Kleenmaid CW52926 - Manual (Page 18)

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Introduction
The Chinese kitchen is considered by many as the best in the world. It is certainly the
oldest and a very sophisticated kitchen. It has a tradition which dates back more than
3000 years.
Food preparation to the Chinese is very important. Cooking itself is very fast with a little
water. The result is nutritious and very tastfull.
Typical in the Chinese kitchen is the method “stir frying”, done by quickly moving and
turning the food, using a little oil in a very hot recipient. This cooking method is also
called “chao” or “chow” method.
Vegetables, meat, poultry and fish can be prepared this way.
The basic cooking utensil used is the wok. This is large, round deep metal utensil.
It can be used for nearly all cooking: for steaming, for frying, deep frying, braising and
even for simply frying an egg.
This manual is prepared to give basic explanation of the way the Chinese cook.
1.THE WOK
The wok is a relatively thin, round pan of 25 to 40 cm diameter (12” to 16” ). It is used
in all the eastern countries. Sometimes it is named “karahi”, “kuali” or “wajan”.
Mostly it is made of steel, aluminium, cast iron or cast aluminium with or without non
stick layer. Sometimes it is made from stainless steel.
All these materials give more or less good results, but they show some problems.
A. Steel
Certainly the most common material for the wok. It is cheap but it is necessary to keep
this wok oiled, otherwise it will rust.
B. Aluminium
Normally it gives satisfactory results as it is a good heat conductor. However this mate-
rial will easily go out of shape, frequently corrodes and oxidises.
C. Cast iron
A relatively good wok, but has the same problems as steel : rusting.
D. Cast aluminium
Problems similar to aluminium.
e. Stainless steel
To date stainless steel woks have usually given bad results, stainless steel being a poor
conductor of heat. Food will stick and burn. Good conduction of heat is most impor-
tant for a good wok. On the other hand stainless steel has certainly the big advantage
that it is a completely hygienic material, very strong and easy to maintain.
F. Wok with non stick layer
This wok can give good results, but as iy will scratch no metal utensils can be used to
stir.
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