A wok is a traditional cooking appliance used predominantly in Asian countries. The conventional wok has similar shape as that of a bowl, with a round shaped high edges and bottom. This cooking appliance is developed to cook at high temperatures. Usually, in Asian countries, food items are broken into small pieces and wok is ideal for cook such food items. It is a great way to reduce consumption of fuel for cooking.
Cooking in a Wok
With the help of Wok, cooking speed can be controlled by user. While cooking, bottom of the wok is the hottest part. Food remains at bottom to boil food at higher temperature. By using this cooking appliance, chefs can cook many food items at a time, at dfferent temperature levels. For example, chicken can be boiled at bottom of wok, whereas vegetables can be placed on the sides at the same time. The high curved sides of wok allow the user to stir foods and they prevent spilling too.
Types of Woks
There are different types of woks and they are described below.
Flat Bottom Woks
A flat bottom wok can be placed perfectly on top of an Asian stove, while a round bottom wok doesn’t fit Asian and American stove tops seamlessly. To avoid this issue, most of the pot producers trade flat bottom woks. The issue here is that this type of wok cannot cook food the way round bottom wok cooks.
The flat bottom wok has creases that do not permit the food to mix easily. Food remains in the creases and gets burnt at the high temperatures. A wok cooking ring is a good substitute to overcome this problem, and it is developed to work on American stove top. The ring sits on the burner top, whereas the round bottom wok is place on the inner side of the ring.
Electric Woks
An electric wok is developed to be used instead of stove. It has an in-built heating element. The general complaint from customers is that the electric wok cannot produce heat like a traditional one.
Cooking with Wok
Usually, woks are used to boil water, frying, and roasting. These are very popular due to their higher performance and they cook more efficiently than other cooking appliances. Usual woks come in round shape for easier mixing of food. Cooking with a wok is just similar to a pan and they’re mostly used for preparing Chinese dishes.
Since the woks are manufactured by using aluminum material, heat absorbed by wok is quick and even. So, usage of wok also reduces consumption of power/fuel.
Tips to Buy a Wok
Since demand of wok has increased in recent times, many manufacturers are manufacturing woks without considering quality. So, before purchasing a wok, check whether it is built with fine quality material and that the metal used to develop the wok doesn’t melt at high temperatures. After that, you should check warranty, and select a wok that has maximum warranty period with premium quality finish.
If you are purchasing an electrical Wok, check whether it can produce sufficient amount of heat; ask the dealer if the electric wok has any branded accessories available, because you may require them sooner or later.
For understanding how electrical wok works, see this cool video clip.