Wok The Fu*k - How to Hold Your Wok

You thought this was rude didn't you, well sorry to disappoint... if it's crude stuff you're after it's best to leave my blog NOW!

Back to the serious art of cooking... now where was I... thats right, how to hold your wok whilst cooking.

If you have a wok that has two small handles, one on each side, use an old face washer or flannel as my nanna used to call them, to hold your wok whilst cooking.  Wet the face washer, squeeze out all of the water then fold it in half so that you have a rectangle; fold it in half again so that it becomes a square.

Now hold your wok like I'm holding mine in the photo below.

Contrary to what we are taught in Western cooking i.e. not to pick up anything hot with a wet cloth, when I learnt Chinese cooking I was taught the opposite.  The wet cloth actually prevents you from burning yourself and is less likely to catch fire near the intense heat.  If the handle starts to get too hot, simply rinse your cloth in cold water, squeeze out excess water and fold again as above.

Seasoning Your Wok

I had just bought my shiny new carbon steel wok from Shanghai Street in Yau Ma Tei and was proudly carrying it through the central wet market on Hong Kong Island when an old Cantonese lady gave me tips on how to season my wok.  Scrub the wok with a soapless scourer to remove the thin film of manufacturing oil that protects it from rusting, rinse it in running water then dry with paper towel.  Heat the wok on high heat until it starts to smoke then add pork fat.  Use the garlic chives to swirl the pork fat around the wok so that the surface of the wok is coated in the pork fat.  As the pork fat renders down and the garlic chives become blackened, turn off the heat and let the wok cool.  Remove the blackened pork fat and garlic chives then repeat this process once or twice with fresh ingredients.

When the carbon steel wok is exposed to high heat the pores in the steel open up.  As you season your wok, the pork fat along with its flavour gets trapped in the pores and the garlic chives acts as an antiseptic.

After you have followed the above instructions, your wok is ready to use.  Each time you cook you will be adding to the depth of flavour and colour of the woks patina.  After I make a stir-fry, I put the wok under cold running water and use a nylon dishwashing brush to clean it - never clean your wok with dishwashing liquid.  By the time you put the nylon brush into the wok, it has already cooled down so as not to melt the brush. Wipe your wok out with paper towel, then immediately put it back onto the wok burner on a high heat to remove any moisture, then turn off the heat.  If you follow this method you won't have to deal with a rusty wok.  To be on the safe side, you can also wipe the inside of the wok with a few drops of oil when the wok cools down.

Note that I have a bamboo brush to clean my wok but find it quicker and easier to use the nylon one as sometimes it is necessary to clean your wok several times in the preparation of a dish.  Also, if you are able to get pork fat from around the kidney area, the fat will simply melt and you won't have to remove it.  In this case, wipe the wok clean with paper towels before you repeat the process.  This type of fat is often used to make the blocks of lard in the supermarket.