Conference turris::cooks

    I always suggest a steel wok. (Not stainless) It gives a good hot
    spot, and if seasoned properly, will always saty in good shape.
    To season, heat the wok, use peanut oil to season, and repeat.
    NEVER put it in a dishwasher. If it is seasoned properly, just
    washing it with hot water will clean it. Always store it on it's
    side. this prevents rusting.
    
    					Jeff
    

    I've only had experience with a teflon coated electric wok and was
    not really happy with it for stir frying. I now use a steel one.
    The electric ones are nice tho if you want to do something like
    hot pot and serve at the table.
    
    greg
    

    A very good friend has a teflon-coated electric, and she prefers it to
    anything else. Having eaten her food, I can say she's mastered it
    pretty well. The choice, then, seems to be based on personal
    preference. 
    
    Curious experience: We bought a steel wok many years ago and learned
    how to use it (got it all nicely seasoned). We're happy. Then, one day
    we wanted to use it, but it was packed with our belongings in transit
    during a move. We did, however, have some of our stuff with us,
    including a large Farberware Advantage skillet (similar to the stuff by
    Cuisinart), and used that instead, at very high heat. Worked better
    than the wok. That might just be due to my own style of stir-frying,
    but, since then, we've left the wok in its box. The moral of the story
    is: Before buying a wok, try your favorite large skillet, following the
    directions for wok cooking (i.e., very high heat, fast cooking). If
    you're not satisfied with the result, then buy a wok. 
    
    - Mike

The problems I have encountered with electric woks is that they never get hot 
enough.  I use a steel wok, and after washing, I heat it on the stove, and 
wipe the inside with oil.  A seasoned wok looks black inside, NOT like the day 
it was purchased.  Never scour a seasoned wok, hot water and a stiff brush 
with no soap (ok once in a while I use a drop, but only a drop).

When I had an electric stove, the ring was a problem, since it prevented quick 
recovery time on the heat, so I balanced the wok in the dimple at the center 
of the heating coil.  Now, with a gas stove, I have one burner adjusted for 
high heat (NOT FOR COOKING SAUCES), and use the ring successfully.  By the 
way, my wok has wooden handles.  I worried about them at first, but they 
haven't even browned yet.  Potholders probably get much closer to the heat 
than the handles, so don't worry too much about wooden handles versus metal.

A good test for a steel wok is to pick up the sample by its handles and push 
your hands together.  If the wok looks like you could fold it in half with a 
little more pressure, pass it by.  If it is too thin, you will get very uneven 
heat distribution.

I have stir fried in an electric skillet in a pinch, but I miss the well in 
the middle that allows you to evaporate the excess liquid.  Solution:  prop 2 
legs of the skillet on a cutting board.  Not perfect, since the liquid pools 
away from the heat, but at least the food doesn't boil.

						     
							- JP

I use my wok at least twice a week.  I bought a carbon steel wok which has
the most uniform heating.  If you have a gas stove, it's best to use the
wok with the collar ring.  I have an electric stove and place the wok 
directly on the coils.  I read an article recently that those new stoves
which have a slightly raised burner surface which look like stone, do
not conduct heat well for woks.  In that case, and only then, would I
purchase an electric wok.  As already mentioned, they don't get hot enough.

As with .1 always store it on it's side.  and NEVER EVER put soap in it
after it's first washing.  The Frugal Gourmet gives some great instructions
on how to season a wok.  If food is stuck, simply heat the wok again
with a drop of oil and then use a nonabrasive plastic scrubber to loosen
the food.  I find it also works best to heat the wok so that a drop of
water disappears instantly when dropped inside, before adding the
peanut oil.

Happy cooking.

    About ten years ago I bought a large, restaurant-guage aluminum wok and
    have used it 2 or 3 times a month ever since.  We have a gas stove and
    the heat distribution is excellent.  We don't bother with seasoning and
    have no fear of scouring when necessary. 
    
