A wok is a solid cooking vessel that looks like a frying pan. They originated from China and are also found in some parts of Asia. Woks are used in a wide range of Chinese cooking and are popular for cooking varieties of foods using various cooking techniques. They have 2 metal handles, a long one and a short one. The handles are made of heat resistant handles.
Woks come in unique shapes that give room for even distribution of heat. Cooking with this vessel is considered healthier than using normal vessels because of its high heat retention ability. In this article, you will learn how to use a wok and what wok is all about.
Just like there are different types of pots with special features and peculiarities, there are woks with different shapes, sizes and special features. They come in two distinct types of woks. These are, flat bottomed wok type and round bottomed wok type. As obvious as their differences are, there’s a lot more to discover.
The flat-bottomed wok is a suitable wok type for an electric stove. It is very effective because it allows proper circulation of heat throughout the wok. This quality is due to the fact that it is well balanced on the surface. The flat-bottomed wok is suitable for all stove tops.
Flat bottomed woks like Calphalon Signature comes with a lid that retains heat. The Calphalon Signature flat bottomed wok will sit flat on your stove top. It is made up of a carbon steel bottom that can easily make contact with either the electric stove top or the ceramic stove top.
However, getting a flat-bottomed wok depends on the function you want it to perform. A flat-bottomed wok will not be a suitable choice if you have a large family. This is because it is not a great choice for mixing food in it. It is shallow hence would spill food over when stirring.
A Round bottomed wok is a type of wok with a ball shaped bottom. As the name implies, it has a round bottom, therefore, it is not as compatible as the flat-bottomed woks. The major advantage the flat bottom wok has over this type of wok is that it is more stable than the round bottomed wok. Due to this peculiarity, you will have to make some cooking adjustments so as to balance this type of wok.
However, the round bottomed wok can be very resourceful when mixing or stirring. The round bottomed wok has more depth than the flat-bottomed wok hence prevents spilling. It also prevents the stovetop from being messed up because it does not allow spilling.
Like the flat-bottomed wok, the round bottomed wok is suitable for all stove tops but with a little adjustment. For balancing your round bottomed wok on your stove top, you will need New Star International NCWS9, a wok ring made of steel. This ring is designed to balance your round bottomed wok and make it suitable for all stove tops but the coil stove top. The wok ring allows even distribution of heat all through the wok.
Electric stoves are cooking tops that are used to cook. They serve as a source of heat to cook. We will limit the electric stove types to 3 in this article. Each stove type is carefully explained with their pros and cons. In addition, you will learn about the stove type that is suitable for your wok type.
A Round bottomed wok works best with this type of electric stove. It works better because a wok ring can sit well balanced and stable on the electric glass ceramic stove top. An advantage is that the wok ring leaves a ½ inch to 1 inch gap between the bottom of the wok and the stove top to prevent scratches. This also allows the bottom of the round bottomed wok to stay stable on it.
A flat-bottomed wok type will not be a suitable choice for this wok type because it can cause scratches to the electric glass ceramic stove top. This makes it a bad choice for this stove type.In addition, the glass ceramic stove is a better choice for a round bottomed wok because it is made up of a solid material that can withstand extreme temperature changes without breaking. Although, dropping a hard object on it will break it. This factor makes carbon steel a bad choice for this stove top.
An electric coil stove is a suitable choice for a flat-bottomed wok. The wok sits well balanced on an electric coil stove. The heat can easily spread round the bottom of the wok evenly. This allows for your food to be properly cooked.
A round bottomed wok cannot be used with an electric stove top. This is due to the way the bottom of the wok is designed. The heat will not circulate evenly and the wok will not balance. It does not make cooking easy. Unfortunately, a wok ring cannot sit balanced on an electric coil stove.
is an excellent choice of electric stove top over coil and glass ceramics stove tops. This type of stove top requires high iron content in a wok pan. Carbon steel pans like Mauviel Made In France M’Steel Black Steel Wok are made up of thick iron, and carbon steel that makes it perfect to use on induction stove tops.
However, induction stovetop surfaces are very fragile. Hence they break easily. Dropping your carbon steel wok or wok of any other material on it would crack the stove top. Be very careful when using an induction stove top and do not use a wok ring on it. It is dangerous.
Using a flat bottom wok on an electric stove is not much of a big deal. Just ensure that you pay attention to the things we have discussed under the types of electric stove. We advise that you use an induction or coil electric stove top. Afterwards, season your wok. Then you can enjoy your wok.
A round bottom wok should be used with a wok ring. Also, the glass ceramic is the only type of electric stove you can use with a round bottom wok. This is due to the shape of its bottom. Having said that, season your wok and start to use. This is how to use a round bottom wok.
The wok comes with a coating oil from the factory regardless of its type. The coating oil is done during the process of manufacturing to prevent rusting of the wok. This is the reason you should season your wok before using it to cook. To season your wok, follow these steps.
Woks have a large prominence in the Asian culture. Although its origin is being traced to the Han Chinese dynasty. They have more preferences in comparison with the traditional frying pan. Woks are excellent vessels for cooking and can be used for all cooking techniques including steaming.
They aid convenience and are proven to be a healthier cooking option. Now that you have learned how to use a flat bottom wok and round bottom wok, making the choice of the type of wok you plan to get should not be an issue again.
