Anyone using any good Woks?

[Cleverness]

Didn't find a relevant thread and RQT here is locked so yea.

Looking to buy a new Wok within the next week or 2 after I get paid, possibly from Amazon since I have a credit on there. Wondering if anyone has personally bought any off it that turned out good and would recommend others to buy.

[Dimmauk]

I hear Microsoft makes a great wok.

[Abandon]

thread is racist

[noblemountain]

Why do I feel like I'm stepping into a trap to answer this?

Just get something cast iron with a ring. Fancy brands don't really matter...it's a cast iron bowl, only so many ways to jack that up. Just make sure you don't overpay for something so simple.

[Slapper]

I think there was an episode on Good Eats about woks...he was cooking pad thai

[Suited Aces]

I don't know if you have a Restaurant Store LINK near you. I would suggest going there. I guess you could order online. I buy almost all my cooking supplies from them. Very good quality for very cheap.

[SamanosukeShiva]

restaurant supply store or asian market for woks imo

[Nirokun!]

I'm not sure where you are located, but I don't think most standard US kitchens have burners that produce enough heat to cook with a wok in the traditional way. At least not that super fast, high-heat stir fry stuff that looks amazing.

[vagus]

I'm not sure where you are located, but I don't think most standard US kitchens have burners that produce enough heat to cook with a wok in the traditional way. At least not that super fast, high-heat stir fry stuff that looks amazing.

This is true. Real good stir fry requires very high heat. Any type of wok will do. Just use vegetable oil and keep it on high level.

[Totien]

This thread needs less Duckoverrice.

[Coren]

I own 2 woks, and I use them fairly frequently.

If you read nothing else, here's your biggest takeaway: get a carbon steel, NOT a cast iron, NOT a nonstick, NOT anything fancy or expensive. They're designed to be thin, to heat up FAST, to absorb food (that builds your patina), and to generally get the shit kicked out of them. And they'll love you and last forever.

My smaller wok, a 16", I got from http://wokshop.com/ as part of a kit. The ladle and scoop are not my favorite (they come in 2 pieces each), but they're not that expensive. I have a gas range that has a 20k BTU "power boiler" that does a passable job heating the wok. I use a wok ring and a round-bottom wok. If you have electric, you have to get a flat-bottom. If you have gas, you may want a flat-bottom anyway. The downside to a flat-bottomed wok is that food can get stuck in the crease. The set they offer includes the wok, spatula, ladle, steam rack, tempura rack, lid, and wok ring (if round-bottomed). They also have a really excellent "Stir-frying to the Sky's Edge" cookbook that I'd recommend you get off of amazon.

My larger wok I use when I'm cooking for an army (I'll have my entire martial arts school over, around 50 people, for authentic korean/chinese food a couple times a year). It's a 22" wok that sits on top of a 60k propane burner, the "big kahuna" from eastman. I got mine as bass pro, but I don't see it for sale any longer. http://www.samsclub.com/sams/eastman...prod1180319.ip This thing is a beast, and I love it. If you want to cook up a few pounds of meat at a time, this is how you do it. Please note that there's a difference between stirfrying (you can't really stir-fry a few pounds of meat) and simmering. But for that many people, whatever cooks the food the fastest is what I go with.

Depending on the number of people you are feeding is the size of the wok you need. For most people I'd probably recommend a 14"; it will comfortably hold 2 servings, or up to 4 depending on what you are serving, how good your burner is, and how much of a fatass your guests are.

Once you get a wok, you need to give it a good patina, don't use chemicals or abrasives, and you'll love the thing. Just google "how to season a wok" and you'll get about a million hits. I oiled mine up and threw it in the oven for a while. When I go to clean it, I wipe with a clean (not soapy) sponge in hot water, then throw it back on the heat to evaporate. I crank the heat up until the water is gone, turn the heat off, and use a paper towel to wipe in a very thin film of oil. Please note that if you are going to store your wok for a long time between uses, oil will get really nasty. Plan accordingly.

I'm assuming you want a wok because you found out just how awesome and versatile the things are. I make stirfries, steamed veggies, and fried foods fairly often, and they're all extremely easy in a wok.

Let me know how it goes, and if you need any recipes. Making up shit is pretty easy, but I've found some very interesting combinations while researching around.

Also, I use peanut oil. It's got a very high smokepoint and the flavor it adds is negligible.

[kazi]

I used to cook in woks fairly often. The closest thing I found to be near restaurant quality(real wok burners 75000 btu or more) is using a turkey fryer. The flame is concentrated in the middle, leaving the sides of the wok not scorching hot, this enables you to be able to push the food into the correct cooking spots. Also pick up a pair of the correct cooking tools(http://www.wokshop.com/HTML/products...mplements.html).

Edit:
Turkey fryer - http://www.costcaptain.com/mm5/merch...FShp7AodJx0AHA