I tried to use a flat bottom wok on my 7.000BTU electric stove. The problem was that it switched off the heating, when it was "hot enough". I bought a 7.000BTU gas stove for the wok and I think it's fine. It is not like one of the big burners. But I also don't have the kitchen for the big ones. On the stove I have to turn down the heat, otherwise the oil will smoke very heavy.
@TheLittleDeath1 - I know what you are talking about usually that is on the newer elec ranges with the smooth top, when it reaches a certain temp you can see the element go dim, I don't know whos' stupid design idea that was but it is frustrating for sure. Heating the oil in the wok takes some practice, you have to be quick and toss in the ingred you intend to stir fry, also if the oil gets too hot it can ignite and catch fire, if you see it smoke too bad remove wok from heat!
I'm actually starting to find it amusing why manafactures market such low power stoves for home use. IF you want a stove you cook on you must by a catering grade gas cooker with burners that are at least 6kw. FOrget seasoning a wok on a weak domestic stove. YOU need at least 6kw of power.
@210482fmj - h ome electric ranges are what they are and for the majority of people that's not going to change. Working in Chinese restaurants for many years I "seasoned" many woks ranging from 22" to 24", but I have also seasoned a handful of the type in the above video sucessfully and as the other videos attest it is virtually non-stick. For the naysayers who say it is not white or orange hot, I say- I rotate the wok from spot to spot until the entire surface changes color, con't
@210482fmj - of course the more patient you are the hotter each spot will get but it is not necessary to turn the steel "orange" hot. Can you get better results using 35,000btu commercial burners? absolutely for cooking as well, in Cantonese it is called "wok hay". 95% of americans do not have them or the ventilation required, that is why I try to stress adapting by cooking in smaller batches and getting the wok really hot before stir-frying.
So to sum up, I have been cooking for family and friends using the standard elec range with pretty good results and everyone is entitled to their opinion. It's just hard to swallow when I hear it can't be done and I've done it. And I especially don't want to discourage my viewers and subscribers from wok cooking in their homes, you don't need commercial power to cook delicious stir fry, just more patience. Controversy generates views, and this IS one of my most popular clips, thanx to all
I bought exactly the same wok and love it! It's my second wok, I like that it is thin walled so it heats up faster and develops a hot spot at the bottom to cook food really fast. It came with an oil coating which I didn't trust so I washed it real good with soapy water then seasoned it. I didn't know to use a piece of ginger as you did, seems like a good idea.
@jel2003 - mine is at least 10yrs old and still in excellent shape, it may outlive me for all I know ! Thanks for the comment and the "ginger" trick is something I picked up from one of the head chefs that I worked under through the years.
@dachicagoan - " that wok" has worked just fine for many years on old style electric ranges and newer smooth tops. You can use a wok ring to steady it if you need to, personally I don't as the wok doesn't contact the elements so you lose some heat. If you're talking about a flat bottom wok, that's a matter of preference, I like the smooth concave surface. As for other opinions on how to season a wok, I'm just sharing my 20 yrs. exp. in various rest. using 20 -24" woks sucessfully...
@jui49 I'm having a problem seasoning my wok... It's a concave bottom 24-inch, carbon *i think* that came with the crap ya gotta scrub off. I'm seasoning it correctly, but i keep getting burns in the bottom of it, and having to scrub it clean -losing my seasoning in the process.
@sec9hideout - hard to tell with out seeing it, some people put links to images. A 24 inch wok is the size used in restaurants, and if you seasoned it as shown you won't "lose" the seasoning. Sometimes if you don't heat the wok hot enough before stir frying you will get sticking on the bottom. Try heating the wok till it smokes a little and then add oil, swirl around and then cook. Hope this helps you out
most domestic cookers do not provide enough cooking power for decent wok cooking. I actually bought an outdoor high powered 9kw wok burner and the difference is amazing. Only problem is you have to work so fast or else you end up over cooking everything within a few seconds. most domestic cookers dont go over 5kw. if you can afford to have profesional ventilation systems installed i highly reccomend it and getting a high powered catering grade burner. you cant cook well without it
@210482fmj - I also had a high output gas burner on my patio in Florida and we used those at Festivals to cook fried rice and Filipino Pansit ( rice noodles). Definitely a difference, but a hassle to cart all my seasonings etc. outside to cook. That is why my lessons are for most people who have average home kitchens, sometimes you have to preheat the wok or cook in smaller batches to make up for the lack of fast heat recovery. Your points are valid, but I cook well using a regular stove...
