Am I frying at too high a heat when I wok 'n' roll?

runswithascript

Hello

We have been making a simple delicious Ken Homme dish from his show 'Discovering China: A Cullinary Adventure', but am I frying too high?

The recipe comprises of chicken breast marinated in two parts soy, one part sesame oil, chilli, garlic and corn flour (in that order).

The wok he used on the show had flames from it at the start, but sometimes the marinade comes off the chicken and/or stick to the wok.

I use an electric hob and have been using heat 5 of 6, is this too much? And what setting for when I stir fry some veg once the chicken is off the pan?

Curry Addict

the wok should be as hot as you can get it.
its probably sicking because of the wok surface.

i use a carbon steel wok i bought in an asian shop, if u do a lot of woking i recommend you get one

runswithascript

Curry Addict wrote: »

the wok should be as hot as you can get it.
its probably sicking because of the wok surface.

i use a carbon steel wok i bought in an asian shop, if u do a lot of woking i recommend you get one

You replied almost just in time for dinner

I bought it in Aldi on special offer a few weeks ago for €6. I know that's very cheap, but Aldi do retail a lot of quality products on special offer for a fraction of what they usually cost.

I had no vegetable oil etc when I was cooking it myself so I tried with extra virgin and a bread spread!

Curry Addict

dusf wrote: »

You replied almost just in time for dinner

I bought it in Aldi on special offer a few weeks ago for €6. I know that's very cheap, but Aldi do retail a lot of quality products on special offer for a fraction of what they usually cost.

I had no vegetable oil etc when I was cooking it myself so I tried with extra virgin and a bread spread!

if its a steel wok it will need to be "seasoned" after which it will be non stick
there are lots of guides on the internet for this.

olive oil is unsuitable for woking as it burns at a lower temperature than veg oil, the bread spread also wouldnt be good for woking

runswithascript

Curry Addict wrote: »

if its a steel wok it will need to be "seasoned" after which it will be non stick
there are lots of guides on the internet for this.

Thanks.

Hmm, any way to tell if it's black or carbon? It's black and feels much lighter in the hand than it looks which might suggest the latter?

Curry Addict wrote: »

olive oil is unsuitable for woking as it burns at a lower temperature than veg oil, the bread spread also wouldnt be good for woking

Yes, Olive oil is unsuitable for frying at that heat, especially Extra Virgin because it has an even lower smoke point causing cancer causing free radicals to form! I just used it because I was stuck.

Perhaps not using the correct oil would be enough to cause the stick?

runswithascript

http://www.aldi.ie/ie/html/offers/special_buys3_23065.htm

It seems to just be sticking in a certain part of the wok, possibly where some of the protective coating has come off. I fried at maximum heat using vegetable oil this time

Can I season a carbon fibre wok that already has a protective coating?

runswithascript

The wok is black, but there are what look like specks of a steel colour in places, it could be where the black coating has come off?

I was really pleased getting the wok, and so cheaply, I really hope I haven't ruined it somehow...

Curry Addict

i seriously doubt you damaged it just doing what your supposed to do with it!

runswithascript

Curry Addict wrote: »

i seriously doubt you damaged it just doing what your supposed to do with it!

The thing is, I can see where there's coating missing and there's a tin colour rather than black like the rest of it.

Well as per the instructions I have not used metal utensils with it and I have let it cool down before washing with warm soapy water.

I'm reading here that food won't cook as well with a non-stick wok, and once stuff starts to stick that's it. I think I'm going to order a good (and hopefully cheap) 'traditional' carbon (not non-stick) wok off ebay which can be seasoned any time stuff starts to stick.

number66

Recommend getting a proper wok, the cheep non-stick things are a waste of money. Got mine in a charity shop for a couple of euro with lots of carbon already on it, the lady at the checkout looked at me funny when I bought it But a good wok will last a lifetime.
Also remember not to let the work dip dry or place in a dishwasher, I always dry it immediately after washing and rub a little oil on it to stop rust.

Also remember, get a round bottomed wok for a gas cooker or a flat bottomed one for electric hobs.

runswithascript

number66 wrote: »

Recommend getting a proper wok, the cheep non-stick things are a waste of money. Got mine in a charity shop for a couple of euro with lots of carbon already on it, the lady at the checkout looked at me funny when I bought it But a good wok will last a lifetime.
Also remember not to let the work dip dry or place in a dishwasher, I always dry it immediately after washing and rub a little oil on it to stop rust.

All good advice there!