Woks: The King of Chinese Cooking Pans | Eat China: Back to Basics S4E7

Chinese food just isn’t the same without woks. It’s the pan that gives your food that charred, caramelized taste. How does this wok hei taste come about? And what makes a good wok?
This is the seventh episode of our new season of “Eat China: Back to Basics,” where we answer burning questions you might have about Chinese food.
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0:00 What is wok hei
01:54 The best wok in China
04:49 Mastering wok cooking
07:22 Family of ironsmiths
If you liked this video, we have more explainers about Chinese food:
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• Why Is Mala so Addicti...
Why Bamboo Steamers Make the Perfect Dim Sum | Eat China: Back to Basics S4E5
• Why Bamboo Steamers Ma...
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Producer: Yoyo Chow
Videographer: Patrick Wong
Editor: Nicholas Ko
Narration: Victoria Ho
Animation: Stella Yoo
Mastering: César del Giudice
#wok #wokhei #chinese

[@Goldthread]

What’s your favorite wok hei dish🔥?

[@DatSuKid]

According to J Kenji Lopez Alt, a bigger contributor to wok hei would be the igniting of the oil as it hits some flames. I tried using an induction cooktop before moving onto a propane wok burner and could taste the difference. Maillard reactions might contribute a bit to wok hei, but should be negligible considering 300F would be too cold for most woks to stir fry. I still have difficulty achieving Wok Hei at a minimum surface temperature of 500F before adding oil. That said, Chow Fun gravy style would be my favorite wok hei dish. The Cantonese version holds a big title, but most nights I prefer the Thai version called Rad Nah.

[@joethesimple685]

Hong shao ji rou or braised chicken is one of my favorites. I go for any Chinese food. 🙂

[@GavinChai]

Malaysia Penang 炒粿条， similar to 干炒牛河 in the video. Come try if you have the chance

[@kmarech1645]

Can you guys do an episode on cleavers and knife skills? There are a few old videos about this on youtube but I'd love to see your take

[@jingyiliu657]

Stir fry Chinese veggies with garlic! 😋I like to eat those veggies in dai pai dong because they always have enough wok hei 🔥

[@deathspa202]

I didn't realize the fish scale pattern was a recent innovation. It seems so ubiquitous that I figured it was an ancient technique.

[@humanonearth1]

7:55 This was an interesting insight into the differences in Chinese culture. It takes a very humble man in the west to admit such things as a master of his craft. This sifu was proud to proclaim his son exceeds him in ways.

[@luia3911]

Love listening to the chef speaking Cantonese at the start of the documentary, sounds so soothing, brings back childhood memories 😊 been living overseas for many years, miss the amazing delicious food from Guangdong China 👍

[@irenebritt5115]

I love your videos. So fun to watch, and always educational. As a Chinese American, it brings me joy and pride to watch your content. I am fascinated with those handmade woks. Can you post a link of who might carry them in the US for people to buy? Thanks!

[@Wasabi9111]

As an ABC, I watched my parents cook w a wok at home that they brought w them from Asian and thought it was so antiquated. Now I want one as I’m tired of constantly replacing the toxic non stick pans. But I’m not sure where to buy one.

[@Anot7]

Three Skillets for the Gourmet Chefs under the sky, Seven Griddles for the Breakfast Cooks in their bustling diners, Nine Saucepans for Home Cooks, masters of the daily meal, One Wok for the Culinary Artist on their stage of flavors In the Realm of Gastronomy where the Recipes dwell. One Wok to sear them all, One Wok to mix them, One Wok to cook them all, and in the kitchen unite them. In the Realm of Gastronomy where the Recipes dwell.

[@joethesimple685]

Very nice content. I love to cook Asian dishes using the wok.