i've now discovered that the rumour that stainless steel woks dont cook well is wrong. many chinese cookware stores now sell them and use them in kitchens as they are lighter in weight and easier to lift. the problem with carbon steel is it rusts within minutes and this presents health issues when cooking with sauces or simmering sauces.
Doesn't that kind of wok usually come with a sort of lacquer that needs to be scrubbed off? I see those type of woks all the time at local Asian markets and they have a heavy coating of lacquer that is very hard to remove, how does one do so?
@J25x - The ones from Town Foodservice only have a thin coat of oil, but I know the ones you're talking about. I am a believer that anything can be burned off!! You have to be careful at home to use the "high" setting on your exhaust fan as this can cause smoke to be generated. As each spot turns white hot you rotate the wok to the next area until you have "burned" the entire surface white hot. Then when it cools, use a mild abrasive pad, give it a good scrubbing, rinse, dry and lightly oil
my local chinese supermarket in uk has a double handled wok but it is stainless steel. it is a restaraunt supply store so they must use the stainless steel for certain tasks. what would they use stainless steel woks for as opposed to the better carbon steel for not sticking. WOuld they maybe use the stainless steel woks for soups and sauces that don't require frying? anybody no what the stainless steel woks are used for that the asian stores sell.
@1982FMJ - I have never seen stainless used in the restaurants I worked in or when I visited my friends at their restaurnants. I have seen the smaller ones used for display on some buffets to give an asian look to the display versus regular steam table pans.
@jui49 I agree, stainless steel is bad for wok cooking. Chinese thin cast iron or Carbon steel is the ones i seen most commonly used here in norway. I hope to see some more recipes soon jui.
@flydaddyA - over 20 years in the business, never had anything stick to the woks I seasoned, learned from more than 3 head chefs in various restaurants and ran a sucessful business for over 13 years -- and your credentials? Thanks for the ignorant comment, but this is a free country and you can put anything in your wok and season it any way that works for you and please navigate away from my channel if you don't like my "Style"
@jui49 I agree with jui here, different individuals, different techniques. The way I also learnt to season a wok, is to give it a virgin stir fry. Simply put in chives, ginger and stir fry until it's burned. This will remove any metal flavor. Baking it in the oven after washing it thoroughly is also nice to get the coating evenly burnt off.
As for woks, I found the chinese enamel outside, cast iron inside wok great. It's light weight, retains heat better on western stoves.
@jui49 I'm British, by my girlfriend of 21 years is Chinese, and her grandmother seasoned my first wok. First you need to scrub the shit out of the wok with wire wool and soapy water, not just wipe it with a paper towel. Secondly, she used OIL (groundnut oil in my case). I can't see how you "season" a wok with no oil. Instead of using paper towels, she used chives.
You pretty much did nothing more than heat your wok up.
You season a wok with fat. not ginger. Where the hell did you even come up with this. Carbon steel, iron, rusts. so you heat the product up then use oil, or better fat, to make it non stick.
@TheRivalConcept - some people may choose to use a flat bottomed wok, but I have never used one, either commercially or for my own use at home. For deep frying you could use a wok ring if you are worried about balance, but you lose a little bit on the heat.
@TheRivalConcept -The mandarin wok w/ attached handle will be heavier towards the handle but will still sit on the electric burner. You can add oil etc. and then hold the handle w/ one hand and stir fry with the other. If you use a flat bottom you still have to hold the handle or it will slide when you try to stir fry, I would think.
