Wok the wok

Itsdacraic

Anybody have good reccommendations for a Wok?

It will be for use on an electric hob, around 30" size would be fine and a budget of €20 to €30, non stick or Stainless Steel? Would consider more for something highly recommended.

thanks

the beer revolu

I'd recommend neither non stick or stainless but rather an inexpensive hammered steel one. Any Asian shop should have them and TK Max often do some too.
It will need to be seasoned before use, though.
This takes about 15 minutes and is vital.
After that the wok will get better with use (as long as you don't scour off all your lovely black seasoning) - if food sticks to it, let it soak and then gently scrub it off.

Here's a good guide to woks and seasoning/caring for them.

Itsdacraic

Cheers, I won't be anywhere near an asian shop for a good while I'd say, although TK Maxx could be doable. Are any of the standards brands, Tefal etc any good or are you just paying for the name?

the beer revolu

Most of those brand will be non stick - the coating comes off after time, whereas a decent, inexpensive steel wok will last a lifetime unless you let it rust!

bonkey

Itsdacraic wrote: »

around 30" size would be fine

30 Inches???

That's some wok...

You sure you don't mean 30 cm?

Itsdacraic

bonkey wrote: »

30 Inches???

That's some wok...

You sure you don't mean 30 cm?

No, 30".

I want to stir fry an elephants head :P

electrogrimey

Itsdacraic wrote: »

I want to stir fry an elephants head

A fine choice, sir.

leahyl

Apologies for gatecrashing but for anyone who wants a cheap and cheerful wok - there are woks in Dunnes at present for 4 euro - and they are non stick.... nice size too - well i think they are..:D

the beer revolu

leahyl wrote: »

Apologies for gatecrashing but for anyone who wants a cheap and cheerful wok - there are woks in Dunnes at present for 4 euro - and they are non stick.... nice size too - well i think they are..:D

Even expensive non stick woks are rubbish.
You're not gatecrashing - you're contributing.

the beer revolu

Saw a cast iron wok in TK Max in Cork yesterday for €20 (I think).
Looks good but is extremely heavy and would take an age to heat up and cool down. (They didn't have and non non stick steel ones)

Cleansheets

I have a cast iron one - not sure I'd recommend it. It takes time to get used to the heating up and cooling down time. They are expensive too and I don't think it's justified.
The best thing I learned about using a wok was choosing oil with a high smoking point.

lucky-colm

Itsdacraic wrote: »

Anybody have good reccommendations for a Wok?

around 30" size would be fine and a budget of €20 to €30,
thanks

thats some wok you would have trouble getting that sucker in the door.

tell me have you ever thought of fashioning a wok out of an old radiator:D

Planet X

This is the one Beer Rev. means, Asian Market for very little quids,



....and arguably the best type. You won't see to many street stalls in Asia using not stick / Tefal woks!!!!!!!

Minder

Waste of money buying a wok for an electric hob, unless you get a cast iron version. Any round bottom or even flat bottom carbon steel wok will never get hot enough on a leccy hob.

Itsdacraic

Minder wrote: »

Waste of money buying a wok for an electric hob, unless you get a cast iron version. Any round bottom or even flat bottom carbon steel wok will never get hot enough on a leccy hob.

Cheers that's the type of info I'm looking for.

the beer revolu

Minder wrote: »

Waste of money buying a wok for an electric hob, unless you get a cast iron version. Any round bottom or even flat bottom carbon steel wok will never get hot enough on a leccy hob.

Really? I have a gas hob dont think I've ever really used one on a leccie hob

smallgarden

gas works better for woks alright.it is difficult to heat on electric hob to the ideal temp but you can still use woks on them.the worst woks ever are electric woks,most useless invention ever.they cant actually get hot enough to stir fry!
id agree with non stick ones,weve gone through a few in my house,had a steel one methinks but let it rust:(

The Sweeper

Steel one - if it rusts, cut a potato in half. Put neat washing up liquid on the wok. Scrub the washing up liquid with the potato. Continue to use half potatoes and washing up liquid until the rust is gone. You can use water to rinse and scrub the wok and intersperse that wtih potatoes and washing up liquid.

Finally, rinse the wok thoroughly and put on the heat to dry. Pour a few tablespoons of oil into the wok when it's dry, and heat until smoking, gently rotating the wok. Don't worry if the oil starts to smoke and seems to burn black onto the wok - this is the seasoning process. When you're done, allow the wok to cool some and then pour the excess oil away. Use a couple of pieces of kitchen towel to dry out the oily wok, spreading the remaining oil around the wok in a fine patina - there should be no puddles of oil at the base of the wok, just a smearing of oil all over the inside of it. Now store it - it won't rust again if you repeat this process at the end of every use, and never store it dry, always oil it.

Minder

the beer revolu wrote: »

Really? I have a gas hob dont think I've ever really used one on a leccie hob

Yeah - I have a two handled cast iron wok, a great piece of kit for an electric hob. I bought it when we bought our first place. We had an electric hob and I had a flat bottomed carbon steel wok - it only touched the hob in a couple of spots because it wasn't really flat. The round bottomed one was even worse.

If you think about it, a wok ring on a gas hob is much bigger than the others. The wok ring I have is 4.7kw - 3 times bigger than the other regular gas rings; and that is half the size of the wok burner I use in the garden. That's nearly 10kw. You will never get that much heat from an electric ring because a lot of the heat is lost.