Woks are essential cooking tools in the market today. It’s a perfect utensil for preparing dinner at home or in a restaurant since it can be used for everything from stir-frying rice to frying eggs and vegetables. But what makes this pan so great? And why should you buy a wok instead of using your cast iron skillet? Read on to find out!
What makes Woks an Essential Cooking Tool?
Woks are an essential cooking tool for many reasons. It can be used as a skillet or pot and is great for stir-frying and deep frying. Woks are also versatile in that you can use them to make rice, soup, or stew. The bottom of the pan has sloping sides so that food cooks evenly without burning on one side; this feature makes it easier to flip foods over without using tongs or forks! Additionally, there’s something called “Breath of Wok“, meaning when you drop your food into hot oil inside this pan and add some spices later on top, you get better flavour results every time. This is because there is no need for stirring once everything has already been added together!
Types
Woks come in a few different shapes and sizes:
- The most common is the flat-bottomed wok, which has a thickened bottom for heat retention.
- Round-bottomed woks are also popular. They may have handles on both sides of the pan instead of just one—this makes them easier to use when cooking food that needs stirring or tossing around.
- Wok rings are small metal disks that fit inside works and help distribute heat evenly throughout their surface area so that nothing burns while cooking. They’re beneficial when making stir-fry dishes because they keep ingredients from sticking together too much while being cooked over high heat sources like stoves or grills!
Size
The size of your wok is an essential factor to consider. However, it’s not the only thing that you need to consider. The size will depend on how much food you want to cook and what kind of heat source you use. A 12-inch pan can accommodate four servings, while 14-inch woks can accommodate six servings. If you’re cooking for just yourself or two people at most, go with a smaller size; if your family is large and eats large amounts of food, go with a larger one.
Material
The material is one of the most critical aspects of your woks. Woks are made of carbon steel, cast iron, titanium and stainless steel.
Carbon Steel is the most popular material used for all types of cookware because it provides a good balance between heat retention and durability. It can be used for high-temperature cooking methods such as stir-frying or deep-frying, but its lack of oil absorption makes it unsuitable for slow cooking techniques such as simmering or braising.
Care and Maintenance
Woks are highly porous, so you should hand-wash them with soap and water. Don’t soak woks in water, as this will warp the metal and make it difficult to clean later. Use a soft sponge or paper towel to wipe off food particles from inside woks after cooking—this will prevent rusting and keep your other pans looking new! Woks can be cleaned using steel wool or any non-abrasive cleaner safe for metal utensils (such as steel wool).
