Woks are famous for being able to stand up to extremely high flames to produce some seriously delicious food. However, without the flames, it’s essentially just a giant metal bowl. So, why not use it as the perfect tool to toss salad in?
A large metal bowl is an essential tool you shouldn’t skip for the crispest salads. When you toss salad in a bowl that’s too small and deep, you’ll have to stir it more vigorously to get an even coating of dressing, possibly bruising your lettuce. Widemouthed woks have the same shape and depth as huge salad bowls, significantly reducing how much tossing your salad requires to evenly distribute dressing, toppings, and whatever else you may decide to add. If you have the fridge space, you can even chill your wok beforehand, ensuring your salad stays as crisp and cold as a winter day.
Provided it won’t break or harm your kitchen tool, there’s nothing wrong with getting creative in how you use it. At the end of the day, woks are all but impossible to ruin, so there’s no reason you can’t use them to stir up an army’s worth of pancake batter, bread dough, or even simmer soup stock. In the absolute worst-case scenario, you’ll just have to reapply a coat of seasoning to bring it back to tip top shape, so learn how to season a wok before you start getting too creative.
Other clever ways to use your wok
Continuing on the trend of genius ways to use a wok, did you know you can use them as steamers and smokers? While you may think of woks as the perfect vessel for stir fry, these are both old, proven ways of using them that yield perfect results every time.
To use a wok as a steamer, all you need is a basket or colander and something metal to support it. Place your supporting piece in the wok and pour in water. There should be enough to produce steam through the whole cooking process but not so much that it boils over your support. Place your colander, basket, or other perforated container on the support and bring the water to a rolling boil. After that, all you have to do is add your ingredients and put on a lid or cover the wok with tin foil to trap the steam.
A wok is perfect for short and fast smokes, especially for recipes like Chinese smoked duck. Cleaning a wok with stuck-on food can be a pain, so add a layer of tinfoil to the bottom. Add wood chips and leafy seasonings like bay leaves, tea leaves, rosemary, or thyme and bring to a smolder. Then, lay a round rack with your meat over the smoldering pile and smoke till done. Since you’re smoking inside, you’ll want to add some safety measures by soaking the wood chips for several minutes beforehand and ensuring your stove’s vent fan is set to high.