    

re .-1

Yes, but will you enjoy the aluminum poisoning?    
    

I have a heavy stainless steel (not Teflon) wok by Aria and haven't experienced
any problems getting enough heat as other people describe. The instructions said
I could scour it with an abrasive cleaner, and I do. I use it a lot and like it
a lot, but it was very expensive (a gift).  From what I've read, you'd do just
as well with a cheaper non-electric one.  You might want to read "The Frugal
Gourmet" on woks, as a previous note mentioned. 

    Buy a good carbon steel wok; follow the directions shipped with it by
    the manufacturer for seasoning the wok; and finally follow the
    manufacturers directions for cleaning (usually a bamboo brush and hot
    water is all that I have found necessary) and dry thoroughly by putting
    back on the stove for a short time.  As far as storing: wipe the inside
    of the wok with a drop or two of peanut oil and store in a paper bag.
    
    If the food sticks, which usually means the wok is not hot enough
    or you have put to much food in to cook (and as a result cooled
    the wok), clean it before cooking any other food.  What you want
    to avoid it turning the burnt food to carbon.
    
    Wok's are great.  Food cooks quick and the cleanup is a snap.
    
    A great partner to the wok is a bamboo steamer.  Buy as big
    a one as you can find, like big enough to put a heat proof dish
    inside.  Cleanup is a snap here too!  And the food taste great.
                    
    Twenty million Chinese can't be wrong.

    WHY DON'T YOU USE A FRYING PAN...IT'S REALLY JUST AS GOOD!!!
    
    
    

re .-1

I USED TO THINK THAT, TOO!

Then I lowered the volume and realized that in the thousands of years that the 
billions and billions of oriental people have been cooking, they would have 
started to use a flat skillet, if had any advantages over a wok.

						     
							- JP

>Then I ...realized that in the thousands of years that the 
>billions and billions of oriental people have been cooking, they would have 
>started to use a flat skillet, if had any advantages over a wok.

I depends on if they were cooking in campfires or on a range.  If you go 
into kitchens of chinese restaurants run by chinese, then you'll most 
often find flat-bottomed woks with a single long handle on the side.  
The sides are still wide and rounded  like a wok, but it bears as much 
resemblance to a frying pan as a wok.  The wok mystique is a lot like 
the cast iron mystique -- small basis in fact and a large dose of 
religion.  

A large frying pan can do most of what you'd want a wok for, it's just 
more expensive and doesn't have the same atmosphere.

					>>>==>PStJTT (who uses both)

    Well, the reasons I continue to use my wok are:
    
    	1: it's thin and heats up faster than my frying pans.  I can
    		use a lower heat under it.  One of the reasons they're
    		still used in oriental countries is that fuel is VERY
    		scarce - with that many people the place'd be a desert
    		if they didn't limit fuel use as much as possible.
    	2: it's deep and shaped for stirring.  I can stir vigorously
    		and the food doesn't go over the edge.  I can push some
    		stuff that's nearly done up on the side while I cook
    		something else in the bottom.  I can push everything
    		up while I put corn-starch/arrowroot in the sauce and
    		whisk it and let it thicken.  Then I can push the food
    		back down and stir it into the sauce to coat it.
	3: it's fun and different.  (so much for "scientific" reasons...)
    
    --Louise

    re: .14
    
        Out here in Mountain View, CA I've noticed that most of the
    kitchens in the chinese restaurants here use woks.  If you ask most
    people where the restaurant chinese food is better they'll say here
    on the west coast, except for New York's Chinatown.
    
    ASP

    Anybody know how to make creamy garlic dressing? There's this
    place back home that uses olive oil instead of sour cream 
    or whatever they usually use....anyone??
    
    					Jeff

    Can anyone tell me if there is a notes file focusing on HERBS  or
    ESSENTIAL OILS?  I am aware of the GARDEN file but I did not find much
    information. Thanks for your help!
    -Danielle

    There are several notes on essential oils in CLO::MASSAGE.
    
    					andrew