Chinese wok is not only the soul pot of Chinese families, but also the first entrance for overseas retainers to reproduce the authentic Chinese flavour. The “wok” design with a round bottom, thin-wall and heat conduction lets it release a unique “wok gas” in the stir fry room, and also attracts more and more foreigners to put China’s trip on the agenda.
Why can Chinese wok conquer the world?
According to Google Trends data in 2024, the global search volume of “wok” increased by 120% over 2,019, with North America and Western Europe accounting for 63% (Google Trends, 2,024). The arc surface with a round bottom can make the wall temperature of the pot break through 200°c in 15 seconds, easily trigger the Maillard reaction, make the vegetables crisp and meat juicy, which is the advantage of the pan that can’t be copied (Zhang et al., 2,022). Compared with the expensive Western copper pot, a 30-dollar carbon steel Chinese wok can complete the five-in-one task of frying, stewing, steaming and braising, which is cost-effective.
Material competition: carbon steel, cast iron, coating, stainless steel
- Carbon steel: the fastest warming, the lightest weight, suitable for stir-fried; Need to open the pot and daily anti-rust.
- cast iron: stable heat storage, stew and stew; It weighs 2-3 times and is suitable for slow cooking.
- non-stick coating: it’s easy for novices to use, but above 260°c it will decompose volatiles, so it’s not suitable for stir-fried (FDA, 2,023).
- nitriding and antirust: IKEA 2,024 new Chinese wok uses 2 mm carbon steel + surface nitriding, antirust and no chemical coating, weighing only 1.2 kg (IKEA, 2,024).
- stainless steel composite bottom: the electromagnetic furnace is friendly, but the heat capacity is low, and it is difficult to produce rich wok gas.
Understand the boiling pot, raising pot and cleaning at one time.
- hot water + detergent to factory oil.
- Dry with medium and small fire, brush peanut or rapeseed oil with high smoke point oil.
- Heat to a slight smoke for 3 min, and let the oil film penetrate into the pores.
- cool, repeat 2 times.
Daily cleaning: 50°c hot water + bamboo brush, refuse detergent; After drying on a small fire, oil it thinly. It takes two weeks to form a black non-stick oxide layer, with a service life of more than 20 years.
Firepower and kitchen environment: can a Western-style stove use a Chinese wok?
Open fire: the furnace ring is set stably at the round bottom, and the flame is wrapped around the wall of the pot.
Induction cooker: flat bottom or composite bottom + conduction ring; The power must be ≥ 2,100 W.
Range hood: the peak value of PM2.5 at the moment of frying can reach 500 μ g/m?, and it is recommended that the side suction type exhaust air volume is more than 1,000 m? /h (WHO, 2,021).
Often, for Western families, you can use a carbon steel Chinese wok + medium high fire frying steak, the curved surface of the pot wall lets the oil drop return, the effect of crisp outside and tender inside is not inferior to a cast iron frying pan.
Classic Chinese fast food: let foreign friends scream in 5 minutes
- Cabbage with garlic: hot pot 20s, garlic pieces fried, cabbage in the pot 45s, drenched and pulled out of the pot.
- Beef fillet with black pepper: cut the beef into strips against the grain, light soy sauce + egg white marinate for 10 min, stir fry for 90s with high heat.
- dry fried green beans: stir fry with less oil and medium heat for 4 min, add pepper and bean sprouts, and the smell is burning.
- Yangzhou fried rice: the overnight rice is loose grain, the egg liquid is wrapped in the rice first, and the ham and shrimp are fried synchronously.
- steamed scallops with minced garlic and vermicelli: first, dry bake the vermicelli in the pot for 1 min, then put the scallops with garlic oil, add water to cover and simmer for 3 min, and complete the whole pot.
Demonstration of Western food integration: making Italy stew with a Chinese wok
Ingredients: Italian rice Arborio 200 g, chopped onions, white wine, hot chicken soup 700 ml, Palmerson.
Steps:
- Put olive oil and butter in the hot pot, and stir-fry the onion.
- Pour in rice and stir fry until transparent.
- The soup was heated three times, and the liquid was quickly dried and added each time. The medium and small temperature was maintained for 12 min.
- Turn off the fire and mix in the cheese. The core of the rice grain is micro-hard, and the finished product is rich in milk flavour, saving 5 minutes over the pan. It only needs hot water to wash.
3 steps to purchase a Chinese wok
- Stand: furnace core diameter ≥ 16 cm, round bottom selected; Choose flat bottom or compound bottom.
- weigh hands: 1.2-1.4 kg for women’s throwing pot; 1.6-1.8 kg for men’s strength.
- handle inspection: rivet + anti-scalding wood handle is the safest; The hanging hole is convenient for storage.
Common mistakes and professional repair
Mistake 1: Use the new pot directly. Repair: brush with hot water, reopen the pot once, and bake with thin oil on the outer wall.
Mistake 2: No stick frying pan, no oil. Repair: the upper limit of Teflon is 260 ℃, please change to carbon steel for stir-fried.
Mistake 3: electromagnetic furnace with a round bottom and a flat plate. Repair: add a heat conduction ring or change the flat bottom; otherwise, the heating surface is less than 30%, and the food is half-cooked.
Conclusion: set out for China
A pot that understands “wok gas” also understands the Chinese people’s ultimate pursuit of heat and time. When you easily re-carve Kung Pao chicken and Beef Chow fun at home, the next journey list will naturally be written in Chengdu, Guangzhou and Xi’an. Prepare your stomach and memory, and come to China with your backpack on your back, so that the fireworks in the streets can give your taste buds a second shock.
References
FDA. (2023). Cooking with non-stick coatings: safety guidelines. U.S. Food & Drug Administration. https://www.fda.gov
Google Trends. (2024). Search term “wok” worldwide, past 5 years. https://trends.google.com
IKEA. (2024). New Chinese wok series product guide. https://www.ikea.cn/cn/zh/product-guides/new-chinese-wok-pubb2817b50
WHO. (2021). Indoor air quality and household fuel combustion. World Health Organisation. https://www.who.int
