Useful Tips for Cooking with a Wok

A wok is a piece of utensil used for cooking which is made from stainless steel, iron, copper or aluminum, having a handle on both sides. It has different features for different cooking styles.

Good quality woks have heavy features so that it can maintain heat. Woks come in different sizes for different recipes.

• Stir-frying – This is considered as the classic way of cooking with the use of a wok. It gives off a smoky flavor because of the cooking technique, which is stirring. For the preparation, make sure all the ingredients are ready.

• Deep-frying – For this technique, make sure that there is enough oil in the wok. Aside from this, maintain a medium-high heat, which ranges only up to 375 degrees. It has a built in structure that can maintain the heat. After this, you only need to wait until the food turns golden-brown. Hence, use a wire strainer in removing the food out of the wok. This is for draining the oil. Another option is to place a paper towel on the plate. Doing so will help absorb excess oils.

• Steam – With steaming using a wok, most people often use bamboo steamers. A bamboo steamer is a round basket that holds the food over the steaming water. In order for the steam to come out, the lid should be tightly closed. Then, place the bamboo steamer in the wok and fill it with some water. The water should be half inch below the steamer. After this, cover the wok and let the water boil over high heat. The duration of the steaming process depends on the particular recipe. Next, carefully remove the bamboo steamer from the wok. Another way of steaming is with the use of a so-called "wire streamer". This is a good way of braising and smoking food. All you need to do is to place the rack inside a wok and add 1 inch water below the rack. Make sure the water does not touch the rack. You need to then arrange the food which can be steamed in a heatproof plate. You will then put the plate on the rack of the wok. Lastly, cover the wok and maintain medium-heat or as directed in the recipe.

Hence, the curved shape of this utensil acts as its main advantage. This can make the large foods shallow fried. The other spices are automatically deep-fried even with a small amount of oil. Aside from using gas, you can also make use of electric heating elements for woks. Although usage of gas can provide even heat at the bottom of the wok, the electric stove is much needed in a household kitchen. The electric stove can also provide a concave induction along the cooking surface. It can also respond quickly to the changes in temperature. A type of wok that is perfect for a flat round electric stove is the one with the round flat bottom. People are now enjoying the benefits and efficiency of using a wok.

A wok is a utensil used for cooking. It has special features for different cooking styles. It is made of stainless steel iron, copper or aluminum along with a handle found in both sides.

Woks are traditionally used in Chinese cuisine. Chinese recipes have different techniques in cooking. Due to its concave curve structure, heat is being distributed evenly. It is perfect for stir-frying as well. Aside from this, it has a hot spot on the bottom, giving more heat in very low to medium-high fire. This makes it perfect for deep-frying. Wok even has features that can be used for steaming foods.

Woks are also used in restaurants due to their very fast attribute of increasing temperature, allowing the cooking of food even in a short span of time. Although there are various types of pans in the market today, the wok may be the chefs' first choice.
Chefs can cook with their own style and technique. This piece of art wok makes cooking very easy. The lower arm will then exert a large amount of force since this part is quite heavy, especially if it is used in stir-frying. It's easy to stir while cooking because the edges make the food seem to push up onto the sides.

Woks have different handles, depending on the brand and type. A wok that has a single handle will help the chef toss the food. It also requires a large amount of arm and wrist strength in order to produce this.

At current, the most common material used in making woks are carbon steel and cast iron. These materials are more costly as compared to the traditional ones. A non-stick wok which is covered with Teflon is the most used variety. Aluminum is also the best conductor of heat. Plus, this makes it much easier to clean. Although it's the traditional way, aluminum is still soft and can get easily damaged, making it durable for steaming. This is especially because of its lid.

Article Source: http://articles411.com

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