Kilalang Mga Post

Friday, February 25, 2011

Know How To Cook Delicious Meals Using Wok

Cooking a stir-fried meal would never been easy if you know some basic skills in cooking with wok. This tool is commonly used by cooks to maintain the original crunch of the vegetable maintaining its bright colors and provide an appealing and tasty look.

Types of Woks

There are different kinds of wok according to your preference. You may find a good wok at $20 below and start cooking using it for your own version of your stir-fried meal. Imagine what you can possibly save instead of going out to the restaurant and order your favorite stir-fried dish.

Electric wok- this is commonly used by most families and is quite pleasant for the results.
• Carbon steel wok- the cheapest among woks and a great choice for beginners
• Round bottomed wok- this is best used with gas stoves and for most households. You may want to buy a ring for steady support at the bottom to avoid accidents when cooking.

The Technique in Cooking With The Wok

Having a wok can help you create a delicious stir-fried meal. Of course you should be equipped with the technique on how to use the wok and how you will cook your meal in it.

The first thing that you have to do is to allow your wok to be in high heat. Cooking in a high heat makes your food cook fast and the protein you need in the meal will be intact. For vegetables, cooking them in a wok will maintain its bright color and the crisp that you are looking for in your stir-fried meal. How will you know if the wok is ready for cooking? Check the wok if it is smoking hot, that will be the time that it can be used for stir-frying. Expect a smoke in your kitchen and be safe but rest assured that this smoke will certainly be worth having when you tasted your delightful meal.

Prior to cooking, you would have to prepare all the ingredients at hand. Since the cooking will be very fast, it will be very effective if you have it all prepared and just constantly add the ingredients on it. You may use different kinds of vegetables, proteins, sauces, and aromatics. Peppers, onions, corn, squash, green beans and peas can add more flavor and color to your meal. Chicken, pork, beef, shrimp, crab and other small bits of protein cook quickly and thoroughly, so see to it that you will not overcook it to maintain the protein.

To start, put some sesame oil in your wok and wait for the high heat to smoke the oil. You may start with your meat and cook it until almost done. Set it aside and allow your wok to be in high heat again to cook your vegetables. Once cooked, you may put the meat again and in a couple of minutes you have your own version of your stir-fried meal with the bright colors of your vegetables and the crisp that you are looking for in a meal.

This is best served with rice. For those who want to add rice directly on the wok, make sure that you are using a day old rice to prevent mushy and sticky texture. You may use rice cooker or crock pot along with your wok. Crock pot can be used to cook dishes including stews. It also creates a perfect plate of rice. You may also find other beef stew crock pots recipes online for added menu according to your preference.