[@robba5640]

At 6:27, the chef said 'gong fu' ('功夫'; 'gong1 fu1' in pinyin), which stands for 'skill mastery/proficiency' in that context. Not to be mistaken with 'kungfu' (also written and read the same; '功夫'), which is more widely known to other parts of the world as Chinese martial arts. In Chinese, 'gong fu' is commonly used to comment on a person's skill in a variety of fields. Example 1: 你吹牛 ‘功夫’ 很不错。("Your boasting skills are pretty good.") Example 2: 我煮菜 ‘功夫’ 很差。("My culinary skills are bad.") Just thought to point that out in case anyone's wondering what has Chinese martial arts got to do with spatula. ^-^

[@winters4960]

Lost in translation (and stereotype) , lol. But somehow that-translation up the game little bit. 技巧 和 功夫 当然有不同的语言感。

[@xirogs4234]

I thought he was tryna do cooking kung fu like in Jackie Chan movie thanks for heads up.

[@csl9495]

During the "Gong fu" moment he started attack with the spatula lol certainly makes you think shooting soccer how there's Kung fu in everythjng

[@qiaowang7147]

I would love to have one of those hand-crafred wok

[@armedcock]

有机会回国买 舌尖上的中国同款 铸铁锅+菜刀

[@qiaowang7147]

@@armedcock 什么牌？

[@armedcock]

@@qiaowang7147 搜 章丘铁锅

[@Kumurajiva]

Me too

[@wendyshoowaiching4161]

Just the black wok. Fried Noodles, not many know. Bean Sprout is the last part to put not the beginning or mid cook time. Putting bean sprout last, will give beans sprout taste crispy fresh mouth feel.

[@chrisskiingpowpow]

great vid as always I thought the master ironsmith's accent was super cool. He seem like a humble guy who produces quality products.

[@cenzala22]

Chinese cusine is my favorite, loving every video, cheers from brazil

[@dialindsey]

excellent video!

[@staceyk.210]

Wow😱 I love the wok it does seem like I t makes cooking a lot easier!! I like how the chiefs use these pans to make some of the most delicious 😋 food their is on this planet!! Phenomenal 🔥Video and Thanks again for Sharing🙏🏽💯🙏🏽

[@andychang2739]

I tell some new cooks that I train that using a wok is like driving too! I say you need 2 hands and a right leg (knee-flame control). Stirring with the ladle, and tossing is like steering and adjusting the heat is like stepping on and letting off the gas pedal. Depending on the end goal, use both accordingly.

[@bythewei]

Just beware there are plenty of fake zhangqiu woks going around because of its popularity. the real zhangqiu woks are smooth and you cannot feel bumps. Also, the key to woks being non-stick is universal - hot base with cold oil. You can do this with stainless steel pans and they too can become non-stick.

[@petergriffinson1907]

Know where I can buy one online?

[@bythewei]

@@petergriffinson1907 as far as i know, they are only available on taobao. even then, there are plenty of fakes so it makes it really difficult to find the authentic sellers. I don’t see what benefit this wok has over carbon steel pans other than the shape though. they are kind of over-hyped, which is why so many fakes popped up.

[@MrMcGillicuddy]

@@bythewei so would you say those woks aren't any more durable than most 14 guage carbon steel woks like TOWN. They are forged hand hammered. I'm surprised how reasonably priced they are at 89 dollars for a 30". I'm going to build an outdoor wood fired double wok station. I'm going to use it for sugaring as well as cooking meals and large batches of homemade pork belly cracklins. Do you have any input on any brands I could buy? that would be helpful. I just want something durable that's going to last me a long time. I'll probably be using it for a couple weeks in the spring for sugaring season and probably only once a week during the summer. When that guy said on the video they go thru a wok per month I'm just wondering what quality they were using and how that translates to my lower volume use? and whether it would last me a lifetime or if I should buy a spare or two?

[@bythewei]

@@MrMcGillicuddy i’d be honest with you these woks are overrated and overpriced. Those carbon steel woks like TOWN work just fine.

[@FartFilmEnt]

beautiful video

[@umu-i-d2785]

Great great video

[@masterkoi29]

To all who doesn't know. Ancient Chinese chef invented stir frying technique and wok was used by ancient Chinese. Take note that China was the first country to invent bronze tools. And you will see those bronze tools from shang to Zhou dynasty of ancient china.

[@fannyalbi9040]

bronze technology was way before zhou dynasty. san xin dui HUGE and fine bronze sculptures is classic example.

