![]() The burnt oil then imparts a smokiness you can't achieve with more western-style cooking. One of the most famous books on wok cooking, The Wisdom of the Chinese Kitchen by Grace Young, defines it as "when a wok breathes energy into a stir-fry, giving foods and unique concentration and aroma." Typically this is achieved by tossing in such a way as to allow the oils of the dish to briefly ignite as they fly through the air. Literally translated to "wok energy," the term wok hei is generally used to describe the unique flavor that hot and fast wok cooking imparts on food. What's even better, Kenji says, is when there's a helper handle, or a small handle on the opposite side of the main handle. And when it comes to the handle, the longer, the better. When you're shopping for a wok, Kenji recommends you loook for one that's around 14 inches in diameter - it's large enough to cook for a family of four, but remains nimble enough to keep food in motion. You can make delicious stir-fry within 30 minutes, easy. Leftover protein? A few veggies? Some dry noodles. ![]() ![]() Why is this important? Because nothing will hit your table faster for dinner than a stir-fry made in a wok. Put more simply, a wok cooks fast by searing food hard and allowing you to toss it through steamy air easily. Put simply, a wok is a light, easily-maneuverable pan made from a highly reactive metal. Best Electric Wok: Breville Hot Wok Pro.Best for Induction Cooktops: BK Black Carbon Steel Wok.Best Wrought-Iron Wok: ZhenSanHuan Hand-Hammered Wok.Best Nonstick Wok: HexClad Hybrid Stainless Wok.Best Cast-Iron Wok: Lodge Pro-Logic Cast-Iron Wok.Best Carbon Steel Wok: Yosukata Carbon Steel Wok Pan.Best Overall Wok: Joyce Chen Carbon Steel Wok.Kenji López-Alt for his tips on choosing the right wok - plus, the woks we recommend for most people. We asked chef and food writer (and wok lover) J. They’ll also typically need to be seasoned before their first use. But be warned: Like anything worth having, woks require some love and light maintenance after each use. Whether you’re cooking fried rice or steamed veggies or popcorn, these are the best woks for pursuing wok hei paradise. And once you master the basics, you’ll begin tossing with enough elbow to ignite the cooking oils, elevating you to the smoky nirvana of wok hei. Add to this the unique shape of the pan (purists will insist on round bottoms) which maximizes searing surface area, and a wok will stir fry better than anything else in the kitchen. ![]() Using a wok is dancing with heat and to be light on your feet you need lightweight pans made of thin carbon steel. Especially in the west, the pure bliss of cooking – not set-it-and-forget-it cooking, but active, sweaty, hands-darting-around wok cooking – is not as widely known as it should be. For how incredible a wok is, it’s not very high on people’s list when stocking their pots and pans. ![]()
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