5 Pro Tips For Cooking With A Wok At Home For Families

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The Wok in your kitchen cabinet has 3,000 years of history behind it. The folks who use these versatile tools regularly have a strong history of what not to do when working with a Wok. The tips below can help you prep great food each time you take out your Wok.

Use Good Oil

When working out how to cook with a Wok at home, study the shape. Functionally, you’re cooking in a bowl. The bottom of the Wok will be hotter than the sides. You need an oil that will not smoke.

Smoked oil stinks. It also is not healthy and will not taste good. Peanut, soybean, and sesame oil can all work well in a Wok. If you prefer to sauté in olive oil, use a skillet and the lower heat. If you’re allergic to peanut oil, some have good luck with avocado oil.

Cook In Small Batches

An overloaded Wok will not maintain heat. If you want to stir fry, you need to keep the metal of the Wok nice and hot. As the temperature drops, you may start to braise or steam your food.

In addition to cooking in small batches, try to cook with dry foods unless you are marinating. Wet veggies, freshly chopped, will create a lot of spatter. Do your best to chop things to a consistent size and pat them dry before tossing them in the oil.

Prep Everything

Before you start heating your Wok, prep all your foods. If you’re chopping or slicing meat, follow safe food prep steps and store your meat in an easily washable bowl. Wash, cut, and dry veggies in uniform chunks so everything will cook evenly and finish up at the same time. If you’re cooking with an egg, have it beat up in a bowl and leave the utensil in the bowl so you can beat it quickly before adding it to the Wok.

Before you add anything to your hot Wok, have your utensils ready and clear the space around the Wok. Hot oil will spatter when you toss in cold ingredients. You don’t want to have to reach across the Wok to grab a tool or an ingredient.

Use Quality Tools

A Wok is a simple cooking tool and needs just a few tools to make it fully serviceable. You will need a brush for cleaning your Wok. You’ll need a slotted spoon and a ladle as well. If your Wok is just metal, use metal tools to keep food moving when it hits the hot oil.

Make sure you also learn to toss food off the bottom and up the sides. This will turn into whatever you’re cooking. Your slotted spoon can help this process, but learning to effectively toss food by moving the Wok can also be beneficial. Again, do your best to work in small batches to get the feel of this before things get messy.

Heat And Oil The Wok Before You Put It Away

You always want to heat the Wok before you add your oil. When you’re cooking, prep all your food as suggested above. Heat the Wok and drizzle oil, swirling the tool so oil is on both the sides and the bottom. Toss in your food and keep things moving so everything gets cooked on all sides.

When you’re done cooking and you’ve plated up the food, scrub the Wok with a brush to loosen up any burned bits. Wipe out the inside of the Wok with a wet sponge; if there’s anything stuck to the Wok, let warm water stand in the Wok to loosen up the crunchy stuff.

Sponges and cleaning pads are fine for cleaning your Wok; do not use soap. You don’t want to take the seasoning off your Wok. Once all food has been scrubbed away, heat the Wok again and drizzle it with a swirl of high-temperature heat. Use a rag or paper towel to coat the hot Wok completely with oil and let it cool. It’s ready for your next stir-fry!

You can use a Wok to stir fry, deep fry, and even stew foods. Avoid acidic foods and avoid steaming in your Wok. Protect the finish and your Wok will make it easy to stir fry for years to come.