- What is a wok?
Wikipedia says that a wok is a deep round-bottomed cooking pot that originated in China. Woks are used in a range of Chinese cooking techniques, including stir-frying, steaming, pan-frying, deep-frying, poaching, boiling, braising, searing, stewing, making soup, smoking, and roasting nuts.
There are various types of woks on the market. Today, I mainly talk about the seasoning and maintenance of iron wok. Compared with wok made of other materials, the iron wok has the following characteristics:
- Relatively cheap compared to other materials;
- Fast heat conduction and durable;
- But need to season the wok before use, and maintain it after use.
- How to season an iron wok?
- Prepare pieces of raw pork fat, hot water, dish soap, kitchen towel, or dry absorbent rag；
- Clean the wok inside and out with dish soap, rinse the wok inside and out with running hot water;
- Dry the wok with kitchen paper or dry absorbent cloth, inside and out, especially the bottom of the wok, then further dry the wok over medium-low heat;
- Continue to heat the wok over medium heat, wipe the raw fat pork on the inner wall of the wok in a spiral shape from the inner ring to the outer ring, so that the overflowing grease evenly covers the entire surface of the wok;
- Continue to wipe, more and more lard will melt in the wok, while wiping the lard, can heat the wiped part close to the fire source, which is more efficient;
- After a period of time, turn off the heat, pour out the lard in the wok, wipe the wok with kitchen paper or a dry rag, wash the wok with hot water, dry the wok with kitchen paper or a dry absorbent rag, then dry it on medium-low heat;
- Repeat steps 3-6, about 3-4 times, until the raw fat pork is no longer black;
- Wash the wok with hot water, dry the wok with kitchen paper or a dry rag, dry it over medium-low heat, apply a thin layer of practical oil on kitchen paper, and place the wok in a cool, dry place.
- How to maintain an iron wok?
The iron wok is easy to rust, so it is not suitable to store food overnight. Iron woks cannot be used to cook acidic foods because acidic foods will destroy the oxide layer of the iron wok. After using the wok, clean the wok with hot water, dry the wok with kitchen paper or a dry rag, dry it over medium-low heat, apply a thin layer of practical oil on kitchen paper, and place the wok in a cool, dry place.
The proper and correct operation will prolong the life of the wok, and it will make the wok easier and easier to use and less and less sticky.