Topic: new wok

[Fi5H]

I use wooden utensil's, thei is the one i was looking at

 http://www.kenhom.com/ken_hom_range/ProductDetails.aspx?Id=4

[Bobby Bhuna]

I have managed to get by over the past 25 years with only two woks, i.e. they last and last and last! Both have been steel and therefore require "tempering" but once you have used them a few times they build up a "patina" which means they become quite non-stick. I would also suggest go for one with only one handle and a wooden one at that so it doesn't conduct heat and burn your hand. I have used both flat and round bottomed without any noticeable difference. You can usually balance a round one on a gas burner. Your local Chinese supermarket sells the best woks at the cheapest prices. Go for something with deep sides to prevent splashes on your cooker!

Hope this helps.

What he said.

[Stephen Lindsay]

would you go for a non stick one or not?

Fi5H

I wouldn't go for non-stick if I was buying a steel wok for a couple of reasons. Firstly any non-stick coating doesn't last and I think that's commercially designed into non-stick cookware cause it means you replace your pots and pans and that's good business for Tefal or whoever. Secondly non-stick woks don't cope with the kind of high temperatures and physical stirring etc. that cooking curries entails. Thirdly, when it starts to go, you lose your non-stick performance in patches of the pan and this hinders your ability to stir fry whatever you are cooking. Fourthly, you will achieve a lifetime of non-stick with a steel pan properly seasoned.

OK I know that's more than a couple of reasons but that's what I believe!

[emin-j]

I would go with solarsplace post recommending the Aluminium flat bottomed frying pan ( as most Indian T/A Chef's use ) Wok's are good for stir fry's but I don't think suitable for Indian Curry making, I bought a Wok at first but the frying pan is much better.

[Stephen Lindsay]

IWok's are good for stir fry's but I don't think suitable for Indian Curry making,

??

see definition of a Karahi from Wikipedia

A Karahi (also spelled Kadai, Karai - both pronounced the same, ka-rai /kəˈraɪ/) is a type of thick, circular, and deep vessel (similar in shape to a wok) used in Indian and Pakistani cuisine

[emin-j]

IWok's are good for stir fry's but I don't think suitable for Indian Curry making,

??

see definition of a Karahi from Wikipedia

A Karahi (also spelled Kadai, Karai - both pronounced the same, ka-rai /kəˈraɪ/) is a type of thick, circular, and deep vessel (similar in shape to a wok) used in Indian and Pakistani cuisine

And to follow on it says -

A Karahi (also spelled Kadai, Karai?both pronounced the same, ka-rai /kəˈraɪ/) is a type of thick, circular, and deep vessel (similar in shape to a wok) used in Indian and Pakistani cuisine. Also known as a kadai or cheena chatti, it is useful for shallow or deep frying of meat, potatoes, sweets, and snacks such as samosa and fish, and for simmering of stews (which are often named after the utensil).

Karahi are traditionally made out of cast iron, although other materials like stainless steel and copper are sometimes used, and non-stick varieties do exist.

OK for frying stuff in Oil as in ' deep frying ' but no good for making your usual T/A style Curry ,
at the Garlic / Ginger frying stage and when you add the Spices you need to have some room in the pan to push the ingredients to the side of the pan away from the hottest part of the pan ( the centre in the case of a Gas Ring Burner ) and because of the shape of a Wok everything wants to slide back into the centre ( again the hottest part ) once the Base Sauce is added it doesn't cause a problem and any simmering would be fine with a Wok , you don't' see many Woks being used for making Curries in T/A 

[Stephen Lindsay]

with all due respect emin-j I was merely showing that Karahis are like woks and have been used for centuries in India and Pakistan. What they are called is a matter of culture, but they are similar nonetheless.

Just because you don't see them in takeaways doesn't mean they can't be used for curries, all you did was make a  huge generalisation that in my opinion has little substance.

[emin-j]

with all due respect emin-j I was merely showing that Karahis are like woks and have been used for centuries in India and Pakistan. What they are called is a matter of culture, but they are similar nonetheless.

Just because you don't see them in takeaways doesn't mean they can't be used for curries, all you did was make a  huge generalisation that in my opinion has little substance.

With respect Stephen Lindsay I was making the point  that in my experience  making Curries in a largish flat bottomed frying pan is more practical than using a Wok , I don't know of course what FI5H plans to cook in his Wok and they do have their uses such as deep frying and stir Fry's. 
And I believe Carbon Steel Woks work best.

[Razor]

Hi emin-j,

I must admit, I do use a wok at the moment although I have also got an Ali TA pan.  To be honest, I don't get any noticable differences.

I use my wok more because I can really thrash the food about in it without making too much mess, whereas with the Ali pan, I ended up with as much on the hob, as I had in the pan.

One of my local TA's only uses wok's, but I think it is because it used to be a chinese TA before, and the wok burners were already in when they moved in.  The curries are great, but the startes are shite, so I don't tend to use the place that much.

Ray

[emin-j]

Hi emin-j,

I must admit, I do use a wok at the moment although I have also got an Ali TA pan.  To be honest, I don't get any noticable differences.

I use my wok more because I can really thrash the food about in it without making too much mess, whereas with the Ali pan, I ended up with as much on the hob, as I had in the pan.

One of my local TA's only uses wok's, but I think it is because it used to be a chinese TA before, and the wok burners were already in when they moved in.  The curries are great, but the startes are shite, so I don't tend to use the place that much.

Ray

Hi Razor , yes totally agree with you regarding having more room to splash your Curry about , our kitchen looks like a Turmeric Bomb has gone off when I finish cooking  ;D
It's just that I prefer to have some less hot space around the outer edge of a Alu Frying Pan than have everything sliding towards the ' hot spot ' in the middle of a Wok.
Just my opinion of course