Working with Woks

[Anonymous No.10696798]

Tell me your experiences with wo/ck/s. Complete novice when it comes to cooking in a wok. Things like:
What type of material is best (cast iron, nonstick, aluminum, etc.)?
Can a large cast iron skillet mimic a (cast iron) wok in practice?
Is there any difference in the final dish (e.g., stir fry) when using a wok over a gas vs. electric heat source (assuming the same temperature is used)?
Anything else you've learned from cooking in a wok?

[Porn Corporation No.10696813]

>>10696798
I use a flat bottom cast iron wok over electric, once seasoned it works well enough to be useable. Not the best, which is round bottom with a wok ring over gas or a wok on one of those Chinese butane portable outdoor burners but still ok.

[Anonymous No.10696854]

>>10696798
Cast iron rounded wok, never use it indoors though. I have two of them one with those obnoxious single handles and one with the small handles on the side

[Anonymous No.10696869]

>>10696813
What's the difference that you get between a round vs. flat bottom during cooking? Difference in heat distribution, which I assume would then affect any caramelization going on as a function of distance to the heat source?

>gas wok on one of those Chinese butane portable outdoor burners
Does the direct contact temperature of the open flame make a huge difference in stir frying if your ingredients are only being flashed against the side of the wok and tossed continuously?

>>10696854
Thanks. So, avoid single handles?

[Anonymous No.10696876]

Can anybody give me some good ways to spice up some rice? I'm living on borderline poverty budget ($20 a week + as much rice as I need) and want to learn how to cook. I've got a 32cm wok and somebody is offering to give me a pressure cooker.

[Anonymous No.10696880]

>>10696876
I'll give you a pressure cooker

[Anonymous No.10696901]

>>10696798

i have an electric wok that gets lightning hot, and a high carbon steel wok that i use over burners.

i don't recommend using flat bottoms or use on electric / flat glass ranges. when you cook with a wok the idea is to use insane temperatures to blast whatever you're cooking and stir it up the side of the pan while adding the next item. so that's why flat bottom ones are kind of worthless, and why a cast iron wouldn't be a good replacement. my grill has a side burner i can use a wok on, and my range flips over to reveal a concave seat for woks. you can also get these seats for round bottoms, which is another reason why flat is undesirable

[Anonymous No.10696918]

You need a proper gas jet fired one otherwise it's pretty pointless to use one.

[Anonymous No.10696962]

>>10696901
>electric wok that gets lightning hot
Details s'il vous plaît?

>high carbon steel wok that i use over burners
Lighter/easier to toss in than cast iron, I assume? Any issues seasoning?

>>10696854
>>10696901
>>10696918
It sounds like (random pic related) really would be a smart, cheap investment for wok cooking for those of us without gas burners? That and a wok ring to go on it.

[Anonymous No.10697049]

>>10696962

it looks exactly like this, i'm pretty sure it's this. it's some cheapass piece of nonstick shit that has no business working as well as it does. easily hits the smoke point of any oil and heats up in what feels like twenty seconds. just be careful not to scratch the nonstick if you want this thing i guess. also there's no on and off, you just plug it in, and i think the dial just turns it'self up constantly.

yeah that propane burner would be great if you really have to use a wok. alternatively you could just build a fire and throw down a makeshift grate made out of chicken wire and rebar or some shit like that. you'd need that little round bottom seat or could just rig something up

[Anonymous No.10697078]

>>10697049
Good shit, thanks.

I don't really have to use a wok, just want to experiment with them a bit. Might as well try to do it right (and not waste money), and it seems like the propane burner + a proper carbon steel/cast iron rounded bottom wok is the way to go.

[Anonymous No.10697121]

>>10696918
This. You need some serious BTUs to be able to cook properly with a wok.
>>10697049
No. You can't have a teflon fucking wok, teflon can't handle the heat. You'll get teflon fever.

[Anonymous No.10697153]

>>10697121

fuck

[Anonymous No.10697179]

>>10697121
>You need some serious BTUs to be able to cook properly with a wok.
That would be professional kitchen burners specifically designed for the purpose, right? Would a smaller, portable setup like in >>10696962 (maybe 20k BTU range) be a sufficient leap over a standard home gas range (<10k BTU) to notice a difference in the end dish?

[Anonymous No.10697200]

>>10697179
Spongebob memes are the comfiest... :)

[Porn Corporation No.10697245]

>>10696869
I think the flat bottom units have a tendency to stick slightly more.

[Porn Corporation No.10697263]

>>10697078
>propane burner + a proper carbon steel/cast iron rounded bottom wok is the way to go

This is probably your best bet if you don't have a gas range, use it outdoors or with ADEQUATE ventilation.

[Anonymous No.10697283]

>>10696798
>you will never have one of those giant jet turbines stoves like in chinese resturants that can cook shit in two seconds
What's even the point? Might as well use a flat pan.

[Anonymous No.10697300]

>>10697179
Might work fine, I don't know. That electric one is pure meme though.

[Anonymous No.10697308]

>>10697283
For you.

[Anonymous No.10697317]

>>10697245
>>10697263
>>10697300
Thanks.

[Anonymous No.10697363]

>>10697283
You can make one yourself. Just look up do-it-yourself foundry videos on YouTube. They're essentially just concrete fire pits with a leaf blower attached. It can melt aluminium, so I'm sure you could reach the same temperatures without spending $10k on an industrial burner.