[@vinniekay0967]

Amazing Craftsmanship!

[@Phlegethon]

🤣”what is a non stick coating” real iron smiths would never touch that crap

[@aqn1976]

The *WOK* is undoubtedly a top 5 greatest culinary Inventions in all of recorded history !!!

[@tashihishey34]

I've been cooking with a Wok for many years. I've the Wok burner and all the professional tools needed. And I'm still working on my wok hei! Creating the flash in the wok still eludes me. And the Cantonese Wok flipping action of the food is next level. But it is the challenge of mastery that excites me the most.

[@celestialtoystore]

Adding a tiny bit of water or slightly damp ingredients to a smoking hot pan causes the oil in the pan to be carried into the air with the steam and is vapourised in the burner flame. The key is extreme heat and getting the oil to near vapour point with the steam doing the rest.

[@MECH-MASTER]

Amazing craftsmanship.

[@CastleBlackWatches]

Great vid! Grew up in restaurants lol

[@Engineering_Science]

7:14 - Wow a new wok every month... I thought these woks should last a long time.

[@chrisicu4236]

Another great tale - what a talented team! Alas, my journey to possess such a beautiful tool has yet to come to a conclusion. I’ve found no wok in the US that comes close.

[@edwardkay3193]

Amazon

[@chrisicu4236]

@@edwardkay3193 thanks but that company doesn’t offer on Amazon. Lots of cheap knock-offs there, though.

[@jimmycfchung]

I wish you would tell us where we can purchase one of those fabulous woks

[@Unflushablepiss]

that ironsmith dude is JACKED!

[@ratnasinaga5287]

This video is too short. My favorite dish is beef fried hor fun with wok hei. Thanks for this video.👍

[@alanzzk]

i like it too

[@bluemoondiadochi]

i'd so want to get me one of those properly made woks! i already have a good decent cooking knife and a wok is the dream!

[@cici_julja]

is it possible to get that handcrafted wok online?

[@wendyshoowaiching4161]

Yes! The wok can cook all kinds of dishes.

[@georgehave]

How do I order a wok shown in the video?

[@napolisicila9115]

老高，转行做厨师了！

[@suzeel]

Chinese Food = Masterpiece!!! ^^°^^ ♥♥♥

[@gumballdarwin2330]

Finding the holy wok to make great adventure and comedy story

[@fifaisscripted]

Got a wok for myself too, and on top of that a gas burner that I bought from a restaurant going bankrupt. Because I hate electric stoves to the guts. They suck so bad

[@BlueGorillaInTheMist]

I'm not quite clear on why they go thru woks so often. Cast iron and carbon steel are super durable. What's causing them to be less effective/unusable after a month?

[@user-gb2ml1cs9i]

it looks really good , now I'm hungry (

[@galupas]

It's the burner that does the cooking,

[@TryRickPayton]

I bought a cast iron season wok

[@typerightseesight]

I always add the noodles last. I should try and add them first. I cook them first anyway.

[@woolfel]

Is there a place to purchase the fish scale pattern wok?

[@orangerightgold7512]

if you don't mind knock offs you can order them on amazon.

[@thebob3712]

just buy any wok and a hammer and make your own, and a pair of ear plugs

[@brianng1701]

Rumors has it they secretly use Hexclad pans in the kitchen😂

[@JohnSmith-nj4zq]

I have my wok for over 30 years. I still use it till this day. The only thing that went bad on it was one of the handles on it fell off. These woks could last forever if it's taken care of. I also brought some new wok's. The quality of them are really bad compared to the ones sold 30 years ago. They go bad easier and rust. The quality and workmanship are in decline.

[@ssrbgangimaribotan6thofthe12]

Nowadays if you want to buy something that equals in quality of your old wok you need to rake up a lot of money cause most of them are craftsman's work. The prices can be 10 times of the usual mass-produced woks from a factory, same for knifes and other cooking tools.

