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The wok is a versatile round-bottomed cooking utensil used especially in East Asia and Southeast Asia. The word "wok" comes from the Cantonese Chinese word for the item: "wok6" (鑊). Standard Mandarin refers to woks by using the word "gūo" (锅), or the phrases "gūo zì" (锅子), or "chǎo cài gūo" (炒菜锅). Although the word "gūo" in Mandarin refers to any type of cooking vessel, using the word on its own typically means a chinese wok.

In Indonesia the wok is known as a wadjang, kuali in Malaysia, and kawali (small wok) and kawa (big wok) in the Philippines.

Characteristics

Size

Woks are traditionally round-bottomed pans that can be made from a wide variety of materials, in a wide variety of sizes. Most woks range from 30 cm to a 2 meters or more in diameter. Smaller woks of 14 inches is the most common, but woks can commonly be found as small as 8" and as large as 36". They are suitable for a family of 3 or 4 and are typically used for quick cooking techniques at high heat such as stir frying (Chinese: chǎo, 炒 or bao, 爆). Large woks over a meter wide are mainly used by restaurants or community kitchens for cooking rice, soup, or for boiling water.

Material

The most common materials used in making woks today are carbon steel and cast iron, although the latter was the most common type used in the past. Cooks tend to be divided on the whether carbon steel or cast iron woks are superoir to the other.

Cast iron: Two types of cast iron woks can be found in the market. Chinese cast iron woks are thin (~3mm) and weigh about the same as a carbon steel wok of similar size, while western cast iron woks tend to be thick (~9mm) tends to be heavy and require very long heating times. Cast iron woks are superior to carbon steel woks in heat retention and eveness of heat distribution. They also form a more stable carburized layer of seasoning which makes it less prone to food sticking on the pan. However, both types of cast iron woks has distinctive disadvantages compared to carbon steel woks. Chinese style cast iron woks, although quicker in heating and relatively light, are fragile and are prone to shattering if dropped or mishandled. Western type cast iron woks are slow-heating and slow-cooling, which makes temperature control more difficult. Furthermore, heavy western cast iron makes the tossing action require in stir-frying and bao difficult or impossible.

Carbon steel： The most popular type of wok material due to its relatively light weight, quick heat conduction, and high durability. However, carbon steel woks are more difficult to season, and the carburized season is easily removed in younger woks. Carbon steel woks vary widely in price, style, and quality, which is roughly based on ply and forming technique. The lowest quality woks tend to be single ply and stamped straight from a piece of steel. These woks have a higher tendency to deform and misshapen. Cooking with them is also more difficult and precarious since they often have "hot spots" due to uneven heat distribution. Higher quality woks are almost always made of two sheets of steel and formed into shape by hammering, "ring-forming", or hand forging. The latter being the highest quality and the most expensive.

Aluminium: Although an excellent conductor of heat, aluminium does not retain heat (heat capacity) as well as cast iron or carbon steel. Heat retention is a vital attribute of a wok in stir frying. Although anodized aluminium can stand up to constant use, plain aluminium woks are too soft and damages easily.

Other: Teflon coated woks are common in the western market. These woks are easily scratched and cannot be use to cook in the high heat required for stir frying (to excess of 450F) since the coating will burn. Less commonly found are clad woks, which sandwich a layer of aluminum or copper between two sheets of steel. These woks perform well but are very expensive, heavy, and usually work no better than carbon steel or cast iron woks.

Form and use

Woks are also sold in western countries, where they are sometimes found with flat bottoms and/or nonstick coatings. This makes them more similar to a deep frying pan than a true wok. However, the flat bottoms mean that they can be used on an electric cooker. Woks with curved bottoms normally come with metal rings to stabilize them on a gas stove. When such a wok is used on an electric stove, the ring should normally be placed upside-down so that the wok is in contact with the burner.

Advantages

Almost all Chinese families own at least one wok. It is most often used for stir frying, but can also be used many other ways, such as in steaming and deep frying or to make soup. One advantage of woks is that the shape produces a small, hot area at the bottom while using relatively little fuel. The curve helps spread an open flame to cook food evenly and allows for easier use of the toss cooking technique that Chinese chefs are famous for using, with less spillage.

Miscellaneous

In the joke sport wok racing introduced by the German comedian Stefan Raab, woks are used to carry people down a bobsleigh track. In November 2003 the first "official" championship was held in Winterberg, Germany.

References

Young, Grace (2004). The Breath of a Wok. Simon & Schuster. ISBN 0-7432-3827-3.

External links

Wok Seasoning and Care from thaifoodandtravel.com

@@ Line 11: / Line 11: @@
 [[Image:Wok.jpg|thumb|right|250px|A carbon steel wok on an electric stove]]
 The most common materials used in making woks today are [[carbon steel]] and [[cast iron]], although the latter was the most common type used in the past. Cooks tend to be divided on the whether carbon steel or cast iron woks are superoir to the other.
-*''Cast iron'': Two types of cast iron woks can be found in the market. Chinese cast iron woks are thin (~3mm) and weigh about the same as a carbon steel wok of similar size, while western cast iron woks tend to be thick (~9mm) tends to be heavy and require very long heating times. [[cast iron cookware|Cast iron woks]] are superior to [[carbon steel]] woks in heat retention and eveness of heat distribution. They also form a more stable carburized layer of seasoning which makes it less prone to food sticking on the pan. However, both types of cast iron woks has distinctive disadvantages compared to carbon steel woks. Chinese style cast iron woks, although  quicker in heating and relatively light, are fragile and are prone to shattering if dropped or mishandled. Western type cast iron woks are slow-heating and slow-cooling, which makes temperature control more difficult. Furthermore, heavy western cast iron makes the tossing action require in ''stir-frying'' and ''bao'' difficult or impossible.
+*''Cast iron'': Two types of cast iron woks can be found in the market. Chinese cast iron woks are thin (~3mm) and weigh about the same as a carbon steel wok of similar size, while western cast iron woks tend to be thick (~9mm) tends to be heavy and require very long heating times. [[cast iron cookware|Cast iron woks]] are superior to carbon steel woks in heat retention and eveness of heat distribution. They also form a more stable carburized layer of seasoning which makes it less prone to food sticking on the pan. However, both types of cast iron woks has distinctive disadvantages compared to carbon steel woks. Chinese style cast iron woks, although  quicker in heating and relatively light, are fragile and are prone to shattering if dropped or mishandled. Western type cast iron woks are slow-heating and slow-cooling, which makes temperature control more difficult. Furthermore, heavy western cast iron makes the tossing action require in ''stir-frying'' and ''bao'' difficult or impossible.
 *''Carbon steel''： The most popular type of wok material due to its relatively light weight, quick heat conduction, and high durability. However, carbon steel woks are more difficult to season, and the carburized season is easily removed in younger woks. Carbon steel woks vary widely in price, style, and quality, which is roughly based on ''ply'' and ''forming technique''. The lowest quality woks tend to be single ply and stamped straight from a piece of steel. These woks have a higher tendency to deform and misshapen. Cooking with them is also more difficult and precarious since they often have "hot spots" due to uneven heat distribution. Higher quality woks are almost always made of two sheets of steel and formed into shape by hammering, "ring-forming", or hand forging. The latter being the highest quality and the most expensive.