Wok Cooking Essentials
WOK: Woks are all about their metal composition. Mine is a round bottomed carbon steel wok, and has served me well. I’ve also owned a cast iron wok (very heavy, but awesome to cook in for its high heat retention) and learned on my parent’s flat bottomed stainless steel wok as well. Watch out for teflon non-stick woks, as they will have difficulty maintaining high heat due to their teflon coating. if you’re just starting out, a flat bottom wok will feel most similar to a standard frying pan, so this might make a good intermediary step as well.
CHEF’S KNIFE: A sharp knife is a safe knife, as they say. It’s an old cliche, but it’s absolutely true. It doesn’t have to be fancy, as long as you make sure that it’s very sharp. Sabatier makes a great classic French chef’s knife if you’re looking for a profile like mine, or the classic Wusthof 8’ is a tried and true go-to as well. If you can’t afford either, just use whatever you’ve got, and make sure it’s very sharp by investing in a whetstone instead.
WHETSTONE: The whetstone has become the industry standard for at-home knife sharpening. They come in a wide range of grits and styles, at a wide price range as well. I use a 6,000/1,000 grit stone on my knives 4-5 times per year to keep them sharp, and occasionally take them to the shop to get them professionally sharpened as well.
CUTTING BOARD: Your cutting board is another key component to a safe kitchen. It doesn’t have to be fancy, as long as you have sufficient room to work, and it isn’t slipping around on the counter. I use an extra large 16’ “gripperwood” board with rubber grips on the bottom that keep it from sliding around. You can also add a wet paper towel under your board to solve this problem as well, though. The goal is make sure you board stays put while you chop, and you have plenty of space to work. If you can’t afford a large cutting board, invest in some Mise En Place bowls instead.
Mise En Place Bowls: “Mise en Place” (or “everything in its place”) is the process of completing all of your prep work before you begin cooking. This is particularly important with wok cooking because wok heat is extremely hot, making the cooking portion of “wok cooking” extremely time sensitive. These can be literally any bowl that you have on hand, as long as you have a lot of them (think 10-15 or so). I picked up mine at Daiso for $1.50 a piece, and they have served me well. The goal is to have a place to set aside each of your ingredients after you finish chopping them, both keeping your cutting board clear, and ensuring that you have all of your ingredients prepped before you start cooking.
Still have more questions? Send me an email!
Frequently Asked Questions
Where can I find a wok like yours?
If you live here in the Oakland Chinatown area, I picked mine up at a restaurant supply store called Chanco. Otherwise, you’ll find that most Chinatown areas have a similar store in the neighborhood that supply cookware and kitchenware to the restaurants in the area. The real magic and “mojo” of a carbon steel wok comes from its seasoning, though. You might find that your brand new wok is sticky and difficult to work with, but stick with it! Over time, you’ll develop a gnarly, magical, wonderfully seasoned wok like mine, too.
What is a “Long Yao?”
A “long yao” is a process that comes from Chinese wok cooking where we add room temperature oil to a ripping hot wok. This process plays a critical role in developing a non-stick surface in your wok (as opposed to adding cold oil to a cold wok, then heating it up). Some restaurant chefs do this process with very large amounts of oil (half a cup or more) to maximize the non-stick surface, then pour off all but 4 tbsp, since they will eventually use up that oil during their normal day of cooking. Home cooking in smaller volumes works just as well with 3-4 tbsp of oil, though.
What is “Batch Cooking?”
Batch cooking is a process that we employ in wok cooking on home ranges to maintain high temperatures in your wok at all times. By cooking a portion of the ingredients in our wok fry, then removing, then cooking the next ingredient, it ensures that there is no point during our cook time where the wok is overcrowded. This keeps the temperature of the wok as hot as possible, and ensures everything is cooked with a quick flash cook on high heat. Without the batch cook process, the lower heat potential of our home ranges (relative to commercial kitchens) will result in a mushy, porridge consistency to the stir fry. Gross.
What kind of knife is that?
It’s a vintage carbon steel Pernot Nogent 12 inch French chef’s knife that I found at an estate sale for $20! It has developed a nice patina over the last few years due to its carbon steel composition (so no, that’s not rust). The more famous knife with the same profile and shape is the French Sabatier, which is still in production today.
What are you drinking?
Scotch. I’m not even sure which video/livestream you’re referring to, but it’s almost certainly a scotch. The peaty Islay ones are my personal favorite, so very often i favor laphroaig 10 year, bruichladdich Classic Laddie, or (if it’s a particularly long day) the Ardbeg Corryvreckan.
Are you a professional chef? Why are you qualified to tell me things?
I am not a trained chef. Just an unemployed COVID era musician that likes to cook a lot, with a lot of observations through trial and error. Most of the tips and knowledge that I offer up almost certainly come from the fact that I have made a mistake or F*@k up that directly relates to that piece of advice. Aside from the summer in 2006 that I spent flipping burgers at a golf course, I have never worked in a professional kitchen either. I enjoy making videos and streams that I think I would want to watch myself, and like using a top-downward camera angle to share what the kitchen looks like from my perspective. I also love sharing my food culture as a Chinese American, since so many of the things that I cook are intimately connected to my childhood.
Can I come over for dinner?
Um. I guess?
Where’s Sammy the doggo? I miss him!
Sammy is the tiny fluffy doggo that I take care of most weekdays. He’s often spotted walking around during livestreams and videos, and occasionally makes cameos in recipe videos. He has been stepped on on more than one occasion though, so he’s not allowed in the kitchen anymore.
Do you still make music? Where can I find the beats from the show?
I do! Trace Repeat is on pause until the world restarts sadly, but you can find all of the beats from the livestreams and videos on the Woo Cooks Beats (Lofi Beats to Cook to) Youtube Channel and Spotify.