Learn about basic Chinese cooking equipment - wok, ladle

[GMC750]

What are Woks for?

Throwing at Wabbits....

(cough)

I'll get my coat...

[Thorralf83]

I am looking for a bole (log, stem, lock of tree) to cut my ingrediances with a cleaver on top of it. I am very confused that after half an hour of searching I can't find any trader. Maybe it will helps if i would know the original chinese name of it, for typing it into google or asking in my local asia supermarket for it. Is there anyone who knows the chinese name of such a 20 - 30 cm thick stem?

[angelinajoanie]

This video is great. Very useful information.

[1982FMJ]

whats the difference between using a ladle and a spatula to cook with. I have both. MOst chefs seem to use a ladle. Should each be used for different dishes.  Does it matter if you scratch a carbon steel wok as mine has little scratch pit marks from use and very tiny chip marks. I have just got a 15" wok to replace my old 12! inch wok and its much larger. im much better using the large wok since it prvents splattering. am i wrong to always use the larger wok?

[wokfusion]

The ladle and/or spatula can be used. When ladle and spatula it is used together to dish out food from your wok to the plate. If you feel more comfortable using the ladle, then you can do so. The ladle allows you to scoop things around the wok. I think that you can flip food in the wok quicker with a spatula since it has more surface area to toss the food around. The flat side of the ladle has less surface area to quick toss and mix the food quickly. Again, this is personal preference.

[wokfusion]

It is ok to replace the 12" wok with a 15" inch. It would require more time to heat a larger wok, and the larger wok is good for a large family that needs to cook more food for a dish. As you mentioned, it would stop more of the splattering. Again, you can work with different sizes to best suit your needs.

[1982FMJ]

i've ehard carbon steel are best. i have carbon steel and properly seasoned and oiled it never sticks. the only thing im a bit concerned about is the fact these woks will rust within minutes if not washed and oiled. can any chefs tell me if i have any worries about carbon steel actually rusting while the food is being cooked. i always find carbon steel gives food a metalic taste. its great for not sticking but the metalic taste it gives off is not very nice.

[fonzerelli83]

why would you want to paint your wok? A wok doesn't rust if is used and cleaned regularly, the cooking ability is enhanced by the patina that it forms from continually using the wok (the patina acts as a natural teflon and is black so it also absorbs greater amounts of infrared) I have worked with many chefs who use woks regularly and I have never heard they paint their woks. The tip is not is harmful; even if someone manages to find a nontoxic paint, it will affect the flavor of your food.

[laratta]

How do you treat it? Please explain. Thank you so much for the tip.

[Lunarlaserranging]

i use a carbon steel wok to cook scrambled egg in. I heat the oil untill smoking then and the eggs and stir constantly and add a little soy sauce. i serve it with freashly squeezed lemon juice but i add the lemon juice when it is on the plate. My best advice to all is ignore the government gulde on how much you should eat each day as we are all different in size and that is like them wanting us to all be the same. the reccomended daily amounts of complete nonsense to keep supermarkets fat

[boobtuber06]

That is one thick Cantonese accent!

[CorpusChristi83]

I have that same cleaver! I got it in Chinatown in Brooklyn. I've had it for like, 8 years, its a perfect and basically indestructable cleaver. I've even chopped down small trees in my backyard with it, washed it, and then cut veggies wiht it 1-2-3/

[ZenannM]

You lost me at the conditioning part..how did the pan become black/blue?

[CorpusChristi83]

what you do is rub oil into the pan, and cook it and cook it and cook it, and keep slowly adding oil, and keep cooking and cooking and cooking, and adding more oil and adding more oil until the oil burns into the pan and creates a blueish black seasoning, or "patina" which is basically a carbon steel non-stick coating. This is only necessary with carbon steel woks. it addes authentic flavors and almost a bbq effect if you will.

