Cooking w/ a wok: Stainless Steel Care or Mistake?!
I purchased my boyfriend a great wok for Chanukah, but the first time he used it, it became very stained and hard to clean!. I've done the SOS pad bit and it's coming away slowly, but it's a real pain!. Were we supposed to have "seasoned" it first!? I know that's usually only for carbon steel, but!.!.!.!?
also I looked up "care for a stainless steel wok" on Yahoo and I ended up on a bulletin board with all these people bashing it because they thought it was unable to distribute heat evenly!. That's funny, that's what my boyfriend had told me he loved about it, that it cooks evenly!.
Should we just replace it!? He's fairly serious about his cooking not to mention his tools, so I know he wasn't just trying to be niceWww@FoodAQ@Com
also I looked up "care for a stainless steel wok" on Yahoo and I ended up on a bulletin board with all these people bashing it because they thought it was unable to distribute heat evenly!. That's funny, that's what my boyfriend had told me he loved about it, that it cooks evenly!.
Should we just replace it!? He's fairly serious about his cooking not to mention his tools, so I know he wasn't just trying to be niceWww@FoodAQ@Com
Answers:
don't worry about the staining!. Brush it with oil!. Let it get screaming hot on the stove, and then cool it and wipe it down with a paper towel!. Repeat this several times!.
I agree with the bulletin board, but c'est la vie!. You may have one that has a copper core, which would distribute the heat!. Whatever, if you're getting good results, who cares!?
also, don't scour the pan with SOS or steel wool, this will undo the seasoning process!. Just wipe it out with a wet rag, and a little mild soap!. Ideally you never use soap in a seasoned pan, but frankly with sanitation concerns, I use a little mild soap when I need to!.Www@FoodAQ@Com
I agree with the bulletin board, but c'est la vie!. You may have one that has a copper core, which would distribute the heat!. Whatever, if you're getting good results, who cares!?
also, don't scour the pan with SOS or steel wool, this will undo the seasoning process!. Just wipe it out with a wet rag, and a little mild soap!. Ideally you never use soap in a seasoned pan, but frankly with sanitation concerns, I use a little mild soap when I need to!.Www@FoodAQ@Com
The wok for Chanukah threw me for a minute, but you are simply being too obsessive about cleaning the pan!. Because of the enormous cost, tradition and size, restaurants use carbon woks which are never possible to restore like new!. You can't season stainless steel but you can cast iron which won't work for stir fry because of the weight of the pan!.
If you use the pan all the time get a coated pan for a second back up!.Www@FoodAQ@Com
If you use the pan all the time get a coated pan for a second back up!.Www@FoodAQ@Com
Keep the wok!. Clean it as well as you can, the staining really doesn't matter much to it's cooking ability,
Coat it lightly with veg oil and bake it in the oven to season it!.
I have a ss wok and love it too!. Season it as needed and it will be a favorite pan for yearsWww@FoodAQ@Com
Coat it lightly with veg oil and bake it in the oven to season it!.
I have a ss wok and love it too!. Season it as needed and it will be a favorite pan for yearsWww@FoodAQ@Com
I've cooked with the steel woks in a Chinese kitchen, a smaller steel wok at home!.
At home, I had trouble keeping rust at bay!. Both my husband and I cook and he did not take the time to see that it was kept dry and to properly season it after use!.
So we switched to stainless steel and am totally happy because now I feel my food is not absorbing any rust!. (We didn't want the non stick treated woks because we didn't want any chemicals migrating into the food!."
We just clean the stainless wok with dishwater and soap and, only when some food or stain is still on it, I use ajax or bar keeper's friend!.
Keep the wok you bought!. You made a good choice!.Www@FoodAQ@Com
At home, I had trouble keeping rust at bay!. Both my husband and I cook and he did not take the time to see that it was kept dry and to properly season it after use!.
So we switched to stainless steel and am totally happy because now I feel my food is not absorbing any rust!. (We didn't want the non stick treated woks because we didn't want any chemicals migrating into the food!."
We just clean the stainless wok with dishwater and soap and, only when some food or stain is still on it, I use ajax or bar keeper's friend!.
Keep the wok you bought!. You made a good choice!.Www@FoodAQ@Com