the.com/wok
a metal volcano that turns a cold stove into a fire-breathing dragon for dinner.
means A round-bottomed metal pan with high sloping sides, used in East Asian cooking for fast, high-heat stir-frying, steaming, and deep-frying.
from From Cantonese 鑊 (wok), the everyday word for this cooking pan, which entered English in the early-to-mid 20th century as Chinese cuisine spread westward. The Cantonese form is what stuck in English — Mandarin uses a different word (鍋, guō) for the same kind of vessel.
- breath of wok
- Chinese chefs call its smoky flavor wok hei
- heat math
- Restaurant burners blast over 100,000 BTUs
- round logic
- Curved bottom concentrates heat at one screaming point
- ancient roots
- Used in China for over 2,000 years
- one-pan empire
- Steams, fries, smokes, braises, and deep-fries alike
carbon steel wok — traditional cookware used in chinese cuisine for over 2000 years, seasoned with oil layers like cast iron
round bottom wok — original design from china requiring a wok ring on gas stoves, curved shape concentrates heat at bottom
flat bottom wok — modern adaptation for electric stovetops and western kitchens, became common in usa by 1970s