Wok Accessories – Kitchen Essentials

May 7, 2023 by Chef David

By Chef David

Cooking in a wok expanded my culinary repertoire, and collapsed the cooking time. The total time in the kitchen may be comparable because you need to chop and prepare the ingredients before you can start cooking.  Woks are designed to cook fast and hot, making them ideal for stir-fries, as well as for steaming and boiling.

Our article on Wok Cooking Basics focused on how to select and use a wok. The choice of whether to reach for a wok or frying pan depends on what you are cooking. As a general rule, select a frying pan to cook slowly, these recipes allow for more hands-off preparation.  Wok cooking is the other end of the spectrum. It is fast-paced requiring constant motion, stirring, flipping, and tossing.  Woks are designed for constant rocking blending flavors from various ingredients, referred to as tumbling. This cooking style provides even cooking, a nice mix, and an integrated flavor.

Wok cooking goes from raw to a crisp in seconds. Several utensils simplify the wok cooking process.

Wok Cooking Utensils

Cooking in a wok requires working quickly at a high heat, this style of cooking does not lend itself to Western-style utensils. Yosukata, the maker of our wok, also makes a lid and long-handled utensils. These utensils provide safety and protection from the heat.  We also discovered Dreamfarm’s clong which simplifies serving.

Splash Free Zone

Yosukata’s stainless steel wok lid offers protection from spills and splashing, while creating an enclosed cooking space that distributes the heat evenly. While you can cook effectively without a lid, the lid adds convenience.  For recipes that call for simmering or steaming (woks also make versatile steamers), covering the wok with a lid traps the heat, and allows the food to cook faster, distributing heat and flavors evenly throughout the cooking process.

If you purchase a lid, make sure it fits your wok. The one we tested was designed to be a perfect fit. It is made of sturdy stainless steel, so it is wear-resistant and dishwasher-safe. The Yosukata lid comes with a heat-resistant tempered glass insert which allows me to monitor the cooking process without lifting the lid.  There are also steam holes that prevent the buildup of pressure, condensation, boiling over, or spattering.   The lid has a secure, ergonomic handle that stays cool.

An interesting and non-traditional use for the lid is functioning as a container. Instead of finding a bowl, I simply flip over the lid and place the prepared ingredients inside. The lid was designed for this with vents located at the rim and not near the dome. Using the lid reduces the number of dishes you need to wash, and it holds a large amount of food.

Mixing from a Safe Distance

Since woks cook at high heat, it is important to maintain a safe stirring distance. While restaurant chefs have developed stronger wrists for tumbling, home chefs generally rely on kitchen utensils to mix the contents. I began using a long wooden spatula to stir the ingredients, then I shifted to more traditional Asian-designed utensils, the wok spatula and wok ladle.

The Asian-designed wok spatula and wok ladle are built for wok cooking, working over high heat from a safe distance. The spatula has a subtle curved shape that conforms to the rounded walls of a wok. Its form includes a thin lip for scraping and sides with a subtle rise, adaptations make it suited for tossing, mixing, scooping, and serving. Wok ladles are angled more softly than Western soup ladles.

We tested the long, light utensils, 18-inch stainless steel wok spatula, and ladle from Yosukata. Their cold-grip technology keeps the handles cool. These tools are light, and long allowing mixing from a safe distance. Unlike wooden wok tools, they can withstand years of intensive daily use without breaking or warping. The handles on both have holes for easy hanging. The stainless steel finish has a clean look and feel.

Yosukata products can be purchased online

Serving Simplified

Wok ladle and spatula are good for kitchen cooking and serving, but they are a bit large and therefore do not lend themselves to move from the kitchen to the dining room. I found the clong, a utensil designed especially for grabbing provided an enjoyable serving experience, both in and out of the kitchen. The clong is useful and fun for grabbing items from a serving plate or wok (it is especially useful for pasta dishes).

Clong has a metal shaft with red silicone grabbers at the end designed to be operated with one hand. It has a push button at the top, like a pen, with one click it locks closed or opens. The shaft of the clong is hollow to reduce the weight. Our favorite aspect is it was designed with a creative bend to rest easily on a table or work surface while suspending the grabbers safely above the surface, no resting plate is required.

The gripping surface is made of red silicone that can withstand heat up to 500 degrees, making it suitable for use with woks or cooking and flipping proteins in a traditional fry pan and even for summer grilling. The silicone grippers can be used in nonstick pans, without risk of scratching. The grippers are designed with a waffle-shaped head, which can pick up small pieces of food.

We found the design comfortable to use for lifting, serving, and selecting items from the wok. It is light, and easy to manipulate, which makes it ideal for both wok and non-wok serving, and meal prep.

Dream Farm

Clongs are made by Dreamfarm, an award-winning Australian design company launched in 2003, to create new and incredibly useful kitchen tools and gadgets. They solve problems and find better ways to work, describing themselves as “dreamers of dreams and the makers of things. Just a bunch of everyday dudes from Brisbane, Australia, that love what we do and believe in creating useful products that make sense, not junk.” True to their word, the clong returns dexterity to grabbing and serving.

We also tested one of their earlier inventions scizza, combining a scissor pizza cutter with a unique spatula shoe that slides under your pizza. The scizza protects your non-stick pans and is heat resistant to 400°F. While it is a novelty item, it is also an upgrade to pizza cutters and makes the perfect present for a pizza connoisseur. Dreamfarm invents tools to solve problems you never knew you had, with a wide range of fun creative kitchen items.

Dreamfarm can be ordered online.

Accessorize your Wok

While you can cook in a wok without these accessories, adding them can improve your efficiency. Using an Asian-designed wok spatula and ladle created for cooking in a wok, makes sense, and so does the wok lid. They are nice to have items for those who wok-cook infrequently, but after adding wok recipes to my cooking rotation, these utensils are a game changer. The clong is practical and fun to use in the kitchen and is ideal for pasta dinners and grilling. It is a versatile accessory, and functional, with a silly name.

Cooking should be fun. Adding these kitchen essentials is one way to add flare to your stir-fry.

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Garlicky Broccoli Recipe (adapted from Woks of Life)

Ingredients

• 4 cups broccoli florets
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons water
• 5 cloves minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon oil
• 1 tablespoon dry white wine
• ½ cup chicken stock
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon white pepper
• ½ teaspoon Eden toasted sesame oil

Instructions

1. Make a slurry by mixing the cornstarch with water stir until it is completely dissolved.
2. Bring about 6 cups of water to a boil in your wok and add the broccoli. Blanch for a minute, drain, and put the broccoli into cold water to stop the cooking process.
3. Heat the wok over high heat, once it is very hot, add the oil, garlic, broccoli, and wine. Stir fry for a minute and pour in the stock. Let the mixture come to a boil.
4. Add salt, white pepper, and sesame oil, and give it another quick stir.
5. Stir in half of the slurry and let the sauce cook and thicken until it coats the back of a spoon. Add more slurry if it’s not thick enough.
6. Plate, serve and enjoy!