Making a case for a cast iron wok

I am nearly on the verge of getting "permission" for a Lodge Logic cast iron wok from Walmart.com; you can click on the link for the specifications:

I have a lodge cast iron wok. If you want to make real chinese food at home it's the only way to go. 

Woks have been around for a long time and are meant to be placed over an open fire. As a camping item a hammered steel wok is very versatile. It is also meant to be used VERY hot. Only open flames can give that kind of heat to a round bottomed pan. Something not usually available to the American or European home kitchen.

At home in the modern kitchen is a different story. My cast iron wok has a flat bottom so it can efficiently conduct heat from an electric element. The flat bottom fasclitates it standing on it's own without using that ring that comes with hammered steel woks. Cast iron woks can get real hot and almost stay that way and that's real important to proper chinese cooking.

For deep frying small batches of things it is very efficient in the amount of oil it uses because of the round bottom. Frying in less oil it's high sides prevents a lot of splatter that happens in a shallower vessel.

You can steam things in a wok. You can braise or stew things in a wok. You can stir fry in a wok, and you cannot stir fry correctly in any other vessel at home.

And stir frying is where a very hot wok is king. If your family won't eat stir fried food because it has vegetables in it or they don't like Chinese flavorings than save your money.

Edit: And you're not going to flip a cast iron wok around like you would see done in a Chinese restaurant 'cause they're heavy! And if you get a choice of sizes always go for the biggest size you can get. There is nothing worse than trying to make too much food in a too small wok.

I stand second to none in my love of cast iron.

Dave wrote: If you do get one, you'll find yourself eating more nice fresh vegetables

Chopping meat with two matching cleavers is fun! Remember that they are essentially vegetable knives, not bone whacking cleavers; those are different animals. Waffling the edge on a nice Chinese vegetable cleaver is a sad thing....I know.

I hope you can talk the wife into letting you get a wok and that you use it often. If you get the Lodge, you have to get a lid for it. A lid is required for many procedures. Get the wok spatula too. You'll need that. The ladle, not so much.

TasunkaWitko wrote: Dave wrote: If you do get one, you'll find yourself eating more nice fresh vegetables   This is definitely one thing I was thinking of, Dave ~ As I spend more time in the produce aisle, I'd like to expand a few horizons. With the beautiful Mrs. Tas and her mild diabetic condition (not to mention my weight/blood pressure issues), we got to thinking that jumping on the "meatless Monday" train might not be a bad idea; since I have absolutely no intention of buying fake meat products, I got to thinking I should jump in and truly embrace the produce aisle. Asian and Southeast-Asian cooking seems like a natural direction to go. Of course, to me, "meatless Monday" can also include fish and even chicken!   I also promised the beautiful Mrs. Tas that I would become proficient at fried rice.   I want to look into Oriental cooking more, including projects for this site, and figure I might as well go with the best choice that is practicable (and affordable). The Lodge offering, with its flat bottom and 14-inch diametre, seemed good to me, but I also figured its unique qualities would be good for other applications not normally associated with Chinese cooking.   We do currently have a wok, but it seems to be of less-than-great quality. some sort of light steel or heavy aluminum, needs a ring, hasen't been used in years so it is probably bent out of round, etc. I do remember that it needed to be seasoned with oil in the oven, so it must be some sort of steel, but certainly not a high-quality one. Perhaps I'll check out a few more options in woks, and also dust off the one we have and see if it might be good for a couple of introductory dishes.   My goal isn't to be a master Chinese/Oriental cooking expert, but I do want to be a half-decent amateur. Judging by the reading I've done, I should probably also invest in a cleaver, since that seems to be the most often-used tool in a Chinese kitchen.