A wok (鑊 Cantonese: wok6; pinyin: huo4) is a versatile Chinese cooking utensil.
In Indonesia this pan is known as a wadjang.
It is a round-bottomed pan that ranges from 1 foot to 4 feet in diameter. Almost every Chinese family owns one. It is most often used for stir frying, but can also be used many other ways, such as in steaming and deep frying or to make soup. One advantage of woks is that the shape produces a small, hot area at the bottom while using relatively little fuel.
Woks are also sold in western countries, where they tend to be given flat bottoms and nonstick coatings. This makes them more similar to a deep frying pan than a true wok. However, the flat bottoms mean that they can be used on an electric cooker. Woks with curved bottoms normally come with metal rings to stabilize them on a gas stove. When such a wok is used on an electric stove, the ring should normally be placed upside-down so that the wok is in contact with the burner.
In a joke sport introduced by the German comedian Stefan Raab, woks are used to carry people down a bobsleigh track. In November 2003 the first "official" championship was held in Winterberg, Germany.
See also
Last updated: 05-02-2005 19:27:57