Thanks for the positive comments, good luck with the seasoning of the wok, it just takes a little patience in the home environment. Happy Holidays and thanks for watching!
A low-carbon steel wok is soft and ligh, and good in heat transmission. It's widely used in Chinese restaurants here but it is very undurable. It can conly last for a year for home use or a couple of weeks in restaurant use. Therefore,chefs just don't bother washing it and as Jui said, they simply rinse it a little bit and let the heat dry up the wok. You don't heave to clean it thoroughly as you need oil on each dish anyway (sorry give me one more msg)
Hmm! This is woktastic! I love all the feedback. As most of the time I was operating an oriental fast food we used mainly 24" cantonese style woks w 2 handles I did not know there were high carbon and low carbon woks. Ours would last at least a year and then the intense heat would cause a warping at the very bottom and when it got to be too bad we would replace them. Maybe you are referring to the pow woks used in a lot of rest. that cook to order. I will take 1 more msg too!
The one I use in this video is that type, but rest. use a little bigger one. I don't know why a rest. would use a wok that only lasts 2 wks, I wouldn't. I haven't seen any stainless woks in any restaurants I've worked in. One thing not discussed is hand hammered vs. machine made woks. These are carbon steel and the hand hammered are a bit more expensive. I have used the handle of the cleaver to hammer some dents out to make the wok last a little longer! Thanks to all for all the input and info.
Revlaz,there are many types of Chinese Wok,and the treatment to them is very much depends on the material of the wok.Putting aside the fancy things,we mainly have 3 types of woks.I am not sure how you call them in English but I will say...The high-carbon steel(生鐵),the low-carbon steel(熟鐵) and stainless steel(不鏽鋼).A stainless steel wok is so tough and you usually won't break it under normal uses,also you don't really need to seasoning a stainless steel wok.(Sorry I need 1 more msg)
I am sorry. I think you forgot probably the most popular one: 炭鋼 -- medium carbon steel. Although low-carbon steel is structurally weaker than high-carbon steel, its advantageous is that it has a higher melting point and has temperature resistance -- that is why some restaurants like low carbon steel woks. It can withstand really high temperature. It is, however, unnecessary for household to have a low-carbon steel.
Let me clarify a bit, in restaurants they don't clean w/ soapy water after each dish. They use water and brush it out, the intense heat of the gas burner dries the wok, ready for the next dish. At home, I've been using the same wok for over 10 years cleaning w/ soapy water after use w/ no problem. That is why I chose that type of wok to sell on the website. Hope the input helps you, and thanks for watching the vid clips
After you initially season the wok I don't think soapy water hurts it, as a matter of fact I've been using carbon steel woks for years, cleaning them wih hot soapy water then rinsing and drying. If completely dry you don't need to oil them either. How would you clean the wok if you don't use soapy water? In commercial rest. you boil soapy water in the wok and use it to clean the wok range at the end of the night. Over 20 years exp. in the bus. so yes I guess I disagree w/ everyone else, Cheers!
I tried to use a flat bottom wok on my 7.000BTU electric stove. The problem was that it switched off the heating, when it was "hot enough". I bought a 7.000BTU gas stove for the wok and I think it's fine. It is not like one of the big burners. But I also don't have the kitchen for the big ones. On the stove I have to turn down the heat, otherwise the oil will smoke very heavy.
TheLittleDeath1 2 weeks ago
@TheLittleDeath1 - I know what you are talking about usually that is on the newer elec ranges with the smooth top, when it reaches a certain temp you can see the element go dim, I don't know whos' stupid design idea that was but it is frustrating for sure. Heating the oil in the wok takes some practice, you have to be quick and toss in the ingred you intend to stir fry, also if the oil gets too hot it can ignite and catch fire, if you see it smoke too bad remove wok from heat!
jui49 2 weeks ago
I'm actually starting to find it amusing why manafactures market such low power stoves for home use. IF you want a stove you cook on you must by a catering grade gas cooker with burners that are at least 6kw. FOrget seasoning a wok on a weak domestic stove. YOU need at least 6kw of power.
