How To Season a Wok
There are many specific variations when it comes to seasoning a wok, but the basics always remain the same. If you are unsure as to what type of wok you should use, many people believe that carbon steel woks are the best because of their versatility. Other people prefer traditional cast iron woks. No matter your preference, however, the proper way to season will follow the same basic rules.
Your very first step is always to thoroughly wash the wok, using hot water and a rag. Soap is not necessary (in fact, I recommend not using soap), unless of course your wok is brand new or it has become rusty.
If you happen to be using a brand new wok, you may have to scrub it with steel wool to remove the machine oil or grease. The reason your brand new wok may be covered in this is that a lot of factories use grease or oil in order to prevent rust. If you are going to season your wok, however, you want all of this gone so that the seasoning seeps in properly.
Once you have a sparkling clean wok, you can move on to the second step of the process, which is to spread some oil all over the inside of the wok. To do this, you will first place your wok on a stove burner set to the highest possible setting. You may use corn oil, vegetable oil, or peanut oil, depending upon your personal preferences. A good way to spread the oil around on the pan once you have poured it in is to use a pair of tongs and a paper towel. Just make sure you are extremely careful, or otherwise you may burn yourself. This part of the process will produce a lot of smoke, so it would probably be a good idea to open up a window and allow your fans to run prior to actually beginning.
There are many people who swear that adding chopped ginger or scallions to the wok during the oiling process, as they claim it leaches out any metallic flavors the wok may have. You can feel free to try this yourself. Continue rubbing the wok with oil until the inside is a dark brown or black coloring. This will help to prevent rust from forming.
Remember that you should not clean your wok as you would normally clean your other dishes. I mentioned before that you should not use soap after the initial scrubbing process unless rust has began to form. Instead, simply rinse the wok with hot water.
If you find yourself in a situation where something has stuck to the interior and will not come off during the rinse, take a bit of salt and sprinkle it on the stuck on food, using a paper towel or thin cloth to gently rub at the stuck on food until it has become removed. You may then simply repeat the rinsing process again. Before putting your wok away, steam it dry on the stove. For the first couple of times you use your wok, wipe it down with a small amount of oil before putting it away.
Your very first step is always to thoroughly wash the wok, using hot water and a rag. Soap is not necessary (in fact, I recommend not using soap), unless of course your wok is brand new or it has become rusty.
If you happen to be using a brand new wok, you may have to scrub it with steel wool to remove the machine oil or grease. The reason your brand new wok may be covered in this is that a lot of factories use grease or oil in order to prevent rust. If you are going to season your wok, however, you want all of this gone so that the seasoning seeps in properly.
Once you have a sparkling clean wok, you can move on to the second step of the process, which is to spread some oil all over the inside of the wok. To do this, you will first place your wok on a stove burner set to the highest possible setting. You may use corn oil, vegetable oil, or peanut oil, depending upon your personal preferences. A good way to spread the oil around on the pan once you have poured it in is to use a pair of tongs and a paper towel. Just make sure you are extremely careful, or otherwise you may burn yourself. This part of the process will produce a lot of smoke, so it would probably be a good idea to open up a window and allow your fans to run prior to actually beginning.
There are many people who swear that adding chopped ginger or scallions to the wok during the oiling process, as they claim it leaches out any metallic flavors the wok may have. You can feel free to try this yourself. Continue rubbing the wok with oil until the inside is a dark brown or black coloring. This will help to prevent rust from forming.
Remember that you should not clean your wok as you would normally clean your other dishes. I mentioned before that you should not use soap after the initial scrubbing process unless rust has began to form. Instead, simply rinse the wok with hot water.
If you find yourself in a situation where something has stuck to the interior and will not come off during the rinse, take a bit of salt and sprinkle it on the stuck on food, using a paper towel or thin cloth to gently rub at the stuck on food until it has become removed. You may then simply repeat the rinsing process again. Before putting your wok away, steam it dry on the stove. For the first couple of times you use your wok, wipe it down with a small amount of oil before putting it away.