How to Care for a Wok

When cooking Asian cuisine, a wok is an essential purchase. Special care must be taken when cleaning and caring for a wok, so follow these tips to learn the proper way to keep your wok clean and in great shape.

Things You'll Need

• Wok
• Wooden utensils

Instructions

1. Wash a new wok thoroughly in the sink in hot soapy water to get off any machine oil or tiny metal specks that that may have been left over from the manufacturing process.

2. Dry the wok with a paper towel and sit it on a burner at medium heat. Pour vegetable oil or lard onto a paper towel and wipe it onto the surface of the work until it gets hot. Rinse in clear, hot water and wipe dry.

3. When cooking in the work, be sure to use only wooden utensils. This will help you to get the most out of a new wok and keep it looking beautiful.

4. After cooking in a wok, simply rinse it out with hot water and wipe it dry. You will not need to scrub. Scrubbing only wipes away the freshly cured surface. If you have food that is stuck on the wok, rinse with hot water and heat the wok until you can easily remove the food.

Tips & Warnings

• It is better to store a wok in an area that has good circulation. Hanging it up in the open air is a great idea.