Wok is an essential utensil in the kitchen, especially if you are a fan of cooking Indo-Chinese cuisine. While it can be used to create various dishes, the cookware might not be the right choice for certain ingredients owing to its lightweight bottom and the requirement to subject it to high heat while cooking.
If you also use a wok in your kitchen or restaurant, you must know what kind of dishes can be cooked in it. This is a short guide to help you understand what ingredients should not be cooked in a wok.
Large Cuts Of Meat
When you have large pieces of meat, you need to cook them on low flame for a long time. This ensures even cooking. However, a wok is made for cooking small pieces of meat that can be cooked to perfection when subjected to high flame. For example, if you want to make chicken fried rice, it needs small pieces or shreds of meat.
Watery Dishes
Dishes like stews or soups are not made to be cooked in a wok. You need to let these dishes simmer for a long time to let the water evaporate, the liquid absorbs the nutrients from meat and vegetables, and the mixture thickens. Wok is perfect for cooking dishes including serving with thick gravy.
Sauces
Most sauce recipes require cooking for a long time to reduce the water content. You must avoid making them in a wok because the ingredients will burn and stick to the surface. However, if you have a batch of sauce or gravy, you can use it in a wok to prepare dishes. The cookware is excellent for tossing, turning, and mixing ingredients on a high flame.
Braising
Braising is the process of cooking meat or vegetables in a low amount of liquid for a long time. This enhances the flavours and allows ingredients to cook to perfection. If you try to replicate the process in a wok, the water will evaporate and the ingredients will burn. A heavy-bottom pan is recommended if you want to prepare a dish using the process of braising.
Fish Fillets
Fish fillets are delicate courtesy of their soft skin. Cooking in the wok is a bad idea as you will be inviting rigorous cleaning of the utensils and a do-over of the dish. After getting exposed to high flames, the skin of the fish will stick to the surface. If you try to use a spatula to turn them over, the skin will rupture and expose the layers of flesh.
Baking
Wok is definitely not for baking. Can you imagine making cookies or cakes in a wok just like you do in a microwave or pressure cooker? In just a few minutes, your entire house will be filled with the odour of burnt flour, not to mention the hassle of cleaning which will include scrubbing and use of chemicals that might end up destroying the smooth and shiny surface of the cookware.
Eggs
Omelettes and scrambled eggs should be cooked on a flat skillet for an even distribution of heat at medium or low flame. A wok has a large but curved surface area. It can leave the scrambled eggs or omelettes burning in no time. Once cooked, you can toss scrambled eggs with fried rice or stir-fries for a minute before serving the dish.