Wok cleaning.

[Digsy]

I cooked a meal im my wok at the weekend for the first time in ages.

 

Now: My understanding is that a "perfect" wok is nice and black, and that you get them this way by minimal cleaning and regular "seasoning". By seasoning, I mean heating them up with oil inside and then letting them cool down again. Its supposed to make them non-stick, too.

 

Trouble is that whenever I clean my wok I simply can't just wipe it out. I have to clean it properly. I do season it afrerwards, but after ten years I still have a silver wok. Only the base has ever gone black.

 

Has anyone got a proper black wok? And not a pussy non-stick one, either

[jamesmark]

Black wok here and i mean black, the outside is scrubbed clean to save on blue reek, you have to lightly rub it and no pressure put on it to scrape any goodness away.

[JustGav]

teflon boy here...sorry

[Homer]

Do you have a gas or electric hob? You will only really be able to get a Wok up to proper temp for seasoning using Gas. For electric hobs you will have to use a flat bottomed one.

 

Also what is the Wok made out of?

[Digsy]

Electric I'm afraid - and it is flat bottomed. Infact its only the flat bit that's gone proper black.

[Homer]

Unfortunately that’s probably the reason the oil isn't sticking (i.e. burning on), with electric it'll be near impossible to get the sides of the pan hot enough.

 

Edited to add - you could also just not clean it so hard, it'll have much the same effect

[michael]

Jet black here, Ken Hom taught me well

[Digsy]

Back from the dead (sad, eh?)

 

Well, I do have access to a gas camping stove. So what's the procedure for a perfect wok, then???

[michael]

I did mine (carbon steel) like this but I guess there will be a few ways:

 

1. Give wok a good clean, scrub to remove any crap on it (new ones have a coating to stop rust).

 

2. Dry

 

3. Put wok on gas and turn up as high as possible, wok will change colour, I seem to remember mine went red, purple and eventually the brownish colour you are after.

 

4. Soak some kitchen roll in oil (any old cheap stuff, not olive though) and rub it all around the wok, use tongs to prevent burns Whatever you do don't pour the oil in, it will burst into flames.

 

5. Turn gas down to simmer level and leave the wok on the heat for up to 20 minutes, keep an eye on it and if you spot any dry areas spread the oil again.

 

6. Wok should now be turning black.

 

7. Repeat the above, eventually the wok will stay black and when you wipe it with kitchen roll it will stay clean, the black stays on the wok rather than coming off.

 

Then try to use wooden utensils, once you've finished cooking get all the food you can out and while it's still hot run it under a very hot tap, a soft plastic brush might help with the stuborn stuff. Once I've cleaned the wok I usually dry it and then give it a quick heat up to make sure all the water has gone, no rust then

 

If the coating comes off just give it a good scrub, remove all the carbon you can and then season it again using the method above.

[Digsy]

Cheers dude! You wok!

[Guest Ent]

(new wok)

straight to highest flame you can get,

wait till wok has heated up a bit, pour water, clean with thick wired wool(its the size of your hand and can get from any chinese cash&carry) with flame still on high,

pour boiling water away,

keep heating up wok till it turns from silver - blue - light blue - no more colour change,

rest till it cools down,

bring it to running hot water tap, underside hit water first, then turn over to inside of wok, scrub with thick wired wool again,

back to flame, heat up till all water is gone,

pour lots of oil on striaght away,

keep moving wok, till oil is smoking hot and have flash of flame (thats your oil flash point, anymore heat it'll be lots and lots of flames),

best way to see if oil has stuck on, is when oil is burnt onto wok, it'll leave a dark brown/black mark on after you wash it

wok is now ready to be used.

 

(used wok)

heat wok up, pour water in, scrub with thick wired wool,

pour/burn all water off,

pour oil in, move wok around till oil is smoking, turn flame off/low,

throw items in wok, turn up flames, and cook away.

after used, flame on high, pour water in wok, scrub with thich wired wool, burn all water off, wait till next time for use.

 

the black stuff thats on a wok, is from a few use before you'll get it black, if the black inside the wok is not smooth and its not shiny, thats not burnt on oil, thats what we call ''wok sh!t'', it'll make your food black in colour, tast weird and smell weird too.

 

if you find the black stuff inside your wok is rough, not shiny, you dont need to scrub it off like a idiot, all you need to do, is to burn it off, turn flame as high as you can, put wok on, and wait till wok smoke, it'll then slowly burn all the black sh!t off, and make your wok turn back into silvery colour.

 

a proper wok, is very thin, and there is 2 types, one with one longish wooden handle, one with 2 tiny little metal handle - which you'll have to use a dry cloth to hold or you will burn your hand.

 

do not get a western wok, as they are very thick and not good for cooking.

 

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the above meathod for burning a wok(make the black coating), will take a household cooking flame around 15-20mins start to finish, if you are good friends of a chinese take-away or restaurant, ask them to help you do it, it'll take them 3-5mins

[Thorin]

Sounds like too much work, I don't think I'll bother getting one.

[Supragal]

mmm chinese.