The Wok Cooking Tutorial

A few tips and tricks for the novice wok chef.

I Learned Wok Cooking from a 1980s Cooking Show

The first time I got interested in Chinese cooking was watching a PBS show in the ‘80s called The Frugal Gourmet with Jeff Smith. These were in the days long before the Food Network, and Smith's show rivaled Julia Child's who at that time was the matriarch of TV cooking shows.

Smith's television career came to an abrupt close in 1997 when he was accused of accosting teenage stage hands on the set, and later settled out of court with eight men who filed two separate lawsuits against Smith, claiming he had sexually abused them when they were teenagers in the 1970s. The plaintiff's attorneys were prepared to put eight more witnesses on the stand who also claimed Smith sexually accosted or abused them, but were not a part of the suit. Although Smith never admitted guilt, one must assume that where there's smoke, there's fire. Married and never divorced, Smith was estranged from his wife for decades. What's sad about Smith's fall from grace over a scandal like this is that he was a former Methodist minister. Smith used to end each of his television cooking episodes with, "I bid you peace."

Smith wrote several cookbooks, most of which I bought or were given to me in the 1980s. I still refer to them for some good recipes that I frequently use.

Despite his beleaguered personal life, I'll give Smith credit for teaching me two important cooking techniques: (1) how to make an omelet (see the Kitchen Tapestry recipe for The OMG Omelet), and (2) how to cook Asian cuisine in a wok. He had a saying that I mentally repeat each time I use my wok to this day, "Hot pan. Cold oil. Food won't stick," meaning that before you start cooking, place the wok on the heat until you see wisps of smoke. Then, put in your oil.

I won't give you a dissertation on Chinese cooking. There are entire books written on the subject. But I will give you a few salient tips on wok buying, prepping and cooking for the many wok recipes in Kitchen Tapestry, several of which were inspired or adapted from Smith’s cookbooks.

All Woks Are not Created the Same

There are many different makes and models of woks. If you’re in the market for one, there are several that you do not want in your kitchen. First, do not get an electric wok. This is frankly an abomination of the very concept of wok cooking, which is to constantly stir fry food over very high heat. An electric wok will not get nearly as hot as you need to enjoy true Chinese cooking.

Secondly, do not get a wok with two looped handles. Although this is, in fact, an authentic hand-hammered wok made of carbon steel, this is a Cantonese wok. Cantonese cooking, unlike Mandarin and Szechwan cooking, is mostly braising and stewing and while that’s good for Cantonese style food, none of the recipes in Kitchen Tapestry are intended for this kind of wok. Its very configuration make stir frying very difficult.

Finally, you do not need, nor should you get a wok with a non-stick surface. In the first place, the surface is not intended for the high heat of wok cooking, and in the second place, foods stir fried in a wok will not stick if (a) the wok has been correctly seasoned, and (b) if you follow the Jeff Smith rule: "Hot pan. Cold oil. Food won't stick,"

The Mandarin Wok

You want a hand-hammered carbon steel Mandarin Wok. This is the style of wok that has a long wooden handle and generally comes with a wooden handled Chinese spatula, known as a Chaun. The idea behind Szechwan and Mandarin cooking is to cook over an intensely high heat and to keep the food in motion, known as stir frying. There are two ways to keep the food in motion: (1) using the handle to shake the wok continuously while cooking, and (2) using the Chaun. The Chaun is different from a western spatula in that it has a much longer, wooden handle to keep the cook’s hand away from the heat, and it has a rounded edge to better make contact with the curved surface of the wok.

There are two styles of Mandarin woks and which one you should get depends on what kind of stove you have.

If you have a a gas stovetop, you want the traditional rounded bottom wok. This will allow the wok to sit comfortably on the gas stovetop grate. If you have an electric or induction stovetop, you want the so-called “Western Wok” with the flat bottom. This allows greater contact with the heating element and allows you to get the intense temperature you need for wok cooking.

