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Pour 1 cup of kosher salt into a wok. Place wok, filled with salt, on a gas stovetop over high heat. Stir salt constantly for 20 minutes, pushing the salt up and around the sides of the wok. After 20 minutes, remove the wok from heat and dump the heated salt into the sink (letting it cool before you discard it).
How do you prepare a wok for the first time?
Scrub it thoroughly with a small amount of mild dish detergent using a pot scrubber and make sure to get the entire surface area as clean as possible. Hand dry and heat the wok over high heat (but not smoking), and let cool. Rinse and scrub the wok again lightly another time, and dry the wok over the stove.
Do you have to season a wok before use?
You need to season the wok first. Then, with proper use and care over time, a natural patina will develop over the surface, making the wok nonstick. What is this? Carbon steel woks are usually coated with a layer of factory oil to keep them from rusting before they are sold.
What happens if you don’t season a wok?
You never seasoned your wok You might think of seasoning a pan as something you do with cast iron, but you need to do it with your wok, too. The wok will start to change color as you hold it over the heat, and it’ll probably start to smoke. That’s all right — that’s residual oils left from the manufacturing process.
How should a seasoned wok look?
The wok is seasoned and ready for cooking. Do not be alarmed if the wok looks mottled or has blackened areas. A newly seasoned wok (left, below) looks mottled and some think they’ve ruined the pan (but they haven’t). After cooking with it for 3 or 4 months, it will acquire a copper or light golden hue (middle, below).
What is the best oil to season a wok?
The best oils to use with a wok have a high smoking point, which means they can be used at high temperatures without burning. They should also be refined and impart a neutral flavor.Choose one of these oils for seasoning your wok instead: Peanut oil. Canola oil. Grape seed oil. Sunflower oil. Lard or pork fat. Shortening.
Why do we season a wok?
Like cast iron, woks need to be seasoned as well. Properly seasoned woks have a caramel-colored patina on the inside. Seasoning a wok not only helps to impart flavor into your food, but also helps the inside of the wok build up over time to a smooth, non-stick surface.
How do you clean and season a wok?
The easiest way to season a wok is to turn the stovetop heat to high and heat the wok until it is extremely hot. A drop of water should evaporate on contact. Then swirl in two tablespoons of vegetable oil. You can add 1/2 cup of sliced ginger and a bunch of scallions (cut into 2-inch pieces) if you want.
How do you season a pan?
How To Season Your Cast-Iron Skillet: Scrub skillet well in hot soapy water. Dry thoroughly. Spread a thin layer of melted shortening or vegetable oil over the skillet. Place it upside down on a middle oven rack at 375°. (Place foil on a lower rack to catch drips.) Bake 1 hour; let cool in the oven.
How do you season a carbon wok?
What You Need. Clean your carbon steel wok off with dish soap and hot water. Dry your wok with a microfiber towel or paper towel. Coat the interior of the carbon steel wok with 2 tablespoons of oil. Turn your stove on high and let the wok heat up for about 10 minutes. Let the wok cool for five to 10 minutes.
Do you season the outside of a carbon steel pan?
While many cast iron pans are preseasoned at the factory, carbon steel cookware often is not. Before you use them, you’ll need to season them properly. It may sound like a drag to do this extra step, but a good seasoning doesn’t just protect your skillet from rust and corrosive compounds.
Does carbon steel need to be seasoned?
Just like cast iron, carbon steel needs to be seasoned—this is the process that polymerizes fats heated in the pan and bonds them to the cooking surface, forming a coating that protects against rust and helps food release more easily.
Can you cook on an unseasoned wok?
Because most new woks are an untreated metal surface, if you did not season it before using it, any food you cooked on it would probably stick like crazy, even if you used lots of oil. An unseasoned metal surface has lots of microscopic scratches and pores that are wide open, and only close slightly when heated up.
Can you use steel wool on wok?
You can also use steel wool for particularly difficult-to-remove rust or food, if necessary. However, scrubbing with an abrasive sponge will likely remove some of the patina in the process. That means that you’ll need to re-season your wok afterward to restore its nonstick surface.
What oil do you use in a wok?
For wok cooking, use oils with a high smoke point and low polyunsaturated fat content. Grapeseed oil, peanut oil, etc… Sesame oil and olive oil will burn and taste bitter.
Can you season a wok with vegetable oil?
Of the many ways to season a wok, the easiest is to stir-fry ginger and green onions. Heat the wok over high heat, then swirl in 2 tablespoons of canola, peanut, or vegetable oil. Rinse (use no dish soap plus a soft sponge) then dry the discolored-but-seasoned wok on the stove. It’s now ready to use.
