Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)I've been cooking on a wok since I was a teenager; my dad, ever ahead of the curve, had brought a genuine restaurant wok back from a trip to San Francisco. He loved Chinese food and we'd usually take an hour drive to Philadelphia's Chinatown where there were dozens of great restaurants. He wanted to make fried rice and other stir-fries at home, but woks were not the standard kitchen equipment they are now. Our wok was about 30 inches across...a full restaurant sized wok and the only kind he could get. It hung in the garage between meals because it was too big for the kitchen.
Of course, now everyone or nearly everyone uses a wok, and you can easily find genuine carbon steel woks traditionally used in China. But you can also find cast iron (rather like Indian karhis, their version of over-the-fire cooking vessels), enamel-on-cast-iron, stainless, and non-stick, and ...electric. Each of these woks has pros and cons, because woks need high heat, and are designed to sit OVER the fire not on it. So if you have an electric stove or even a standard gas stove, you are going to make compromises when using a traditional wok. Either you have to use a flat bottom to sit on the stove, or you have to make sure your stove's gas is caloric enough to produce the very high heat needed to sear the food and cook it quickly if it is perched on a wok ring.
Normally, I use a carbon steel wok but my current stove has square burners so a wok ring is out, and I don't think the gas is hot enough. I don't like flat bottomed woks. I think they defeat the purpose of the rounded shape. Nor do I want non-stick surface. To me, cast iron is good, but possibly heavy to handle. So I decided I wanted an electric wok, because the element will get the wok super-hot and the stainless steel is a good conductor of heat and the surface is smooth and relatively non-stick by nature.
What you get:
The Presto wok comes with the wok, a plug-in element with a temperature dial, a glass lid, and a wood paddle for stirring the food. This set does not come with a tempura draining rack, that little wire half-circle that fits over the rim and lets the tempura stay hot while it drains of fat. I happened to have one in the kitchen junk box and lo, it fit perfectly, so you probably can dig one up somewhere.
It also has a small instruction manual.
How to use it:
First, wash the wok carefully in VERY hot soapy water. There is a plastic coating that is invisible but is definitely there. It must be scrubbed off with a nylon sponge. You do not need to season the wok but you do need to season the wood paddle with mineral oil, lest it crack.
You plug the element into the socket on the wok, plug it into the wall and turn the dial up to your desired temp (up to 400 degrees F.) Add oil and when the oil reaches your temp (just slightly smoking) you are ready to stir-fry.
The Test Drive and a recipe:
I happened to make an Italian chicken dish as the first test (excusing this non-Chinese test drive by asserting belligerently and untruthfully that Marco Polo brought this very dish back from his travels.) I heated olive oil, added chicken tenders that were washed and patted dry. After they were seared and half-way cooked, I turned down the heat, added artichoke hearts, crushed garlic, shallots, and let the chicken cook to almost done, tossing frequently. Then I added a cup of broth, juice of half a lemon, pepper, and grated Romano cheese. I thickened it a bit with cornstarch slurry and it was done. You can add capers, and I do like them, but since others in our family don't, I left them out. This dish is served on pasta or rice with a garnish of a handful of freshly chopped parsley and more cheese passed around.
Conclusion:
Yeah, yeah, I'll fry up some rice and shrimp and broccoli later to give it a true test but this chicken was well-received by all. And so is the wok. I loved being able to cook on my kitchen island rather than the stove, and maybe we will do some at-table cooking like Sukiyaki later.This is a versatile kitchen appliance and I'm happy with the choice.
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Presto Stainless Steel Electric WokProduct Description: Presto 5900P 1500-Watt Stainless-Steel Electric Wok. A staple in many homes around the world, woks are used for cooking healthy, flavorful meals with just a small amount of oil. This elegant electric version of the classic cookware piece saves your stovetop the trouble, making it easy to cook anywhere in the kitchen. Model 05900.
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