Wok Know-How - die Basics

**Cooking with a Wok on a Wok Burner**Cooking with a wok on a wok burner is an exceptionally refined way to blend bold and subtle flavors into a harmonious dish. Preparing meals with Roaring Dragon wok burners in your outdoor kitchen is an experience like no other. And the taste? A true revelation—for you and your guests! Here, we’ve outlined the essential basics.**Cooking with a Wok on a Wok Burner**Cooking with a wok on a wok burner requires practice and finesse, but it’s a skill that can be learned. We offer courses where you can master both the basics and advanced techniques.To help you get started right away, we’ve put together some key tips to answer your most pressing questions.**Authentic Wok Cooking**In China, woks are traditionally used over extremely hot wood or coal stoves. In other places where authentic wok cooking is practiced, high-performance gas-powered wok burners generate the necessary heat—hot like a blacksmith’s forge. These extreme temperatures are the only way to create "wok hei," the unmistakable aroma unique to true wok cooking. With Roaring Dragon’s powerful 24kW output, you’re well-equipped!Of course, you’re not limited to just Asian flavors. A properly heated wok allows you to cook thousands of amazing recipes, giving your creativity free rein. Plus, the combination of a Roaring Dragon wok burner and the Roaring Plancha expands your cooking possibilities to include anything that can be grilled, fried, or roasted. Create your own “authentic” tradition in your outdoor kitchen.**Always Use the Right Cooking Tools!**Working with a wok means handling a lot of heat. That’s why you should always maintain a safe distance from the heat dome surrounding a hot wok. Handles and shafts of cooking tools should be particularly long. Whether you’re stir-frying, deep-frying, or removing food from the wok, always use utensils that are specifically designed for high-heat cooking. No matter where you buy your cooking tools, safety should always come first.Roaring Dragon offers long-handled ladles, spatulas, and skimmers that are both safe and perfectly shaped for professional stir-frying and other techniques. Our cooking tools are available individually or as complete sets. By the way, all Roaring Dragon wok burners, wok stations, and wok tables come with cooking sets, so you can start cooking as soon as your Roaring Dragon arrives!**Wok or Wok Pan?**A wok and a wok pan are not the same! A traditional wok is a round-bottomed steel cooking vessel with a handle and grip, sometimes with two handles. Its hemispherical shape allows heat to spread quickly up the sides. To be clear: Only traditional round-bottomed woks belong on Dragon wok burners!Wok pans, on the other hand, have a completely flat bottom and are designed for use on ceramic or electric stoves. They do not distribute heat as efficiently as a traditional wok. Ingredients cook primarily in the flat center rather than being evenly heated by the sides.Authentic cooking, which envelops food in a heat dome, is nearly impossible with a wok pan. Only a genuine round-bottomed wok, where the burner's flames heat the sides as well, can unlock the full depth of flavor. Original Roaring Dragon woks are perfectly forged, hand-hammered cooking vessels that ensure heat from all sides.**Steel or Cast Iron? No Contest!**Traditionally, woks are made of steel. Their curved shape concentrates heat in the center, which then transfers quickly and evenly to the sidewalls. This optimal heat distribution creates different temperature zones. Ingredients can be seared in the center and then pushed to the sides. In the most common Asian cooking method—stir-frying—meat, fish, or vegetables cook quickly and evenly, preserving moisture, vitamins, and nutrients. A steel wok is also easy to maintain and much more manageable than a cast-iron wok due to its significantly lighter weight.**Cast Iron Woks**Unlike traditional steel woks, which develop useful temperature zones, cast iron woks heat differently. While you can prepare Asian recipes in a cast iron wok, the results will never match the aroma and quality of dishes cooked in a steel wok on a wok burner.The choice is clear: For cooking with Roaring Dragon wok burners, a steel wok is the best option!**Seasoning a Wok – A Must!**Before first use, a steel wok must be properly seasoned—including Roaring Dragon woks. This process requires great caution, as it is not without risks. Due to smoke production, seasoning should always be done outdoors.A new steel wok typically has a chemical protective coating, so it should be thoroughly cleaned with dish soap and a rough sponge before seasoning. Next, heat the wok on the wok burner as hot as possible. After a short time, the wok will begin to change color. Once it is evenly discolored and extremely hot, turn off the flame.Now, soak a thick cloth in high-smoke-point oil (such as peanut or sunflower oil) and rub the inside of the hot wok with it. Be careful! The wok is so hot that too much oil or pouring oil directly into the wok can cause it to catch fire.A great YouTube tutorial on seasoning a steel wok can be found at the following link:**Unbeatable Combo: Plancha and Wok Burner**A plancha is a large, solid cast iron grill plate used for grilling, roasting, and frying. Its major advantage is that it allows for extremely high-temperature cooking while avoiding the complications of an open grill fire. Don’t worry—it easily reaches temperatures of around 350°C. Meat and other ingredients cook quickly and develop the perfect sear.A plancha also retains heat exceptionally well, especially when placed on a Dragon burner. This means you can start grilling almost instantly without the need to “fire up” a grill. The best part? The intense heat causes juices from the food to “float” over the plate, forming small droplets that either evaporate or drain into the collection tray rather than dripping into an open fire.Lastly, a plancha is easy to clean. Simply scrape off any debris with a wooden or plastic scraper, then pour a glass of water over the hot plate.No doubt about it: The combination of a Dragon wok burner and the original Roaring Plancha makes for an incredible cooking experience—effortless enjoyment and social gatherings in your outdoor kitchen. With the versatile plancha, your culinary creativity knows no bounds!