[@user-vk4hp1il6f]

Thank you for the excellent video. But this’s for professionals. "A Chinese wok is an essential tool for Chinese chefs." Yes! But you forgot to say that "gaz stove" is a necessary stove for wok. Because wok doesn’t work on modern kitchen induction stove. We hope wok could be invented for induction stove for home use so that we can enjoy Chinese cooking.

[@ssrbgangimaribotan6thofthe12]

There is actually a specialized induction stove with curved bottoms for Chinese woks, albeit tossing the wok is still hard with it because of the induction limitations. Edit: Also remember most of the world outside America and Europe still relies on gas stove or worse wood stoves, so woks are still a big thing in Asia, even for a very modern country like japan.

[@jacknapier394]

As much I'd like to give credit to just the wok, it's a combination of the burner and the person

[@funkyboodah]

Wok Hay actually means "Chi of the Wok"

[@kimolowo4364]

this guy really wok the talk

[@matthewanacleto7885]

how much does a hand crafted wok cost?

[@alanzzk]

It cast 30-50 USD.

[@matthewanacleto7885]

@@alanzzk can you boy one from these craftsmen?

[@olivier2553]

Thank you four video, very interesting as usual. At 1:44 the chef says he uses "cast iron" wok. That may be a translation error, as I really doubt there are traditional cast iron wok. Cast iron is what make skillet, a cast iron wok would be unusable because it would weigh a ton.

[@ShredST]

I think he said "raw iron".

[@lisacastano1064]

There are cast iron woks.

[@olivier2553]

@@ShredST I cannot confirm, it is way out of the 5 hours of learning Chinese language I ever did :)

[@olivier2553]

@@lisacastano1064 OK, thank you, I have never seen any. I use cast aluminium wok myself, but never saw cast iron.

[@lisacastano1064]

@@olivier2553 I found a lightweight cast iron wok at Walmart of all places and I'm planning on getting one they are a little hard to find outside of Asia but I have 2 carbon steel woks one cheap nonstick wok and I need a cast iron wok.

[@tonzhoyaj7598]

I bought a wok from Wal-Mart. First time i used it, i cooked fried rice with it, and the rice stuck all over the wok making the rice smelly so i tossed it away in the trash.

[@socialmediainfo-um6hw]

So where Can I buy these Woks? lol

[@wendyshoowaiching4161]

Bean sprout should always put last when stir fry noodles almost complete. Over cook bean sprout will be soft not crispy look fresh white. Even many great experience chef over look

[@locdawg2875]

Uncle Roger would be so proud of these guys

[@rmduwk]

So china had fastfood system before america opened its first fast food restaurants?

[@ameliad8055]

Fried rice and beef stir would be so so without wok hei

[@raptakula8469]

This thumbnail is from John Wo movie.

[@FedericoTesta1]

Those gas stove burners stoves are insane, i wonder how much gas is entire asia using for cooking.

[@shaduck06]

no fortune cookies in Hong Kong either

[@fannyalbi9040]

what about macau?

[@shaduck06]

@@fannyalbi9040 i never ate in Macau

[@wric01]

You need iron, thus cooking in wok provides that. Natural nonstick a thousand of year of cooking evolution.

[@whynottalklikeapirat]

The king of woks is the Tai Pan

[@eastern2western]

Only works with a jet engine burner.

[@Terrakinetic]

I don't know how they can stand the sound of hammering metal without ear plugs. My ears were ringing after just a few minutes.

[@SEVK0]

ELE❤EĞİ

[@NeoPsychosis-zg2ki]

So in other words, we don't need some fancy chemical non stick pan ?

[@sendoh7x]

You really need to know what you are doing if you want to have good 'non stick' surface on a carbon steel wok. Non stick wok are more convenient but should only be used for medium-low heat. No wok hei, no charred surface. Good for omelette and pan cakes lol

[@Layput]

Why his chinese is different?

[@aZnchuux3]

Now please post a link to where I can purchase one of these woks 🥲

[@w462dh]

Imho stainless steel wok is more practical for home use.

[@sendoh7x]

more difficult to make it non stick tho

[@kamma44]

Funny how they say 'Chinese food just isn't the same without woks'? When 'woks', or karahi, originally came from India?!

