In article >, Drew Cutter >
wrote:

> All i see in store is non-stick wok's . Is a good brand of non stick or
> just stay away from non-stick ?

I was listening to the Splendid Table last year, and Lynn Rosetta
Caspberger went to a store in a China Town district (can't remember
which city), and talked with the lady who ran the shop about Woks. The
lady spoke about how she could size up which wok suited each customer
simply by talking with people. She then said that the best wok she sold
was probably the one she sold the least because few customers would
believe her cheapest one was her best.

The one she says is best is a pressed steel that sits on a ring over the
burner with a steel or aluminum lid. No non-stick, no flat bottom, no
heavy gage metal. Crank the heat and season it the first time, never
expect to clean it so clean it looks new.

To find such a wok, head to your area's oriental grocers. These can be
had for under $30. Cook, serve, pour in hot water with a touch of dish
soap, scour while very hot, drain, rinse, and reseason while the wok is
still hot. Very easy to care, great to cook in, but it looks old.

jt

I got mine for $8, and it included two cooking utensils, a wire strainer, a
bamboo brush and 20 chopsticks.

In article >,
"Zippy P" > wrote:

> I got mine for $8, and it included two cooking utensils, a wire strainer, a
> bamboo brush and 20 chopsticks.

I got mine for a similar price back in the 90's. Still use mine
regularly.

jt

jt august > wrote:
> The one she says is best is a pressed steel that sits on a ring over the

>
> To find such a wok, head to your area's oriental grocers. These can be
> had for under $30. Cook, serve, pour in hot water with a touch of dish
> soap, scour while very hot, drain, rinse, and reseason while the wok is
> still hot. Very easy to care, great to cook in, but it looks old.

This is good counsel. Visit your local oriental markets and see what
they have for sale.

My favorite is $10 wok purchased from 99 Ranch Market in the
Pacific East shopping mall in Richmond, CA. It's a sizeable
chain, there might be one within your reach.

The material is cast iron, so thin it made me wonder how it
was cast. Bought it ten years ago and it's still in good
shape. I bought two more, one for a spare, and one for
my sister, who is an excellent cook. One more cracked on
seasoning and was replaced with no questions asked.

However:

Cast iron is brittle; it breaks when dropped. It's absorbent.
so one must cook foods in an order that respects their flavor.
Pressed steel is probably a good compromise between durability,
cost and compatibility with food ingredients.

For my part, I'd skip washing the wok, aside from deglazing
it with wine. For a pressed steel wok a scrub with dish
soap is an honorable way to atone for a grievous culinary
transgression. With cast iron, there is no appeal.

8-)

bob prohaska

Your recollections could not be more incorrect.

In article >,
jt august > wrote:

> In article >, Drew Cutter >
> wrote:
>
> > All i see in store is non-stick wok's . Is a good brand of non stick or
> > just stay away from non-stick ?
>
> I was listening to the Splendid Table last year, and Lynn Rosetta
> Caspberger went to a store in a China Town district (can't remember
> which city), and talked with the lady who ran the shop about Woks.

Lynne Rosetto Kasper was visiting with Tane Chan who has a shop in San
Francisco's Chinatown. The episode can be accessed on iTunes or he

<http://www.publicradio.org/tools/med...6/10_splendidt
able?start=00:00:06:00.0&end=00:00:59:00.0>

> The lady spoke about how she could size up which wok suited each
> customer simply by talking with people. She then said that the best
> wok she sold was probably the one she sold the least because few
> customers would believe her cheapest one was her best.

She merely said that the traditional cast iron wok is only $9.95 for a
13.5" one. She did not say it was the one she sold the least or that no
one would believe it was the best.

> The one she says is best is a pressed steel that sits on a ring over the
> burner with a steel or aluminum lid.

That is totally incorrect. She said nothing whatsoever about pressed
steel, a burner ring or aluminum lid.

The first question she asks people is what kind of stove they use.
Obviously, what is good for one type may not be good for another type of
stove. For a gas stove, she recommends the traditional cast iron wok.
In fact, she says that "cast iron is really the only way to go". For
electric stoves, she recommends carbon steel, flat-bottom woks. She
emphasizes that all woks must be seasoned and gives good seasoning
instructions. I recommend listening to this episode.

> No non-stick, no flat bottom, no heavy gage metal. Crank the heat
> and season it the first time, never expect to clean it so clean it
> looks new.

Wrong again! Your recollection is waaaaaaaay off. She recommends flat
bottoms and cast iron or (heavy gauge) carbon steel. In NO instance
does she recommend lightweight metal of any kind.

> To find such a wok, head to your area's oriental grocers. These can be
> had for under $30. Cook, serve, pour in hot water with a touch of dish
> soap, scour while very hot, drain, rinse, and reseason while the wok is
> still hot. Very easy to care, great to cook in, but it looks old.
>
> jt
--
-
"When fascism comes to America it will be wrapped in the flag and
carrying a cross." Sinclair Lewis

In article >,
Emma Thackery > wrote:

> Wrong again! Your recollection is waaaaaaaay off.

I stand corrected and apologize. I know I heard the stuff I quoted
somewhere, and that episode of Splendid Table stood out in my mind as
the programme in question.

That said, I want to also add that the Splendid Table podcasts are free,
and I enjoy listening to them.

Non stick works!!!!! Try out....


roseline


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