Woks

[pigeonnier]

We have searched endlessly for a traditional

Chinese type wok, steel, round bottomed and with a long wooden handle

and not Teflon coated. Easy you may think? Nah - every single

permutation of stainless, non-stick, little handles etc etc.

Anyone know where we can get one in France - we are in north 47.

Bob & Jane

[Salty Sam]

Give Ikea a try.

I got a superb one with all the right bits i.e. long handle, round bottom, and blackened surface which soon turns a nice brown colour (rust) following washing unless treated with an application of olive  oil via the trusty kitchen rag.

Price was very reasonable too.

[5-element]

Are you sure that Ikea's won't be Teflon-coated? I agree withthe OP - all the woks I have seen lately have had that feature, which I also would not want. Steel is the real thing, and Teflon has some dubious properties.

As always, the best option is to find an "oriental" shop - there are some in a big town near me, and they do have the old-style, steel woks.

I have similar problems with the kung-fu/taichi style chinese shoes. Black cloth, and with thick layered cotton soles. Nowadays, I can't find them, with the cotton soles, just plastic.

 

[Teamedup]

Mine was bought by a chinese friend in a chinese goods and food shop. There is usually at least one of these shops in all the big towns/cities.

I did everything I was supposed to with mine. And it sticks. I have been told it shouldn't as it 'looks' right and it does, with it's sort of blackish patina now, it sticks so much though that I don't use it any more.

IF anyone has any ideas as to what I can do to make it naturally non stick, I would be interested.

[5-element]

[quote user="Teamedup"]

 

I did everything I was supposed to with mine. And it sticks.

 

[/quote]

So you heated it for hours with just a thin layer of oil. And you were careful how you wash it. There are 2 schools of thought there, the first one being, you can scour it, but never use any washing up liquid or detergent (that's the theory we use). The other is, you can use washing up liquid, but never scour it.

Our 2 woks (merging of 2 households) are equally non-stick now. Mr 5-element, who is not such a whizz in the kitchen, was always very particular with his wok and is still very strict about the washing and drying of it. Both our woks (very different, mine has 2 steel round handles and a flat bottom, his has one big handle and a round-bottom) were bought from Chinese shops, and now both have been used for years. In fact, I am just about to use one now!

So do you have no idea at all why your wok should stick, TU? You didn't allow it to get rusty? (they need drying - I use Sopalin - after each washing. I am not sure if this helps, I have no other ideas!

 

[Dick Smith]

What's wrong with Teflon?

[5-element]

It is supposed to release carcinogenic particles as soon as it has the slightest scratch. I have heard that for years, and I recently came across an article after a study that confirmed it. I am sorry, I am quite hopeless with finding references, I will look for the article, it was in what I thought was a trustworthy magazine. Maybe the Ecologist, or Resurgence, I will look for it... but it is not the only place I came across this notions of Teflon being dodgy.

[Dick Smith]

This is debunked in the Wikipedia article on Teflon, which seems well sourced. You have to raise the material's temperature to twice that of burning oil to create a toxic effect. There are no reports of any serious effects (and only 1 report of non-serious) associated with Teflon. The reason it is non-stick is that at normal temperatures it is non-reactive.

I suggest you check for yourself, though:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teflon

This is countered by a Chicago based environmental group which states that Teflon 'fumes' kill birds:

http://www.ewg.org/reports/toxicteflon/chemicals.php

It looks, to me, like an 'environmentalists' issue rather than an environmental issue.

[5-element]

You ("they") might be right Dick. I am not a scientist as you might have gathered. But I do get some hits if I Google "Carcinogenic Teflon". I have never liked the stuff anyway, as you can't heat it as high as you can with good old steel, which seems to me more effective for stir-frying.

Sigh! I knew I should not have quoted The Ecologist or Resurgence!! We do also get The New Internationalist, Red Pepper, Ode, and many others (a friend in the UK sends us the unsold copies, OH has a field day every time!)

Anyway my choice is to stay away from Teflon, just like I stay away from Aspartame - will that trigger another flurry of excitement?[:D]

[Teamedup]

I've done all that and the wok looks just right, no rust. I am not a scourer, so have washed it with warm soapy water and rinsed it. Then to dry, well I put it on the gas ring. Is this where I am going wrong?

 

Aspartame? what is wrong with aspartame? I hate the taste of the stuff, feels like nasty chemicals in my mouth, is that what it is?

[5-element]

[quote user="Teamedup"]I've done all that and the wok looks just right, no rust. I am not a scourer, so have washed it with warm soapy water and rinsed it. Then to dry, well I put it on the gas ring. Is this where I am going wrong?[/quote]

You could always try again to "season" it. Spread a thin layer of oil all over it, and put it on very low heat for a long long time (at least an hour). Do this over and over again. Then perhaps you could use our scouring/no soap method whenever you use it. And after you have washed and dried it (it should not matter putting it on the gas ring to dry), then smear another thin layer of oil on it and store it like that. Over a period of time, it should really be properly seasoned!

[Beryl]

I bought a cheap one from Argos many moons ago and the instructions read more or less like the last post. It worked a treat. I am pretty sure that it was specific about the type of oil to use or not to use, but I can't remember what it was .

