UNICORN Kitchenware

Useful Information on Woks 

A wok has numerous advantages over the frying pan - it distributes heat more evenly, requires less oil, and ensures that food tossed during stir-frying lands back in the pan and not on the stove.

A precious wok is one that has seen lots of use and experienced little scrubbing. A shiny, black patina covers its surface like a well-used and well-seasoned cast-iron pan. Foods do not stick to it even when cooked over high heat. Moreover, their flavours are enhanced. Clean-up and care are easy, taking little time and effort.

To get your wok looking this way is not difficult if you start out with the right kind of wok. The easiest for seasoning and care is made of carbon steel (or spun steel), which has pores that open when heated to absorb oil and become sealed. Widely available today, it has the added advantage of being inexpensive.

In the stores, carbon steel woks come covered with a coating of machine oil to keep the metal from rusting, so be careful when going through the stack of woks while making your choice not to get the dirty oil all over your hands and clothing. When you get home and are ready to season the wok you've selected, rinse thoroughly with lots of hot, soapy water to remove every trace of the machine oil.

Seasoning your New Wok

The most important step in using your wok is to season it properly before use. As the wok is used, it will gradually assume a darker colour that results in smooth, non-stick cooking. The wok may be seasoned like any cast-iron pan, by brushing the surface with cooking oil and baking in a moderate oven for an hour. However, because of its shape and centre of gravity, oil tends to flow down and gather in the centre, resulting in an unevenly seasoned surface. For this reason, we recommend seasoning over a burner on top of the stove. Both methods are described below.

Stove Top Method

Woks can be broken in with the same method as used in seasoning cast iron. Firstly, scrub the wok in hot soapy water to remove the oil preservative and then dry thoroughly. The Chinese then "burn" the wok, by placing the wok over high heat until the wok is hot. Put about 2 or 3 tablespoons of oil into the wok. Spread the oil completely over the inside surface with a spatula, tipping the wok back and forth. Continue heating the wok until the oil "burns" into it. Use caution to prevent a grease fire.

Oven Method

Wash the wok thoroughly and dry over heat. Coat the inside of the wok with cooking oil. Bake in the oven at 450ºC for 20 minutes. Remove it from oven, let it cool, wash again and dry. Repeat steps 2-4 three or four times. Your wok should look bronze in colour when it is seasoned this way. Note: If your wok has wooden or plastic handles that cannot be removed, cover the handles with a damp dishcloth and then cover the dishcloth with foil before baking. This will prevent scorching or melting.

Hints for Cooking in Your Wok

The secret of good wok cooking is in using high initial heat to seal in the juices with hot oil while stirring constantly. Vegetables are probably the most important ingredients in most basic Chinese dishes, and to prepare them correctly, a wok is required. The wok will impart "wok hee" (wok flavour).

The "wok chow," or quick cook method.

Always preheat your wok before adding cooking oil. Then preheat the oil before cooking.

Hints for Cleaning Your Wok

After cooking, wash the wok under hot running water using a brush to loosen the food particles. The blackness of the wok is what protects it, so after using it - do not use a scourer or iron wool on it! The black stuff does no harm - it is merely carbon and nothing else.