210482fmj 1 month ago
@210482fmj - h ome electric ranges are what they are and for the majority of people that's not going to change. Working in Chinese restaurants for many years I "seasoned" many woks ranging from 22" to 24", but I have also seasoned a handful of the type in the above video sucessfully and as the other videos attest it is virtually non-stick. For the naysayers who say it is not white or orange hot, I say- I rotate the wok from spot to spot until the entire surface changes color, con't
jui49 1 month ago
@210482fmj - of course the more patient you are the hotter each spot will get but it is not necessary to turn the steel "orange" hot. Can you get better results using 35,000btu commercial burners? absolutely for cooking as well, in Cantonese it is called "wok hay". 95% of americans do not have them or the ventilation required, that is why I try to stress adapting by cooking in smaller batches and getting the wok really hot before stir-frying.
jui49 1 month ago
So to sum up, I have been cooking for family and friends using the standard elec range with pretty good results and everyone is entitled to their opinion. It's just hard to swallow when I hear it can't be done and I've done it. And I especially don't want to discourage my viewers and subscribers from wok cooking in their homes, you don't need commercial power to cook delicious stir fry, just more patience. Controversy generates views, and this IS one of my most popular clips, thanx to all
jui49 1 month ago
It is not white hot... not even orange hot. It is just hot. Maybe the light is white. Next time, use an oven.
NETWizzJbirk 1 month ago
I bought exactly the same wok and love it! It's my second wok, I like that it is thin walled so it heats up faster and develops a hot spot at the bottom to cook food really fast. It came with an oil coating which I didn't trust so I washed it real good with soapy water then seasoned it. I didn't know to use a piece of ginger as you did, seems like a good idea.
jel2003 4 months ago
@jel2003 - mine is at least 10yrs old and still in excellent shape, it may outlive me for all I know ! Thanks for the comment and the "ginger" trick is something I picked up from one of the head chefs that I worked under through the years.
jui49 4 months ago
That wok is meant for gas not electric stoves
dachicagoan 7 months ago
@dachicagoan - " that wok" has worked just fine for many years on old style electric ranges and newer smooth tops. You can use a wok ring to steady it if you need to, personally I don't as the wok doesn't contact the elements so you lose some heat. If you're talking about a flat bottom wok, that's a matter of preference, I like the smooth concave surface. As for other opinions on how to season a wok, I'm just sharing my 20 yrs. exp. in various rest. using 20 -24" woks sucessfully...
jui49 7 months ago
@jui49 ohh ok, that's cool
dachicagoan 7 months ago
@jui49 I'm having a problem seasoning my wok... It's a concave bottom 24-inch, carbon *i think* that came with the crap ya gotta scrub off. I'm seasoning it correctly, but i keep getting burns in the bottom of it, and having to scrub it clean -losing my seasoning in the process.
HELP A BROTHA OUT MANG!
sec9hideout 6 months ago
@sec9hideout - hard to tell with out seeing it, some people put links to images. A 24 inch wok is the size used in restaurants, and if you seasoned it as shown you won't "lose" the seasoning. Sometimes if you don't heat the wok hot enough before stir frying you will get sticking on the bottom. Try heating the wok till it smokes a little and then add oil, swirl around and then cook. Hope this helps you out
jui49 6 months ago
most domestic cookers do not provide enough cooking power for decent wok cooking. I actually bought an outdoor high powered 9kw wok burner and the difference is amazing. Only problem is you have to work so fast or else you end up over cooking everything within a few seconds. most domestic cookers dont go over 5kw. if you can afford to have profesional ventilation systems installed i highly reccomend it and getting a high powered catering grade burner. you cant cook well without it
210482fmj 8 months ago
@210482fmj - I also had a high output gas burner on my patio in Florida and we used those at Festivals to cook fried rice and Filipino Pansit ( rice noodles). Definitely a difference, but a hassle to cart all my seasonings etc. outside to cook. That is why my lessons are for most people who have average home kitchens, sometimes you have to preheat the wok or cook in smaller batches to make up for the lack of fast heat recovery. Your points are valid, but I cook well using a regular stove...
jui49 8 months ago
i've now discovered that the rumour that stainless steel woks dont cook well is wrong. many chinese cookware stores now sell them and use them in kitchens as they are lighter in weight and easier to lift. the problem with carbon steel is it rusts within minutes and this presents health issues when cooking with sauces or simmering sauces.