[Dick Smith]

[quote user="5-element"]

Anyway my choice is to stay away from Teflon, just like I stay away from Aspartame - will that trigger another flurry of excitement?[:D]

[/quote]

Fair enough. As a diabetic, though, I can tell you that you can get used to Aspartame!

On the seasoning pans point - I have an old (25+years) Habitat iron pan, which I seasoned well and didn't abrade or wash hard for all that time. It has a black crust on the outside and a non-stick (ish) carbon layer on the inside, but is now going rusty as well, so gets little use. The best thing about it was (when I could eat sugar) that I could put it into the oven to finish a tarte tatin. Difficult with plastic-handled pans!

[Russethouse]

If it doesn't stick why do you need to scour it ?

[5-element]

[quote user="Dick Smith"][quote user="5-element"]

I stay away from Aspartame

[/quote]

Fair enough. As a diabetic, though, I can tell you that you can get used to Aspartame!

[/quote]

Oh sorry, Dick, I just didn't know! If I was - if I ever become - diabetic, I probably would be easier with aspartame, as amedical condition narrows your range of choices somewhat - although, when I was on a pseudo-Atkins diet, I  went without carbohydrates mostly - stayed away from all refined sugars, not using any artificial sweeteners - I found you can loose the taste for sweet...but that was not hard to do, as I could always change it if I wished. 

MOH is on life-saving (and life-changing!) medication too, and there are certain things he cannot even begin to contemplate having, since they clash with the medication- such as alcohol and wine! I am more than familiar with the issue of having to ingest chemicals which nobody in their right mind (or rather,  their right body!) would ever consider ingesting! So for his sake as well as mine, I tend to bant other substances that might be a bit dodgy (such as the controversial aspartame), the ones there seems to be a choice with!

Having said that about aspartame, it is an ingredient in many tablets here in France, even though I have noticed that in the USA and UK, it has disappeared of many lists of ingredients.

Sorry, we are way away from woks now.

[Dick Smith]

[quote user="Russethouse"]If it doesn't stick why do you need to scour it ?[/quote]

Some things leave a deposit, such as sossidges (awkward fellows) and eggs. I never scour as in Brillo, I abrade as in green pads from Sainsburys. Which reminds me...

[Russethouse]

I grill or George Foreman sausages.

I have had some of these original woks and used to rinse them, wipe with a cloth and then smear a little oil round - frankly I can't be bothered and now use a teflon coated one.

[powerdesal]

Re seasoning woks, just mentioned to 'er indoors' about using oil to season - explosion time " that definitely doesn't work, I'd rather use salt, and that doesn't always work either".

I always thought that frying salt was a good way to season a cast iron pan, maybe it will work for a steel wok.

We usually go the 'wipe with an oily rag' route after washing up.

[5-element]

I found the salt routine works well too, have 2 very nicely seasoned skillets that were originally done with salt, now I treat them in the same way as the woks.

[Salty Sam]

[quote user="5-element"]

Are you sure that Ikea's won't be Teflon-coated? [/quote]

The ones they're selling now might be Teflon coated, but the one I got years ago certainly isn't - hence the need for oiling post washing!

With reference to the Teflon health issue, I too read a report which stated burning butter in a pan produced more carcinogenic substances than could be achieved by burning a Teflon coated instrument!

[5-element]

[quote user="Salty Sam"]

With reference to the Teflon health issue, I too read a report which stated burning butter in a pan produced more carcinogenic substances than could be achieved by burning a Teflon coated instrument!

[/quote]

Yes, and that would be why fanatics like myself do not cook anything in butter either!!! Or in oils which cannot sustain a high level of heat... Best of course, is to steam (vegetables) or braise (meat) and then add butter (or preferred oil) after cooking.

[Teamedup]

If I am chinese cooking then I only use peanut oil. Are there other oils that will get so hot without burning?

I never use my wok anymore, just my ordinary pans. They are teflon and don't stick.

[5-element]

[quote user="Teamedup"]

If I am chinese cooking then I only use peanut oil. Are there other oils that will get so hot without burning?

I never use my wok anymore, just my ordinary pans. They are teflon and don't stick.

[/quote]

Funnily enough, there was just a little TV news item - where an "expert" was going around someone's house to identify and warn of the hidden dangers of chemicals in the house. First port of call was.... the Teflon pans, all were scratched (as they do get!) and had to be thrown away in the dustbin as the expert explained that they released toxic molecules, therefore  hazardous to health.

Peanut oil does withstand high temperature. Soya oil is supposed to, as well, but of course now there is also the controversy around soya [+o(] being also carcinogenic when it is processed....

In the "good" oils, olive oil is the one that can be heated the most without breaking down into harmful components. (Sorry folks, I realise what I must sound like!!!)

[pigeonnier]

OK folks - thanx for replies as to where to buy a wok We went to a large INdian/ooriental supermarket in Bordeaux the other day and found just what we wanted along with just about any other food product/ingredient that could be wished for from that part of the world. Certainly worth the two hour trip each way. If you would like the name of the store &/or website please email/PM me.

Bob & Jane