| |
| |
|
Cooking Tips Information |
|
|
|
Wok this Way! (Part 1 of 5)
Introduction Woks have been synonymous with Chinese cooking since the emergence of Chinese cuisine. They have been used for some 3000 years in China for a variety of cooking methods, including stir frying, boiling, and steaming. A wok is a large, thin-walled, round-bottomed, metal cooking pan, and shaped like a shallow bowl with handles. The addition of a wooden rack and cover transforms the wok into a steamer. Although woks come in sizes ranging from 10 to 32 inches in diameter, a wok that's 11 to 14 inches should suffice for use in a household kitchen. With the increasing popularity of Chinese cuisine, there are now many "Westernized" versions of the wok. There is the addition of a metal ring, which is set on top of a gas or electric stove to hold the wok to prevent tipping. Some have a small flat bottom instead of the traditional round bottom, for the same reason. The new versions will get the job done, but the "traditonal" large round-bottomed woks are still, by far, the preferred wok of choice. Since the essence of Chinese cuisine is to achieve food tenderness through quick cooking to retain the natural taste, flavor, and color of the ingredients, the wok's ingenious unique design makes it a perfect fit in Chinese cooking. Its bottom concentrates heat to achieve 2 objectives: 1) to direct the heat at the food, while sealing in the flavors and allowing food to be cooked evenly, and 2) to allow cooking food quickly with very little oil. The stir fry cooking technique shifts food around the wok quickly, coating it with oil during cooking, as opposed to using a flat frying pan where a lot more oil is required. Consequently, cooking with a wok is essential for a healthy diet. It also has curved sides to keep in food that is being tossed and flipped during stir frying. Food, when cooked, may be moved up the sloping side of the wok to stay warm without cooking further, while other food is cooked at the bottom. It is also ideal for deep frying as it requires less oil than any other kitchen cookware to do the job. Next, in Part 2 of Wok this way!, we'll go over selecting a wok. Helen Fan grew up in a family that has owned various Asian restaurants all over North America, from Vancouver (Canada), Houston (Texas), Decatur (Illinois), to Chicago (Illinois). She, and the rest of the Fan family are now sharing their decades of knowledge on the art of Chinese cuisine at http://www.ChineseHomeCooking.Com
MORE RESOURCES:
Cooking-Tips - Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Digital Thermometers Types of digital thermometers & their culinary uses.Thermocouple:Of all food thermometers, thermocouple thermometers reach and display the final temperature the fastest - within 2 to 5 seconds. Wok this Way! (Part 1 of 5) IntroductionWoks have been synonymous with Chinese cooking since the emergence of Chinese cuisine. They have been used for some 3000 years in China for a variety of cooking methods, including stir frying, boiling, and steaming. Whisk Your Way To a Perfect Meal Every Time! The whisk. A true versatile cooking utensil. 10 Smoky Tips To BBQ Food Safely Cooking outdoors was once only a summer activity shared with family and friends. Now more than half of Americans say they are cooking outdoors year round. The World of Cornbread We're partial to cornbread. We like its rustic texture and chewy goodness. Buying, Storing, and Preparing Apricots When buying apricots, always look for those that are firm, plump orange fruit that gives slightly when you press with your thumb. Bruised apricots should be avoided. Perfect Picnics - Frugal Food Safety Tips Summer is finally here and for a lot of us that means heading out to the lake or to the park for a picnic with friends or family.Unfortunately, if we're not careful when we plan, transport and serve that picnic, our outing might not end up happily. Troubleshooting Machine Bread Bread machines-wonderful inventions that they are-don't think very well. You and I, when we have a loaf of bread percolating on the counter, can look and say, "My bread is rising a little slowly today. What's the Thick on Roux? Thickening Soups and Sauces Soups and sauces can be thickened in a variety of ways. A sauce must the thick enough to cling to the food, but not so thick it stands up on its own. How to Cook a Lobster French chefs plunge them into boiling water; English ones, in an attempt to appear more humane, drive kitchen knives through their skulls before doing the same thing.No wonder the miserable creatures go red. 10 Critical Ways To A Perfectly Food-Safe Kitchen Food poisoning is related to unsafe food, a dirty kitchen, and dirty kitchen appliances. If you follow some safety rules, food poisoning will never occur. Better Baking Technique: Is it Done Yet? Are my breads, cookies, or cakes baked and ready to come out of the oven yet?The ability to tell when products are baked seems to cause more consternation than almost any other phase of baking. And of course, it is important. Compact Refrigerators Are Great When Small Is Needed The small refrigerator can be used in many places that a regular size fridge would not be practical. Many places including offices, apartments, student dorms, hotels, motels, and military housing can benefit from using compact refrigerators. Keeping and Wasps and Flies Away from your Barbecue It is one of life's oddities that we take a lot of trouble refrigerating meat, keeping food sealed and washing our hands before touching it, only to throw out the rule book when we have a barbecue. The meat is left out in the sun waiting it's turn to be cooked, exposed to the elements and there is no washbasin to be seen. Eating Healthy with a Meat Grinder While it may be surprising, owning your own meat grinder can help you in your pursuit to live a healthier life. According to the USDA, the average American in 2000 consumed 300 more calories than the average American in 1985, a 12% increase, including a 24% increase of fat calories. Baking Perfect Breads, Cookies, and Desserts We're all looking for that perfect pie, or cookies, or loaf of bread. It doesn't always happen. Secrets of Great Breads Often we field questions about making great bread. Great bread is a matter of using the right ingredients and the right techniques-there's no single secret that will make perfect bread. The Perfect Omelet(te), How to Cook It Omelet(te)sThey're easy to cook, right?We'll see.The first thing to remember is that you need the right size of frying pan. How to Cook Rice Right The easiest way to make rice well every time is to use a rice cooker. If you don't have one, or don't want one, though, here's a no-fail recipe for rice that one of my grandmothers taught my mother, who taught me. How To Eat Fresh Vegetables - Ideas for Working More Veggies Into Your Diet Fresh, uncooked veggies are so healthy and it's important to work them into your meal plan somewhere. The majority of American's don't eat enough vegetables and most vegetables consumed in the American diet are cooked potatoes in the form of french fries.
|
| home | site map |
| © 2006 |
