COOKING UTENSILS

WOK

Woks were traditionally made wholly
of heavy cast iron and always round-
based, with two small, semi-circular
handles at opposing ends. Handling
such a wok requires not only
considerable strength, but also care.
This is because the handles, too, would
have become hot from cooking and
kitchen towels or, more recently, oven
gloves would be required to remove the
wok from the stove.
With time and advancing technology,
woks have since been made from
aluminium and stainless steel and
also changed slightly in shape and
form; some woks are flat-based to
accommodate electric hobs. The
popularity and convenience of non-
stick cooking surfaces has since also
extended itself to some woks. A key
advantage of woks made of lighter
materials, such as aluminium, is that
they are easier to handle. Some of the
more modern woks have long plastic
handles that can be safely held when
cooking. Older woks of the kind tended
to have wooden handles that can
become unhygienic over time because

of their porous surfaces. Electric woks
are generally avoided in Asian kitchens.

When choosing a wok for yourself,
be mindful of your needs and kitchen
conditions over the look and base-
material of the utensil. If you have a gas
hob, for instance, then a round-based
wok will rest more securely on the metal
frame of the hob than one flat-based.
This takes into account how the action
of stir-frying can cause a flat-based wok
to slide along the metal frame and away
from the heat source or, worse, topple.
Also, there may arise a situation where
you feel that you prefer one base-
material’s properties over another, e.g.
you would choose stainless steel over
aluminium, but if the stainless steel wok
is heavier than you would have liked,
then choose the lighter, aluminium wok.
A wok that feels heavy in the store will
most certainly be twice as heavy at
home when filled with ingredients and,
not to mention, a hazard over heat.

In selecting a wok, size definitely
outweighs all other considerations.
If you frequently cook for between
two and four people, then a small- to

medium-size wok is ideal. Using a
wok larger than what is needed will
only give you less control over the
food you are cooking. Remember that
a larger wok means a larger base,
which is where most of the heat is
conducted, so cooking few ingredients
in a large wok will definitely dry out
the dish in a very short time. Cooking
the same amount of food in a smaller,
more appropriately sized wok means
that some of the ingredients will
always fall to the sides in the process
of stir-frying, thus removing them
from direct, intense heat all of the
time. Conversely, if you find yourself
cooking a lot of ingredients in a small
wok, then the repercussions are that
the dish will be unevenly cooked.
Ingredients distributed high along
the sides of the wok are likely to be
undercooked, while those trapped in
the centre will cook from steam heat
rather than contact with the wok’s
metal surface. This is because the
ingredients below those in the centre
are nearer to the base of the wok, and
when they cook, the moisture they
contain turns into steam that rises and
cooks the ingredients above without
the browning they require.

Cast iron woks, although not non-
stick and heavy, are still preferred
in many Asian households. This is
because they are relatively inexpensive
and can withstand daily doses of
intensely high heat for years without
warping. The same cannot be said for
woks made of other materials. Cooking
in a cast iron wok over high heat also
imparts an inimitable smoky flavour
the Cantonese call wok hei or “wok
fragrance” to a dish.