Which wok you ask - there are so many choices, and it can be so hard to decide. Simple answer - a good quality cooking utensils at an affordable price is the winner. I love to cook, and this is completely down to 2 reasons - the end results (amazing flavours) and the ease of preparation. I have tried several cooking utensils and appliances over the years and gone through a few woks along the way. Woks are very useful in the kitchen especially in a busy household as it distributes high heat evenly in a large surface to help cook quick dishes without burning. They are perfect for a stir-fry, light sauces or deep-frying.
There are so many brands out there and can be quite confusing what one to go for. From supermarket brands which are so convenient to grab or alternative very high earned brands. The options are endless. I am not an expert but I have used a few types over time so here's my pros and cons of a few woks.
Must have features
I think there are a few features that are essential to enjoy your wok of choice and versatility of dishes you can make:
Lid - to lock in steam or allowing a sauce to simmer
Long Handle - to help with tossing
Light- weight - this helps with cooking effectively
Cast-Iron Woks
Cast-iron woks are pretty to look at and great to serve straight out of from the hob to the dining table. They are long lasting and easy to maintain. However, I do not find these practical for stir-frys and sauce which require tossing around. To get around this though, you could use a suitable spoon to stir things, but this goes against my tossing around must-have feature.
Non-stick Wok
I love the look and durability of stainless steel, so I love my pots and pans to be in this material. However, for various cooking styles, a different inner coating may be required. I have found a really good quality non-stick wok is great at stir-frying and distributing heat evenly with little to no oil. This BERGHOFF 28cm Stainless Steel Covered Wok (picture above) is my latest wok and this has been going strong. Not only is it a beauty to look at, but it’s also so nice to cook with and does not burn my food. I have made a few stir-frys and sauces in this and it cooks either with ease as well as charring veg.
It was a good price (£39.99) and found it online at TX Maxx. I discovered this brand basically whilst my dad was shopping for new pots and pans, we both loved how they cooked food. So, when I was searching for a new wok and this brand came up in my search, I did not hesitate to buy!
Carbon Steel Wok
Another type of wok to consider is a carbon-steel, this is super lightweight. It's stylist and cooks’ food evenly. These can be very affordable and there are loads of options to choose from. One with a long handle is very helpful and this lasted just over a year. You might think 1 year is too short - it is, I found this too much to maintain and so I gave up. This quickly resulted in rust, which could be cleaned. But then if you leave food to cool, it left a dark colour on it. This was particularly the case for the silver one above but then the black one doesn't seem to have the same problem. I have used the same Ken Hom Black version for 7 years (occasionally).
Checking that your wok is suitable for hob type is very important as if its suitable it will damage easily and probably not cooking properly. I have a number of brand options for woks on my amazon list, do have a look, otherwise check your usual homeware store for what's on offer.
I love to cook and find deals for otherwise expensive utensils and appliances - hope this guide has helped you deciding on your new Wok!
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