210482fmj 9 months ago
Comment removed
supdude02 11 months ago
Doesn't that kind of wok usually come with a sort of lacquer that needs to be scrubbed off? I see those type of woks all the time at local Asian markets and they have a heavy coating of lacquer that is very hard to remove, how does one do so?
J25x 1 year ago
@J25x - The ones from Town Foodservice only have a thin coat of oil, but I know the ones you're talking about. I am a believer that anything can be burned off!! You have to be careful at home to use the "high" setting on your exhaust fan as this can cause smoke to be generated. As each spot turns white hot you rotate the wok to the next area until you have "burned" the entire surface white hot. Then when it cools, use a mild abrasive pad, give it a good scrubbing, rinse, dry and lightly oil
jui49 1 year ago
@jui49
Thank you the reply good sir!
J25x 1 year ago
my local chinese supermarket in uk has a double handled wok but it is stainless steel. it is a restaraunt supply store so they must use the stainless steel for certain tasks. what would they use stainless steel woks for as opposed to the better carbon steel for not sticking. WOuld they maybe use the stainless steel woks for soups and sauces that don't require frying? anybody no what the stainless steel woks are used for that the asian stores sell.
1982FMJ 1 year ago
@1982FMJ - I have never seen stainless used in the restaurants I worked in or when I visited my friends at their restaurnants. I have seen the smaller ones used for display on some buffets to give an asian look to the display versus regular steam table pans.
jui49 1 year ago
@jui49 I agree, stainless steel is bad for wok cooking. Chinese thin cast iron or Carbon steel is the ones i seen most commonly used here in norway. I hope to see some more recipes soon jui.
MrQuagmire26 1 year ago
Just ignore the haters man.
I thought this was pretty useful.
Jarudin 1 year ago
your a dumbass
flydaddyA 1 year ago
@flydaddyA - over 20 years in the business, never had anything stick to the woks I seasoned, learned from more than 3 head chefs in various restaurants and ran a sucessful business for over 13 years -- and your credentials? Thanks for the ignorant comment, but this is a free country and you can put anything in your wok and season it any way that works for you and please navigate away from my channel if you don't like my "Style"
jui49 1 year ago 4
@jui49 I agree with jui here, different individuals, different techniques. The way I also learnt to season a wok, is to give it a virgin stir fry. Simply put in chives, ginger and stir fry until it's burned. This will remove any metal flavor. Baking it in the oven after washing it thoroughly is also nice to get the coating evenly burnt off.
As for woks, I found the chinese enamel outside, cast iron inside wok great. It's light weight, retains heat better on western stoves.
NattHrafn 1 year ago
@jui49 I'm British, by my girlfriend of 21 years is Chinese, and her grandmother seasoned my first wok. First you need to scrub the shit out of the wok with wire wool and soapy water, not just wipe it with a paper towel. Secondly, she used OIL (groundnut oil in my case). I can't see how you "season" a wok with no oil. Instead of using paper towels, she used chives.
You pretty much did nothing more than heat your wok up.
