Wok recommendations needed

pretz_2

what ever you do dont buy a ken hom one as my dad brought me one as a pressie and it went rusty after one use i didnt even wash it i just wiped it round with a damp cloth and then dried it throughly pulled it our the cupboard the next day to use again and it was bright orange so steer clear however i did get the stir fry set from boots for christmas last year and that wok is brill

Unity

juliapenguin wrote: »

I bought a cheap non-stick wok from Tesco about six years ago. The non-stick has gradually deteriorated (I'm wondering how much of it has been unwittingly eaten...) and the other day I burnt some food really badly in it and getting it nearly clean has just about finished it off.

I've been trying to work out what to do - I'm generally trying to make do with what I've got rather than rushing out to replace things, but I really do use my wok every day as it suits my sort of cooking so well (probably because it stops me spilling food all over my difficult-to-clean cooker!)

Basically, I want a wok-shaped pan as much as a thing for cooking stir-fry meals (which I also do a lot). Do you think I should buy another cheap one, or buy something better, which will last? I hate buying cheap if I'm actually creating more landfill - my mum has pans and dishes she's used for decades!

Can anyone help me? I really want help from OSers, as it's not about money per se, more about the relative merits of buying cheap and replacing often, compared to buying expensive and keeping it for years.

Thanks!

Your best bet would be to go to a Chinese supermarket and buy one from there. I would urge you not to buy non-stick since non-stick coatings just will not withstand the heat necessary for this type of cooking as you've found out.:eek:

I bought my steel wok from just such a supermarket a few years years back, it's a full sized one and cost me £6.50 :T - but you have to prepare it properly. When you buy it, it will have a protective film to stop it rusting and you need to remove this before you use it. Use a Brillo type pad and wash both the inside and outside of the wok. Then put some ground nut oil on kitchen paper and rub vigorously inside and out. Finally put your wok on the cooker and heat it right up - it will smoke and the colour should change to a blueish bloom. Finally let it cool right down.

When you use it to cook, you should heat the wok itself before adding any oil and always cook at high temperature. Some Chinese cooks say you should never wash a wok - however if something sticks (and you're like me) you'll want to clean it. In which case just repeat the same procedure with the Brillo pad and conditioning the wok with oil. Your wok should remain rust free and serviceable for many years.

Hope this helps .

lil_me

If you've got no local chinese supermarket near you you can shop online (have seen them on ebay etc) for a 'carbon steel wok' that is not non stick!!! Then season it so it doesn't rust etc, there are many guides and videos on how to inc this one http://www.5min.com/Video/Seasoning-A-New-Carbon-Steel-Wok---Chinese-cooking-6782

juliapenguin

lil_me wrote: »

If you've got no local chinese supermarket near you you can shop online (have seen them on ebay etc) for a 'carbon steel wok' that is not non stick!!! Then season it so it doesn't rust etc, there are many guides and videos on how to inc this one http://www.5min.com/Video/Seasoning-A-New-Carbon-Steel-Wok---Chinese-cooking-6782

That video was amazing. Is this the right sort of wok? http://www.amazon.co.uk/Typhoon-Professional-Lacquered-carbon-steel/dp/B000WCC1TY/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1225564313&sr=1-6
or should I just get one of the cheaper ones?

Unity

juliapenguin wrote: »

That video was amazing. Is this the right sort of wok? http://www.amazon.co.uk/Typhoon-Professional-Lacquered-carbon-steel/dp/B000WCC1TY/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1225564313&sr=1-6
or should I just get one of the cheaper ones?

My wok is exactly the same as the one in the video £6.50 at my local Chinese supermarket. The one on Amazon is just more expensive - and you'll still have to remove the lacquer coating.

Good luck with it .

hayden

steel woks from chinese supermarkets -some do online service such as Wing Yip .
I have different sized woks -rarely use soap on them, two of them since I was a student 30 years ago!

lizzyb1812

I replaced my wok recently and like you I like to use it for all sorts of cooking. I've got a Remoska and made sure to get a wok that my Remoska would fit on top of. So if I'm making something like roast veg I can now heat the oil and toss the veg in the hot oil in the wok and then turn off the heat and put on the Remoska lid. My new wok is therefore a wok, an all purpose-pan and a Remoska base. Did toad in the hole in it the other day:j

juliapenguin

lizzyb1812 wrote: »

I replaced my wok recently and like you I like to use it for all sorts of cooking. I've got a Remoska and made sure to get a wok that my Remoska would fit on top of. So if I'm making something like roast veg I can now heat the oil and toss the veg in the hot oil in the wok and then turn off the heat and put on the Remoska lid. My new wok is therefore a wok, an all purpose-pan and a Remoska base. Did toad in the hole in it the other day:j

I've got a Remoska too so that's a brilliant idea! thank you xx

buxtonrabbitgreen

I could do with a new one too. There is no non stick left on mine and I have to brillo it before I use it each time.I didn't realise you could buy stainless steel ones. I am just waiting for an Amazon voucher forom a survey site so I will use it for that I think.
It is no use me buying anything non stick as the oh always uses metal spoons to stir no matter how much I nag.

nuttyrockeress

We have had this stirfry pan for years now and I can't speak highly enough of it.

Tefal pans are great - we use ours for allsorts - curry, chilli, stirfry etc

HTH