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The best type of wok?

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The best type of wok?

Postby Binky » Mon Nov 13, 2017 3:31 pm

We need a new wok.

Our current one is a battered old war horse but it has been great and used weekly for over 20 years. The brand is not available in the UK, otherwise I would buy a duplicate wok without hesitation.

Looking at the offerings, there are woks with lids, with two small handles, non-stick, electric, and Le Creuset versions, but there are problems with each of these. I would think that the lightest one, with a single long handle, would be best for stir-frying and shaking the contents whilst cooking.

Does anyone recommend a brand easily available in the UK?

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Re: The best type of wok?

Postby Stokey Sue » Mon Nov 13, 2017 4:30 pm

Depends on what kind of hob you have

I have one of the first Ken Hom woks, which makes it more than 25 years old, it has a lovely patina and is virtually non stick now, though it started as raw steel and required careful seasoning and maintenance of seasoning

It has a small flat base so it sits neatly on a gas flame without an additional stand, and a solid wooden handle. It didn't come with a lid but I got one. It's not heavy but I'd prefer it if it had a helper handle as well as the straight one, for lifting without tipping when very full. Not a big deal.

I think this is the nearest they currently do tp mine; 31 cm is the same size. They seem to be cheaper at Dyas, so shop around
http://www.kenhomwoks.co.uk/index.php/everyday-range/ken-hom-everyday-carbon-seasoning-steel-wok-31cm.html

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Re: The best type of wok?

Postby Sakkarin » Mon Nov 13, 2017 9:49 pm

I used to use an enormous 14 inch wok which I still have, but swapped to a tiny 10 inch one for everyday use after Nancy Lam's series in the 90s, in which she said that was all she used for everything in her restaurant. Mine cost about £4.50 from Wing Yip maybe 15 years ago, a bog standard non-branded cheapo wok. I use a round bottomed one because a flat bottom seemed like cheating back then. I'd happily use a flat bottomed one now, as the round one is a bit wobbly :-(

It's suffered over the years, particularly when a visitor did the washing up and washed all the lovely patina off it with a scourer a few years back, and presented me with a lovely "clean" wok; I didn't know whether to laugh or cry! Right at the moment it is as good a patina as I've ever had.

It's odd that non-stick pans start at their best and get worse with age and eventually die (my ceramic frying pan lasted just one year), whilst a seasoned pan gets better and better.

P.S. I just put "Nancy Lam Wok" into Google Images, and five of the photos there are of my versions of her recipes! She's using a wok like mine in the first pic, I think it looks bigger than 10 inches because she's so tiny...

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=nancy ... OfZ8Kmul4M:

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Re: The best type of wok?

Postby Badger's Mate » Mon Nov 13, 2017 11:38 pm

I'd have suggested going to a Chinese store. However, this would be a case of 'don't do as I do, do as I say' cos I never got a round tuit myself :oops:

I always muddled through with old frying pans and big saucepans. A proper, uncoated carbon steel wok would have been much better I'm sure.

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Re: The best type of wok?

Postby Binky » Wed Nov 15, 2017 12:15 am

Sakkarin, are those photos a joke? The flames are yooge!!

I want to cook stir fry, not singe my eyebrows :gonzo

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Re: The best type of wok?

Postby Renée » Wed Nov 15, 2017 11:40 am

I thought the same thing, Binky!! There's no way that I would want my cooking to get to that level! My smoke alarm would certainly object!

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