Seasoning a Wok - How to???



S

[email protected]

Guest
Hello,

I just got a carbon steel wok and have been reading up on how to season
one, but the techniques vary and NONE of them explain how the wok
should look after the process, so I am terribly confused.

I have attempted to season my wok once already. What resulted was a
black oily looking finish. I cooked a meal using it and it turned out
just fine, but some of the food particles stuck to the wok. So,
following the instructions of a web, I tried to season it again, this
time, I managed to burn off a hole in the black oily looking finish;
maybe I used a bit too much heat. Now I'm not sure what I should do.
Should I reseason the thing again? Does the black oily finish sound
like it was properly seasoned the first time?

Thanks
 
[email protected] wrote:
>
> I just got a carbon steel wok and have been reading up on how to season
> one.

Cookware seasoning is a mystical/hocus pocus endeavor adhered to by
those whose goal is to display a designer kitchenful of paraphenalia
that charades as appearing that they can cook when actually they cannot
cook a lick

Do you really think the local Chinese Take-Out cooks waste their time
reading about wok seasoning... hell no... with a fistful of fatty pork
they can fully season any wok in under five minutes... they're born
knowing how.

Won't be ten minutes a passle of kitchen imbeciles will be along with
all kinds of fercocktah hocus pocus scientifics about seasoning, like
roasting woks in an oven... didja ever see a chinky kitchen with a
friggin' oven, of course not.

I don't want to see you here again... if you return with this seasoning
crapola I'm going to personally shove dem bamboo chop sticks up your
b-hind, sideways.

Stop reading. Start cooking.

Sheldon
 
<[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Hello,
>
> I just got a carbon steel wok and have been reading up on how to season
> one, but the techniques vary and NONE of them explain how the wok
> should look after the process, so I am terribly confused.
>
> I have attempted to season my wok once already. What resulted was a
> black oily looking finish. I cooked a meal using it and it turned out
> just fine, but some of the food particles stuck to the wok. So,
> following the instructions of a web, I tried to season it again, this
> time, I managed to burn off a hole in the black oily looking finish;
> maybe I used a bit too much heat. Now I'm not sure what I should do.
> Should I reseason the thing again? Does the black oily finish sound
> like it was properly seasoned the first time?
>
> Thanks
>

Real wok seasoning develops only with prolonged use but you can get it
started with a thorough cleaning, drying, coating with oil, then heating.
The finish is black, or almost black. Do not expewct true non-stick. The
seasoning helps a lot but there still will be some sticking particularly as
you learn how to adjust the temp properly.


--
Peter Aitken
Visit my recipe and kitchen myths page at www.pgacon.com/cooking.htm
 
"Peter Aitken" <[email protected]> wrote:
> Real wok seasoning develops only with prolonged use but you can get it
> started with a thorough cleaning, drying, coating with oil, then heating.
> The finish is black, or almost black. Do not expewct true non-stick. The
> seasoning helps a lot but there still will be some sticking particularly
> as you learn how to adjust the temp properly.

I agree with the idea that the real wok seasoning develops through repeated
use. For me, the initial seasoning is mostly just to get the whole seasoning
thing started, but also to provide a corrosion protection coating on the
steel surfaces that never see cooking. That way it won't rust during
storage.

In a way the seasoning is more affected by what you don't do rather than by
what you do. Refraining from excessive cleaning is important... throw away
the brillo (steel wool) pad and the like. If some small stuff sticks to the
cooking surface here and there, don't worry about it. Get rid of the big
stuff of course. Tiny pieces of the cooking surface seasoning coming off in
a subsequent cooking session isn't going to hurt anyone, and it is doubtful
it would be noticeable in the food. It's not as if you are cooking a white
sauce.

Eventually the seasoned areas of the wok should more or less merge so it
looks like a more uniform surface. But it will be more concentrated toward
the bottom of the wok and minimal toward the rim.

--
( #wff_ng_7# at #verizon# period #net# )
 
wff_ng_7 wrote:
> "Peter Aitken" <[email protected]> wrote:
> > Real wok seasoning develops only with prolonged use but you can get it
> > started with a thorough cleaning, drying, coating with oil, then heating.
> > The finish is black, or almost black. Do not expewct true non-stick. The
> > seasoning helps a lot but there still will be some sticking particularly
> > as you learn how to adjust the temp properly.
>
> I agree with the idea that the real wok seasoning develops through repeated
> use. For me, the initial seasoning is mostly just to get the whole seasoning
> thing started, but also to provide a corrosion protection coating on the
> steel surfaces that never see cooking. That way it won't rust during
> storage.
>
> In a way the seasoning is more affected by what you don't do rather than by
> what you do. Refraining from excessive cleaning is important... throw away
> the brillo (steel wool) pad and the like. If some small stuff sticks to the
> cooking surface here and there, don't worry about it. Get rid of the big
> stuff of course. Tiny pieces of the cooking surface seasoning coming off in
> a subsequent cooking session isn't going to hurt anyone, and it is doubtful
> it would be noticeable in the food. It's not as if you are cooking a white
> sauce.
>
> Eventually the seasoned areas of the wok should more or less merge so it
> looks like a more uniform surface. But it will be more concentrated toward
> the bottom of the wok and minimal toward the rim.
>
> --
> ( #wff_ng_7# at #verizon# period #net# )

I've been cooking in a wok (not the same one) for over 30 years. I've
seasoned more than a few. I'm not going to repeat the procedure again
here. If you want to know specifically how I do it, Google in this NG
and find one of several previous posts on this exact topic (also
related to seasoning cast iron, which I do the same way). If you have
any questions after you read one of those posts, I'll be happy to
answer them. It's very easy, and works very well.
 
Just wipe it down with a light coat of cooking oil and turn it upside
down over a burner on medium high heat for about 10-15 minutes. Let it
cool down, and you are done.

After using the wok, clean it using a very mild soap solution - no
scrubbing or abrasives! Each time you use it, it will grow darker as
the seasoning thickens. Within a couple of months the wok should be
completely black.
 
"cschoner" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...

> After using the wok, clean it using a very mild soap solution

I would never use soap myself - just wipe around the inside of the still hot
wok with oil coated kitchen paper until any major debris is removed, let
cool then store away. Soaps are used to help emulsify oils, You want oils on
that wok surface to keep the steel from rusting for one thing.




Shaun aRe
 
"cschoner" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...

> After using the wok, clean it using a very mild soap solution

I would never use soap myself - just wipe around the inside of the still hot
wok with oil coated kitchen paper until any major debris is removed, let
cool then store away. Soaps are used to help emulsify oils, You want oils on
that wok surface to keep the steel from rusting for one thing.




Shaun aRe
 
[email protected] wrote:
> Hello,
>

>
Personally, I found the baking in the oven business gives a too thick,
too flakey coating. I start out by deep frying in the wok, and then
making dishes that require a lot of oil (like eggplant). After some time
of good greasy cooking on high, like a wok should, PRESTO--seasoned wok.
If you make meat, all the easier!
blacksalt
 
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