How to prepare the wok for operation

Lately, I really like to find interesting tips and test them before writing an article about them. This time I got to the kitchen equipment — our cheap and not very high-quality wok. I found some interesting advice on how to make a bad wok one that will last a long time and from which the cooked dish will not need to be torn off by the efforts of the whole family. Read — done!

I warn you right away that it will smoke very much and the smell will not be particularly pleasant. So I slightly adjusted the process, taking into account our small-sized apartments, weak hoods and nervous neighbors.

After quite a long search for a sample wok, I settled on the simplest from IKEA, which cost a little less than $ 10. I was well aware that it was not as high-quality as those woks that I found in specialty stores (starting from $ 100 and above). As you know, buying such an expensive thing without being completely sure that I would like to cook Thai and Chinese dishes would be an unforgivable waste. Therefore, the cheapest option was chosen. It's a pity that I didn't find this article earlier, since I still messed up my first wok a little. The error has been fixed. Outwardly, he won't pull on the window right now, but now nothing sticks to him, and the food doesn't burn!

So, cheap woks are made mainly of carbon steel, and they smell of engine oil and something else technical. You need to get rid of this smell and prepare the pan for full use.

How to temper a wok

1. The first thing to do is to clean your wok from the nasty smell of engine oil and top coat. Wash it thoroughly with soap under hot water, and then use a harder metal washcloth to scrub off the top spray. Ideally, an iron brush and, alternatively, sandpaper are suitable for this difficult task.

2. Open all the windows, turn on the hood, put the wok on the fire and pour any odorless vegetable oil. Refined sunflower oil is ideal — the less there is of real sunflower oil left in it, the better.

As soon as the oil starts to heat up, the bottom of the pan will start to darken. The entire inner surface of the wok should be completely covered with oil. I will say from my own experience: you don't need to pour a lot of oil, otherwise it will smoke and stink terribly! It is better to add oil little by little and carefully coat the walls of the wok with a paper towel and something with a long handle (I wound it on a wooden spatula).

The author of the post advises calcining for 15 minutes. I couldn't stand it for so long. My result: the first session lasted 10 minutes, the second — 7 minutes, and on the third I was threatened to be kicked out of the apartment. Then you need to turn off the stove, cool the wok, rinse it with water and start calcining with oil again. Only the bottom will be very dark, the rest of the surface will resemble burnt caramel in color. Smell, by the way, the same. The author of the original source reassures us that over time the whole pan will darken. And each time the food will stick less and less. I tested it after two punctures — it practically does not stick. And compared to how the food stuck to the surface of the wok in its original form, the frying pan works twice as well.

Frying pan test with vegetables:

Meat frying pan test:

Nothing stuck or burned. In general, the wok began to work better than before such processing.

My personal conclusion: if you have the opportunity, buy expensive and high-quality dishes. If, like me, you understand that the minimum price of $ 100 is not a guarantee that your cooperation will be productive and last for a long time, then try this option. If everything works out, your family will forgive you this little mess in the kitchen and will enjoy Asian cuisine.

It is also not recommended to wash with soap afterwards. The author advises just wiping with a paper towel, and if you cooked something very greasy, then you can add a little salt and then rinse well.