Fantic1980 7 months ago
You season a wok with fat. not ginger. Where the hell did you even come up with this. Carbon steel, iron, rusts. so you heat the product up then use oil, or better fat, to make it non stick.
flydaddyA 1 year ago
ur wok is off balance- u are using a round bottom wok? for electirc burners u need a flat bottomed wok
TheRivalConcept 1 year ago
@TheRivalConcept - some people may choose to use a flat bottomed wok, but I have never used one, either commercially or for my own use at home. For deep frying you could use a wok ring if you are worried about balance, but you lose a little bit on the heat.
jui49 1 year ago
@TheRivalConcept -The mandarin wok w/ attached handle will be heavier towards the handle but will still sit on the electric burner. You can add oil etc. and then hold the handle w/ one hand and stir fry with the other. If you use a flat bottom you still have to hold the handle or it will slide when you try to stir fry, I would think.
jui49 1 year ago
Excellent demo,... thanks for teaching the rest of us wanna-be Chinese chefs how its done.
flyfishjkt 2 years ago
Thanks for the positive comments, good luck with the seasoning of the wok, it just takes a little patience in the home environment. Happy Holidays and thanks for watching!
jui49 2 years ago
Comment removed
aurabattler 2 years ago
A low-carbon steel wok is soft and ligh, and good in heat transmission. It's widely used in Chinese restaurants here but it is very undurable. It can conly last for a year for home use or a couple of weeks in restaurant use. Therefore,chefs just don't bother washing it and as Jui said, they simply rinse it a little bit and let the heat dry up the wok. You don't heave to clean it thoroughly as you need oil on each dish anyway (sorry give me one more msg)
aurabattler 2 years ago
Hmm! This is woktastic! I love all the feedback. As most of the time I was operating an oriental fast food we used mainly 24" cantonese style woks w 2 handles I did not know there were high carbon and low carbon woks. Ours would last at least a year and then the intense heat would cause a warping at the very bottom and when it got to be too bad we would replace them. Maybe you are referring to the pow woks used in a lot of rest. that cook to order. I will take 1 more msg too!
jui49 2 years ago
The one I use in this video is that type, but rest. use a little bigger one. I don't know why a rest. would use a wok that only lasts 2 wks, I wouldn't. I haven't seen any stainless woks in any restaurants I've worked in. One thing not discussed is hand hammered vs. machine made woks. These are carbon steel and the hand hammered are a bit more expensive. I have used the handle of the cleaver to hammer some dents out to make the wok last a little longer! Thanks to all for all the input and info.
jui49 2 years ago
Revlaz,there are many types of Chinese Wok,and the treatment to them is very much depends on the material of the wok.Putting aside the fancy things,we mainly have 3 types of woks.I am not sure how you call them in English but I will say...The high-carbon steel(生鐵),the low-carbon steel(熟鐵) and stainless steel(不鏽鋼).A stainless steel wok is so tough and you usually won't break it under normal uses,also you don't really need to seasoning a stainless steel wok.(Sorry I need 1 more msg)
aurabattler 2 years ago
I am sorry. I think you forgot probably the most popular one: 炭鋼 -- medium carbon steel. Although low-carbon steel is structurally weaker than high-carbon steel, its advantageous is that it has a higher melting point and has temperature resistance -- that is why some restaurants like low carbon steel woks. It can withstand really high temperature. It is, however, unnecessary for household to have a low-carbon steel.
Chemicalkinetics 2 years ago
Thanks for your input!
jui49 2 years ago
Let me clarify a bit, in restaurants they don't clean w/ soapy water after each dish. They use water and brush it out, the intense heat of the gas burner dries the wok, ready for the next dish. At home, I've been using the same wok for over 10 years cleaning w/ soapy water after use w/ no problem. That is why I chose that type of wok to sell on the website. Hope the input helps you, and thanks for watching the vid clips
jui49 2 years ago
After you initially season the wok I don't think soapy water hurts it, as a matter of fact I've been using carbon steel woks for years, cleaning them wih hot soapy water then rinsing and drying. If completely dry you don't need to oil them either. How would you clean the wok if you don't use soapy water? In commercial rest. you boil soapy water in the wok and use it to clean the wok range at the end of the night. Over 20 years exp. in the bus. so yes I guess I disagree w/ everyone else, Cheers!
jui49 2 years ago