Spec me a WOK

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Soldato
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So, not spec me a GF, or pair of pants, but something any budding cook needs :D

My previous wok was a supermarket cheapy, and the first time I heated it up ready for my curry paste, the coating smoked, pealed then curled up into a lump of sorry black fail.

Most woks seem to be overpriced with some silly chefs name on it, or seem to have a badly applied coating, that either peels off the first time you use it, or will come off after a few hand washes.

I saw the program on BBC2 the other week with that Indian Nigela type cook I love, and on there were some woks used by indian people that seemed like big solid things rather than the cheap tat in a supermarket.

So what shall I go for, up to £50 is a reasonable budget :D
 
Get a stainless steel wok, don't get one with a teflon coating, it always get's scratched and peels off in the end!

Something like Ken Hom Connoisseur 32cm Stainless Steel Wok is £20
 
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I'll susbstantiate my post above by saying that the woks on that site are used by restaraunts and takeaways in the bristol area. The coating you are talking about peeling off is the antirust coating and is supposed to come off.

Hope that helps.

P.S. It really is a waste of money to spend £50 on a wok.
 
SpeedFreak said:
I'll susbstantiate my post above by saying that the woks on that site are used by restaraunts and takeaways in the bristol area. The coating you are talking about peeling off is the antirust coating and is supposed to come off.

Hope that helps.

P.S. It really is a waste of money to spend £50 on a wok.
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The coating on my wok is on the outside of it and interior. Is it really supposed to come off, plus mine is rusty now anyway ? How are you supposed to look after one without a coating anyway, just well oiled ?

Cheers anyway lads, amybe it is a waste to spend lots on a wok and just get a good C Steel one. Looking for a pace to buy in London atm, google maps is my friend :D
 
Robbie G said:
I recently got a Le Creuset Wok and although it's hideously expensive, it really is a beautiful thing to cook with.
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Can't find any chinese supermarkets etc near me atm, but that typhoon carbon steel wok looks ok at £16. But I think my old cheapy was one of them, albeit with the burny coating :D

EDIT: :confused:

When you first buy your wok, it will have a protective coating on it to prevent it from rusting in the shop. Give it a good scrub to remove the coating, then dry it thoroughly. Then:

Open the windows, as it may get a tad smoky in the kitchen. Put the cooker ring on the highest temperature you have and place the wok on to it. Now sit back and enjoy the light show as the previously metallic wok goes from silver to blue, purple, red and then brown. Do not be disturbed by this, as it is meant to happen.

The wok should now be fiery hot, and perhaps smoking a little. Now is the time to apply the oil. Grease a folded up kitchen towel in a little vegetable oil, mount it on the end of the tongs, and wipe it around the inside of the wok. Do not pour the oil in as it will catch fire - remember, the wok is incredibly hot at this point. Now turn the heat right down to the lowest setting and let the oil sink into the wok for 15 to 20 minutes. If the wok dries out a bit during this time, give it a quick wipe with the towel. The wok should now be going a deep shiny black.

After the time is up, turn off the heat and let it cool. Once the wok is cool, run it under the tap and gently wipe the inside with a sponge. Dry the wok and then wipe the inside with a little oil to protect it when it is stored.
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So my wok might not be dead and I should get rid of this coating. But I suppose if rusty then it is still possible to scrub off the rust (depending on penetration) and season ?
 
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-Ad- said:
The coating on my wok is on the outside of it and interior. Is it really supposed to come off, plus mine is rusty now anyway ? How are you supposed to look after one without a coating anyway, just well oiled ?

Cheers anyway lads, amybe it is a waste to spend lots on a wok and just get a good C Steel one. Looking for a pace to buy in London atm, google maps is my friend :D
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Like a cast iron grill pan, you season it by putting some oil on it and heat it. What happens is that the oils will fill in the microscopic holes in the metal and the heat will infuse it (in a way) and itself acts like a non-stick coating.
 
Raymond Lin said:
Like a cast iron grill pan, you season it by putting some oil on it and heat it. What happens is that the oils will fill in the microscopic holes in the metal and the heat will infuse it (in a way) and itself acts like a non-stick coating.
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When this happened during uni I threw the woks away as they rusted, thinking the non-stick coating was dead. So in actual fact it does need to be burned ona high heat so the thing comes off :rolleyes::)
 
-Ad- said:
When this happened during uni I threw the woks away as they rusted, thinking the non-stick coating was dead. So in actual fact it does need to be burned ona high heat so the thing comes off :rolleyes::)
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yep, seems that way lol. Just get a brillow pad and clean off all of the rust.

After that you have to heat it with oil and rub it into the entire surface of the wok on a very high heat. That will season it and make it non stick as long as you do this fairly regulary.
 
-Ad- said:
When this happened during uni I threw the woks away as they rusted, thinking the non-stick coating was dead. So in actual fact it does need to be burned ona high heat so the thing comes off :rolleyes::)
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Yes, you might have to do this a few times. The first few times you cook it with your food will stick but every time you use it, you are in fact seasoning it. So if you keep at it, it'll constantly renewing the non stick coating that cannot be peeled off.
 
Ah many thanks, so this thread should now be called 'I failed at woks over my whole life, thanks for the fix' :D

Was planning on doing a stir fry tonight anyway, excellent, will go smoke my kitchen out with the smell of coating :D
 
platypus said:
No it really isn't.

Pay £5 for a decent Chinese one, season properly, job done.
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It is well worth it, a wok is good for wok purposes a decent non stick wok like that is great for more general use. You don't have to season it and you can wash it properly. Seasoned woks are not meant to be scrubbed clean.

decent pots and pans are not a waste of money. It all depends what you are going to use it for. A conventional wok does not have metal handles or a lid for oven cooking and so limits it uses.
 
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