Regardless of what kind of wok you get, it will likely come with a round ring, called a fire ring, that is designed to allow you to use a rounded bottom wok on an electric or induction stovetop. Throw it away. It doesn’t work as intended and indeed, might damage your stovetop. It was designed as an earlier solution to wok cooking on an electric or induction stovetop, but the advent of the 20th Century flat bottom “Western Wok” eliminates the need for it. And also, if you have an induction stovetop, be sure to use a Silicone Induction Mat, which will protect the cooking surface of your stovetop.

In addition to a Chaun, most woks also come with a Wok Skimmer, which looks like a wire basket attached to a wooden handle. This is the Chinese version of a slotted spoon, designed for retrieving food from the wok during deep frying or steaming. The wok also has a domed lid, generally made out of aluminum. This is used for steaming foods, but is also essential to use when the wok is stored to protect the patina created during seasoning.

Aside from the fact that hand-hammered carbon steel is the way woks have been made for centuries, the slight irregularity of the metal due to the hammering method with which it was created will help keep food to the side and along the wall of the wok without sliding back down into the bottom of the wok. This is needed for adding different ingredients during the cooking process because of different cooking times, or for pushing ingredients in the wok to the side so you can reduce the cooking sauce.

Seasoning a Wok is Critically Important

The manufacturer will provide instructions as to how to correctly season a wok and this is a step you must not omit if you want a wok to behave properly so foods do not stick and the wok is easy to clean and maintain. A well-seasoned carbon steel wok will take on a blue hue. There are all kinds of tutorials on the Internet and You Tube, but essentially there are two methods: the stovetop method and the oven method, which is the easier of the two. It boils down to this:

• Clean the wok thoroughly with soap, water and a non-metal scouring pad or non-metal bristle pot scrubber.

• Wipe down thoroughly to dry, then place the wok for 10 minutes in a 400°F oven.

• Remove the wok from the oven and wipe down the inside of the wok with a thin layer of peanut or avocado oil, which have among the highest smoking points of all cooking oils.

• Wrap the wooden handles in aluminum foil (or in some models, they can be unscrewed and removed).

• Put the wok upside down into the 400°F oven for 1 hour.

• Remove the wok from the oven and allow it to cool for 15 minutes.

• Repeat the oil application and again place the wok into the oven for 1 hour. Do this a total of five times.

Some wok enthusiasts and even some wok manufacturers will say that once a wok is seasoned, it should never be cleaned with soap and water, but merely scraped clean. This is terrible advice. When you’re done cooking with your wok, allow it to cool slightly, then introduce very hot water into it. Allow it to sit while you finish your dinner. This will prevent food from drying out and sticking to the surface of the wok.

When you’re ready to clean up after dinner, pour out the water and use a non-metal scouring pad or pot scrubber to loosen any bits of food inside the wok. Use any brand of dish soap, and clean the wok with hot, soapy water. Rinse and dry the wok thoroughly. Then, place the wok in a 400°F oven for 15 minutes. Remove the wok and wipe it down with a thin coating of peanut or avocado oil. Place the wok back in the oven and turn the oven off. Retrieve the wok the next morning and put it back in your cupboard or storage closet with its domed lid.

Mis en Place

Pronounced "meese-on-PLAWS" and literally translating to "everything in place." It is a French culinary term used to define having all necessary ingredients at the ready and within arm’s reach for a specific cooking duty. This is essential to wok cooking. Have all ingredients prepared and measured out, and then sitting on your countertop next to the stove, arranged in the order you will need each ingredient. Wok cooking goes fast and you cannot be distracted by looking around for something you need. It must be within reach and ready to simply be placed in the wok at the time it is needed.

Use the Right Oil

The last tip is to always use peanut oil for Mandarin or Szechwan cooking. Refined peanut oil has a smoking point of 450°F which makes it ideal as the go-to oil for stir frying in a wok. Avocado oil has a higher smoke point of 520°F, but it is more expensive and woks rarely will be used at such an extreme temperature.

The wok is central to Chinese cuisine, and if you want the authentic flavor, texture and harmony of Chinese cuisine, the wok must also be central to your kitchen. Happy wokking!