Simply... wok!

The wok pot is is the single most essential piece of equipment for Chinese cooking: it is used to quickly cook food quickly (usually meats) over moderate or high heat. Woks are, indeed, bowl-shaped utensils that spread the heat evenly.
A wok pots are intended for other cooking methods, such as:

• making soup
• steaming
• deep frying
• stir frying

How many types of woks exist?

These types of pans come in many different sizes and can be made with a variety of materials such as:

• carbon steel
• cast iron
• stainless steel

However, one should consider that carbon steel and cast iron woks need to be seasoned their first use with food or after they have been cleaned in order to provide a non stick coating and also to rust from forming on the cooking surface.

Starting the classification from the based on the materials they are made of, we still have different types of woks:

• Stainless Steel wok: these pots are indicated for steaming and boiling purposes. They don't need to be seasoned, posing no risk of accumulating rust.
• Cast Iron wok: these woks have a natural non-stick surface once it is seasoned. They are also indicated for tossing and stirring. You should use warm or hot water in washing the pot in order to avoid the risk of ruining the seasoning of the wok.
• Carbon Steel wok:  these pots are better conductors of heat but  the food may stick on the sides. Most Asian cooks prefer this kind of wok because it is inexpensive.

An ordinary wok usually has a diameter range of 30 cm to 2 meters or more. The shape depends on the type of stove or burner being used.

Flat or round bottomed wok?

The main difference between American style woks and traditional woks is that shape. Traditional Asian woks are truly round bottomed whereas American woks often have a slightly flattened bottom, the latter being an intentional redesign meant to provide stability on Western flat stove-tops.

You will have to consider two defining wok types in order to get the right wok suitable for you:

	TRADITIONAL ROUND BOTTOMED WOK	This wok has been designed for "over the fire pit" type of cooking as well as on top of a gas stove. It is designed to prevent grease fire by minimising the splatters.
	FLAT BOTTOMED WOK	This pot is indicated for an electric stove. In fact it is designed to balance well with modern stoves in order to provide a high heat for quick stir-frying. Normally these woks have a long wooden handles in order to render it easier to move and tilt it. This kind of pot can make food get burned easily. Moreover it has to be quickly cleaned after each usage.

There are so many different types and models of woks available on the market today that it is better start now to become familiar with each type in order to know which wok will best fit your kitchen and cooking style.

Following just some of the most famous and tasty recipes that is possible to prepare with a wok, you can serve:

• Wok fried tempura ahi with shoyu mustard-butter sauce and tomato-ginger relish;
• Wok flashed salt and pepper shrim with lemon basmati rice;
• Chinese style wok-fried whole fish with wokked long beans and simple stir fried rice;
• Chinese-style whole fried black bass over wok-sauteed bok choy, ginger, and spring garlic.

At this point, you just need to find the right ingredients and... enjoy your food!