Content

• Steps
• Method 1 of 2: Basic Care
• Method 2 of 2: Regular grooming
• Tips
• Warnings
• What do you need

To prevent food from sticking to the surface of the wok and causing rust to occur during cooking, it must be prepared for use. This article explains how to bake a wok to prevent scorching, discoloration, and corrosion.

Steps

Method 1 of 2: Basic Care

1. 1 Use a stiff brush to remove the protective coating from the new wok. The initial coating is industrial oil; it is necessary to protect against corrosion during the sales process and must be washed off before you eat any food cooked on it.
2. 2 Heat a wok over high heat. The wok will be discolored, but this is completely normal. It may even smoke, so open the windows and turn on the fan.Wait until the wok turns black - that's a good sign.
3. 3 Wipe the hot wok with a paper towel dampened with vegetable oil. Using tongs or a spatula, run the towel over the entire surface of the wok.
4. 4 Reduce the heat and leave the wok on low heat for 15 minutes. This is necessary so that the oil is absorbed into the surface of the wok and serves as a polish.
5. 5 Remove wok from heat and let cool. Rinse with warm water and blot with a sponge. Dry it thoroughly with a kitchen towel, adding a little vegetable oil to create a protective layer.
6. 6 As such, the wok can be stored between uses.

Method 2 of 2: Regular grooming

1. 1 Get used to the black bloom on the wok. This is a protective layer of soot and does not need to be washed off.
2. 2 Rinse with water. Never wash the wok with detergent. Just rinse it with hot water using a sponge to remove any burns and dirt from the surface. Some chefs recommend using a bamboo brush to keep the wok clean between uses. Wipe the wok well with paper towels and heat it a little by adding vegetable oil. When the wok starts to get sticky, reheat it as above.

Tips

• Some people prefer to heat the wok in an oven.
• Peanut or corn oil is ideal for calcining woks as they have a maximum soot formation temperature.

Warnings

• Never pour oil directly onto a hot wok - it can ignite as the wok is too hot. Some people prefer to add oil from the very beginning so that it warms up with the pan, but it is better not to do this the first time: when the pan is ignited for the first time, the industrial oil has not yet burned to the end. In the future, before using, you can heat the oil along with the pan.
• Never spill oil; it is so hot that it could ignite. Keep a blanket and a fire extinguisher handy just in case. If this does happen, never use water to fight an oil fire. This will only make it flare up again - read the article on how to put out an oil fire.

What do you need

• Wok
• Cooking tongs or spatula
• Kitchen paper towels
• Vegetable oil