What’s a Wok?
Woks are for stir-frying over a very hot fire for a very short period of time, stir-frys are usually made with fresh vegetables that remain crisp and some type of meat.
They were originally created with a very round bottom and were balanced on the coals of a fire.
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Thus, leaving both hands free to prepare the food, usually holding a spatula in one hand and chopsticks in the other.
Later, when stoves were made, there was a special place made to hold the wok. A concave metal disk placed on the hearth allowed the flames to reach up and around the sides.
The difficulties for Americans using a wok are that the wok was not created for the burners on American stoves.
Because the wok is round-bottomed, it is very dangerous and may slide off of the stove. You can purchase round-bottom woks with two metal handles; this allows you to hold it in place with an oven mitt while cooking.
The disadvantage is that you must remove the wok before adding additional ingredients; this changes the heat which should remain constant.
A ring may be purchased to sit over the top of the burner; however, this raises the wok up off of the flame, which reduces the intensity of the heat.
There are three styles available on the market today:
*Round-bottomed with two steel handles, (the handles get hot and you will need either an oven mitt or a dishtowel to hold it in place)
*Round-bottomed with one wood handle and one steel handle
*Flat-bottomed with one wooden and one steel handle (these work best for American stovetops.
Even though you can buy woks made with a wide variety of metals, the best woks are made of heavy-gauge steel. Properly maintained this wok will last for a lifetime.
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