Wok this Way! (Part 2 of 5) Selecting a wok

Written by Helen Fan


Continued from page 1

There are now stainless-steel versions ofrepparttar wok, although it is generally not recommended. Stainless-steel is not a good heat conductor, which defeatsrepparttar 148999 purpose of Chinese cuisine that relies heavily on quick cooking on high heat. They sure look nice, but would you rather have a nice looking wok, or a tastebud-tickling, mouth-watering gourmet dish? The answer should be obvious. Woks with non-stick coatings are not desirable, either. They all inevitably scratch and food gets stuck torepparttar 149000 metal, ruiningrepparttar 149001 taste, smell, presentation ofrepparttar 149002 dishes, not to mentionrepparttar 149003 extra effort needed in cleaningrepparttar 149004 wok. In addition,repparttar 149005 high heat required for Chinese cooking may eventually damagerepparttar 149006 non-stick coating. A well-seasoned wok will last forever, where as a non-stick wok will inevitably need a replacement over time.

There is an enamel-lined version where there are no reactions betweenrepparttar 149007 metal andrepparttar 149008 food, which makes it a nice alternative. But, if a steel carbon wok is seasoned well (covered in Part 3), it will become virtually non-stick, and will work better than any other versions out there. If you must buy one with a non-stick surface, we recommend purchasing a hard-anodized, or heavy-gauged aluminum wok, butrepparttar 149009 downside of that is that they are very expensive. Why spend a big wad of money on an expensive wok when you can get one that will do a better job, at a fraction of a price, right?

The bottom line is, if you're serious about cooking Chinese food, and create dishes that taste authentically Chinese, pick a round-bottomed, carbon steel wok, and include a wok ring as an accessory (if necessary) to balance it onrepparttar 149010 stove.

In Part 3 of Wok this way! we'll coverrepparttar 149011 all important subject of “Seasoning” a new wok

Helen Fan grew up in a family that has owned various Asian restaurants all over North America, from Vancouver (Canada), Houston (Texas), Decatur (Illinois), to Chicago (Illinois). She, and the rest of the Fan family are now sharing their decades of knowledge on the art of Chinese cuisine at http://www.ChineseHomeCooking.Com


The regional cuisines of Chinese cooking (Part 1 of 4)

Written by Helen Fan


Continued from page 1

Peking, which lies torepparttar northern corner ofrepparttar 148998 region, has beenrepparttar 148999 capital of China sincerepparttar 149000 15th century. It isrepparttar 149001 land of fried bean curd (tofu) and water chestnuts. With it beingrepparttar 149002 capital, andrepparttar 149003 city ofrepparttar 149004 emperor's residence, it isrepparttar 149005 only area inrepparttar 149006 region whererepparttar 149007 availability andrepparttar 149008 variety of food is abundant. The Imperial chefs were compensated handsomely, and along withrepparttar 149009 large, wealthy market inrepparttar 149010 capital,repparttar 149011 infusion of gourmet chefs from all over China brought about a great concentration of culinary expertise in Peking . This tradition is what characterizes Peking cuisine today, which is lighter and more elegant than that ofrepparttar 149012 outlying regions. The greatest delicacy ofrepparttar 149013 region is, of course,repparttar 149014 elaborate, world-renowned dish Peking duck. In Peking, ducks are specially bred for this dish and force fed to justrepparttar 149015 right degree of plumpness and tenderness in preparation for this dish.

Inrepparttar 149016 part 2 of this 4 part series, we will cover Szechuan:repparttar 149017 western cuisine.



Helen Fan grew up in a family that has owned various Asian restaurants all over North America, from Vancouver (Canada), Houston (Texas), Decatur (Illinois), to Chicago (Illinois). She, and the rest of the Fan family are now sharing their decades of knowledge on the art of Chinese cuisine at http://www.ChineseHomeCooking.Com


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