is made

When a wok is made, it's made to some centuries old design and from traditional materials. Because of its shape, it will get very hot at the bottom and then become gradually cooler toward the top. In fact, you will find that although the bottom is very hot, the rim of the wok is relatively cool.
Remember this cool piece of information, your wok was actually hammered into shape. Notice the appearance of your wok. You will see immediately that it has a primitive look. Woks are often hammered by Chinese craftsmen, in the way they have been doing it for more than 2,000 years. One man literally hammers the wok into its final shape. As you can imagine, this is no fast process.

Preparing your wok for cooking

Woks come with a light film of oil covering the surface. This coat is put there to protect it during its long journey from Southern China where was more than likely made. First, wash your wok in warm, soapy water. This will remove the protective film of oil from the wok. This should be the last time any soap is used on the wok. Rub two tablespoons of peanut oil into the wok with a paper towel. Then wipe out any excess oil from the wok leaving just a sheen on the inside. Place the wok on any burner, set on high heat for ten minutes. You will notice that the bottom of the wok will first turn light brown, then gradually it will darken to a deep brown. This darkening will gradually spread three or four inches up the side of the wok. It will smoke a lot! This is normal. Turn the heat down to medium and let it Stay on the burner for another 20 minutes.

Seasoning your Wok

You can even season your wok if you want to. One way is to lay your wok in hot charcoal barbecue biscuits for 20 minutes. Another approach, is to lay your wok over an open wood fire for 20 minutes.

Cleaning your Wok

Like all iron pans, never use soap or detergent when cleaning your wok. This can cause the seasoning to break down and allow water to reach the metal and this can cause rust spots. Should this ever happen, simply scour out the rust. Use any method to do this, (i.e. steel wool or Brillo). It is safe to do this because you are going to re-season the wok in this area.

In China, the family wok is usually handed down to the eldest daughter when she marries, so one wok can pass on to many generations. I have my family wok, and until my daughter marries, I plan on cooking many more chicken fried rice dinners. So go out and get your own wok. Your wok will produce great food and a lifetime of memories.

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