[nanba25]

the same here : I received, as a Xmas gift, exactly the same flat bottom wok as in the video, never would turn blueish. Instead, it turned and stayed like brown splashed

[MattyMatt761]

@nanba25

they come with a laquer finish on them that can be a pain to get off. you have to get that laquer finish off first, and then you'll be able to season it. however, it probably won't turn out looking like the one in this vid. it took me two days to get that stupid finish off, after that  was able to season it properly.

[dan1427]

I'm surprised to see that there's not a single mention about the most important component of Chinese cooking equipment- the heat generator. If wan to make Shanghai noodles for instance on your electric kitchen range then you could as well use an Italian recipe for pasta and whatever else because you'll never get the wok hey flavor. And forget about teflon skillets!

[wokfusion]

You probably need to be careful on the type of paint used since there are toxins or toxic elements that may give off into the air. It could absorb into the food and make it unhealthy to eat food with these toxins.

[wokfusion]

The purpose of the chopsticks is to control and even distribute the cooking of the food. Chopsticks do not conduct heat since these particular one are made out of wood. The spoon or other metal conducts heat and makes it hot on your fingers and hands. This is the reason to use the chopsticks instead of a spoon.

[BlackDarkAngel96]

Thank you. That is helpful =)

[oishitomoro]

lmao i screamed and ran away..

[BlackDarkAngel96]

The wok that you are showing would you please tell me what brand it is. I have a wok that my mom had thats looks just like that one but it has nothing on it anymore for me too tell where she got it. Thank you.

[kinstar]

yh thoese are like the best woks to get there just so kl and epic eh lol

[admrn95]

Unfortunately I don't have a wok stove. I tried to season my flat 14 inch carbon steel wok that i bought from wal-mart on top of my gas range on high but it only turned yellow brown not blue/black as I expected. What should I do?

Thanks

[TheVegascook]

Heat up the wok till the inside turns black. Let it cool down completely. Then wash and scrub the inside of the wok with Bar keepers friend. After doing that a couple of times, the burnt lacquer comes off and the carbon steel will show. Then seasoned it on high heat like the video. Voila, the metal inside of the wok will turned blue . BTW, make sure you wash all the cleaner off completely before you season (Can tell if you wipe the inside with a napkin while your drying the wok over heat)

[oishitomoro]

omg I was seasoning my cast iron wok the other day and I heated it really high then added oil. AND THE OIL CAUGHT ON FIRE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! omg it almost hit my face. FUCKING WOK. THE WOK NEEDS TO GET FUCKING BROKE.

[anonymouspas]

The wok is an inanimate object. You are the living being with the brain. Guess who's fault it is you almost got burned?

[MiSTAAAHMEK]

no what you need to do is get common sense, because the wok is an object and they are NOT alive, in case you did not know =].

[furianfire]

Been thinking about getting a wok, was not sure what kind to get but these informative videos have helped, thank you

[nvmee8]

okay i just got a wok and i was cleaning it and some black sfuff was coming out of it is that normal??? i dont know anything about woks i just got it as a gift and wanted to use it so i was washing it....all this black stuff was coming out of it...did I ruin it?

[IamSteelManS]

U2CanBeme , Talunge Who are these people anyway. how did they escape from madhouse...?

[U2CanBeme]

keep it in your shed next to a dead cow...

[BartImpson]

You first put a light coat of oil in a hot wok, use a paper towel to wipe the oil around the inside of the wok. Then heat it until it turns blue like in the video or black, if you have a high BTU wok stove.

[takadi]

Can you discuss types of woks and wok shapes, etc? What is considered the "superior" wok? The flatbottomed? Cast iron? Carbon-steel? Seasoned or teflon? Heavy cast iron or light cast iron?

[wokfusion]

The details of this is describe in the Master Chef Boot Camp video. There would be too much to describe here.

[BartImpson]

The superior wok that I recommend is the well seasoned round bottomed carbon steel wok. Teflon woks can only be used on medium heat which is useless for stir-frying. I hate to say it but #2 is a well seasoned, light, round bottomed cast iron wok.

[Tsutomo392]

I see, this actually helps wince im new at cooking! =]