Choosing a wok for someone else can be a challenge. From serious stir-fryers to more occasional Chinese cooks, you’ll find something in this selection of woks for almost anyone on your gift list.
A flat bottom makes this wok perfect for turning out stir-fries on an electric or ceramic stovetop burner. This sturdy wok has a heavy-gauge 2.0 mm carbon steel body, with a heatproof Phenolic long stick handle and opposing side handle. Like all carbon steel woks, the wok must be seasoned before first use.
Joyce Chen - A profile of Joyce Chen, restaurant-owner, cookbook author, and designer of the flat-bottom wok.
Joyce Chen Products Website
How to Season a Carbon Steel Wok
Made of heavy 14-gauge carbon steel, this round bottom wok is perfect for use on a wok ring on gas stoves. The Wok Shop is a San Francisco-based, family-run business, covering all aspects of Asian cooking and specializing in harder to find cooking tools. (Be sure to pay them a visit the next time you’re visiting San Francisco’s Chinatown). The wok has blonde wooden spool handles and comes with seasoning instructions.
Also from The Wok Shop, a more traditional Chinese cast iron wok design makes this round bottom wok considerably lighter than western-style cast iron woks: it weighs a mere six pounds, compared to the 14-pound Lodge Pro-Logic cast iron wok (see below). The wok is 4.5 inches in depth, and has metal side handles. It comes in 13, 14 and 16-inch sizes. A 5-piece wok set with a lid and other accessories is also available. Like carbon steel, the wok requires seasoning before first use.
Heavier than traditional Chinese cast iron woks, the Lodge Pro-Logic has its fans among those who like the durability and heavy-duty performance of western-style cast iron pans. It has a flat base underneath the concave-shaped body to allow the wok to sit stably on the stovetop. Two looped side handles make for safe transporting to and from the stovetop.
Unlike Chinese cast iron pans, the wok is slow to heat up and cool down, and its heavy weight means you won’t be shaking the pan back and forth during stir-frying. Fortunately, the concave-shaped body makes it easy to slide cooked food out of the pan. Once heated, the wok holds heat beautifully. It is very easy to clean.
Choosing a nonstick wok can be tricky - some models can't handle the high heat that stir-frying demands. This wok is up to the task â€" it heats up quickly and stays hot. The wok's sturdy construction shows in the 2-layer Excalibur nonstick coating applied to a stainless-steel coated, 2 mm carbon steel base; heatproof long handle and side handle. The flat bottom diameter is 14 inches, an ideal size for preparing family meals. Clean-up is a breeze. A good choice for those who want a wok that is virtually ready to use right out of the box.
Superior design features â€" including a recessed butterfly heating element that distributes heat evenly up the sides of the wok, convenient quick release detachable wok base, and a tempered glass lid with a steam vent â€" make it among the most popular-selling woks with a plug-in option. The nonstick surface is easy to clean, and the wok body and base are dishwasher-safe. The one flaw? Breville acknowledges that some of the plastic utensils included with the wok weren’t cut correctly, and recommend using a more gently rounded utensil. (If this
is a gift, you might want to include a curved spatula).
Review: Breville Electric Wok
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