Thursday, November 13, 2008

5000 Years of Culinary Tradition



Pardon my dirty stovetop, but is this not the most ingenious thing you've ever seen?

Father of Food bought a traditional iron wok some time in the early 1970s, which I've had and kept seasoned for the past fifteen, twenty years or so, and for all these years, we've gotten along just fine with the simple metal ring that supports the wok over the fire. But at our new apartment, the ring just doesn't work. If I set the ring on the metal grate and the wok on top, it's just a little too precariously balanced, and if I dispense with the ring, it's even more unstable. This can be pretty disconcerting when you've got a wok full of oil at the smoke point and a toddler running around. If I put the wok on the ring directly on the stovetop without the grate, as I've done with some other rangetops, the wok is too close to the flame and isn't centered properly.



So today I was at one of our local Chinese markets, and for a mere six dollars, I found this heavy iron grate for supporting a wok that replaces the regular grate. That's the regular grate on the back burner, and the wok grate on the front burner. The wok is much more stable on this thing than it ever was on the metal ring, and it's just the right distance from the flame.

7 comments:

Family of Food said...

So, should I assume we are having stir fry for dinner? See you tonight Son of Food.

Son of Food said...

Thanks, FoF for the action shot! For readers who wonder what we look like, that's my hand in there, keeping the baby bok choy in motion.

Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Unknown said...

Hi,

I just can't find this grate anywhere in Vancouver, B.C. There are tons of Chinese shops and store here. I went through a dozen or so of them with no luck... Any further tips on where exactly you acquired this grate in your area? Thanks!

Son of Food said...

I got mine at the Great Wall market in Elmhurst, Queens, New York, but I've noticed that they don't always have them in stock, so it's possible that these aren't constantly imported and maybe they come from a certain region and they might be easy to find in some North American Chinatowns (there are really three Asian shopping areas in Queens alone, each with its own identity and separate from the Chinatown in Manhattan), and not in others.

Byrdman said...

Does anyone body know where one can find this wok grate in Los Angeles or online?!?!? Please help!

Anonymous said...

I'd like to know where I can order one of these online myself.

Bookmark This Site


Powered By Blogger