[@lenra.b]

Really??? So this is the only vessel that can cook food…really now?…As Gordon Ramsay would say F**k me!

[@ferdinand2506]

how come the best woks are made in.... JAPAN!!!!

[@Wvk5zc]

Are they

[@yoiashi]

i can hardly understand any of that old chinese guys chinese

[@oliveoil2632]

Same as i can't understand cantonese

[@michaelliu201]

He's speaking a shandong dialect, not cantonese. Still very hard to understand for nonnative speaker though.

[@alanzzk]

i can understand cantonese, not understand shandongese.

[@Black_Sun_Dark_Star]

Please DO NOT call a wok, a pan. Wok came first, then there was pan, not the other way around

[@linheming]

i am pretty sure he didnt invent the fishscale pattern

[@jsun5166]

If you know so much why don’t you tell us who did 🤨

[@linheming]

@@jsun5166 Tsuchime (hammered) finish, or Tsuchime pattern, is a traditional Japanese artisanal finish, fabricated by hammering the metal sheet one pattern at a time.

[@ShredST]

Independent discovery is possible

[@winstonli8445]

@@linheming you know tsuchime kanji is 槌目 means hammered pattern right? it's literally an ancient ancient technique of hammer marking, Chinese been using it way before japan starts casting bronze so is every metal smith that uses a hammer. lookup 西汉金兽 dated for late warring states period to early han and tell me what pattern it has. yes the guy in the video definitely didn't invent the pattern but neither is Japanese

[@winstonli8445]

@@linheming it is more likely some craftsman in the ancient middle east came up with this technique while making copper and silver wear and then spread out to china by trade then to japan

[@dexterdr.7020]

as a Chinese, i can't help but to wonder what this video will look like if that Chinese wok master was a Japanese master craftsman who lives in Japan. The Japanese masters and their Zen gardens and clean and tidy Japanese houses and sip of saki What i am trying to say that Chinese ppl are not very good at presenting ourselves and this is something we need to learn

[@freakmoister]

They’re too pretentious, I rather have this down to earth manner.

[@maggiejetson7904]

Many Japanese masters aren't well off either, they just keep places clean because that's what their customers care about. Chinese customers tend to go straight to the end goal and skip all the presentations.

[@dexterdr.7020]

@@maggiejetson7904 pretty much true i would say. In my town ppl would prefer street foods than restaurants cause it's less stressful to enjoy

[@hebbh2413]

Japanese pay too much attention to form and ignore the essence of things

[@jkid4855]

you can find plenty of examples on KZbin of Japanese chefs working in Chinese restaurants in Japan. Japanese overwhelmingly love watching Chinese cooking because they don't do wok at home. You need to educate yourself and stop shitting on your own culture, if you are actually Chinese.

[@dawnnadir]

Again, this is Cantonese wok... Not chinese. Other parts of tribes don't fry food like the Cantonese. Use your wording on your caption carefully Goldthread!

[@Journeyofcheng]

Are you sure? I am a Chinese.Cantonese cooking is different from other parts of Chinese cooking but not fundamentally different. Such woks are used throughout China,restaurants and home. Even though the chef speaks Cantonese, the blacksmith who made wok is not a Cantonese for sure.

[@dawnnadir]

@@Journeyofcheng Hi Chinese, I am Cantonese. First of all, what is not made in China if you want something to be sold cheaply? Second, yes wok is from Canton. We introduce frying styled cooking to you guys - the central and northern bandits. There are things not fundamentally different because you guys learnt things from us and there are a lot more things that are fundamentally different. Try tell a Spanish person person Portuguese food and Spanish food are fundamentally the same so as the Korean and northern bandits. Whoevers say ahh your food is fundamentally the same so it must be this and that then that person should use his/ her brain more.

[@Journeyofcheng]

@@dawnnadir we are from tribes. We are barbarians. You are from the center of the world, I guess. No more discussion.

[@dawnnadir]

@@Journeyofcheng This is exactly how the northern bandits think. Thanks for bringing it up. What more need to be discussed?

[@paulskiye6930]

Are you pretending Canton province is not part of China? Like wtf..