Wok cooking

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various sizes, bottom shapes, etc.
these are carbon steel (which is what you want) and will need to be seasoned and cared for properly

I do what Timbo said. The key to Wok cooking is extremely high heat.

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How bad does it smoke?

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Doesn't seem that bad in restaurants.

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That's b/c they have massive industrial exhaust vent systems that are vastly superior to whatever you have over you stove. A highly heated wok is going to kick up quite a bit of smoke and oil splatter.

I got hacked off at the 4-5 Chinese restaurants across the bay from Mobile. They all taste the same and aren’t that good. Buddy, when you can’t cook shrimp fried rice or Lo Mein right you need to get out of the restaurant business. I bought a round bottom one from a Asian supermarket for about $20. It works great. I get on YouTube and everything I like to eat in Asian cuisine I’ve figured out how to cook on my own watching Asians demonstrating how to cook something you like.

A wok really needs a gas stove to get it hot enough. If you have an electric stove you seriously need to consider a wok with a flat bottom. Electric stoves don’t get hot enough but still the same you should be able to put out a decent plate of Asian food. Sometimes you just have to work with what you have.

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Just get whatever models they have at the local Asian grocery. You ought to be able to get a carbon steel one for about $20.

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I agree with this. I highly recommend checking out the Woks of Life website.

I know it’s cliche but we do a stir fried rice every week or so and portion it out for lunches for the week. I make 2 cups of rice the night before, your rice must be leftover. Then I add in a bag of frozen stir fry vegetables or whatever I have on hand that is fresh. I usually do shrimp and chicken but sometimes I use Chinese sausage if i get to the Asian store. Soy sauce, oyster sauce and garlic and a few eggs scrambeld. I also grow Thai basil so it gets a lot of that thrown in at the end. Chili peppers if I have some or chili flakes for heat. Onion crisp from Trader Joe’s. I’m sure I’m forgetting something. MSG is the biggest difference maker. Take a bite when it’s done before you add some MSG and then try again after. It’s night and day.

When I say 2 cups of rice I mean 2 cups uncooked. So this makes a LOT. My wok is full by the time it is all in there and it’s a big wok.

Hammered steel so you can push food up on the sides is the way to go. You are right about the Asian grocery. Go to the source!!