How good is carbon steel compared to stainless stell and cast iron? I was given a spare wok by my family which I think is carbon steel and idk what to do with it (yet). Does it necessarily need a coating like cast iron or can i just use it like my stainless steel pan?
>>22268223You ever watch that film where as soon as the aliens touch water they curl up and die? That's carbon steel
>>22268226:(
Ok so i tried to do what I was guessing is seasoning the wok but the egg was still sticking like a bitch
>>22268223I bought a wok and used it like three timea, it's been taking up space and collecting dust for years. I should pull it out and use it a few more times.
just get a deep saute pan. Woks are a waste of money and space unless you have high powered gas burners which smoke out your kitchen to shit
>>22268295Eggs in a wok is a bit tricky, my wok is just a bit more seasoned than your picrel but you do need to remember a few things.Firstly, you do need a little more oil/fat than you appear to have. Secondly, I cook with gas and the flames tend to flow past the bottom and heats the sides more, leaving the flat bit on the bottom colder than the sides, so you should use a smaller ring. Woks aren't really ideal for fried eggs/omelettes anyway, even though I use it. I recall a Chinese chef who uses a non stick wok at home, like he said you only have 2-3Kw, whereas a restaurant has around 40Kw and can handle the smoke a bit more.
>>22268223Buy a non stick wok and forget about your troubles.
You also need to preheat the wok very very well. Completely dry, with no oil on it. Only add the oil when ready to begin cooking. >>22268612You don't really need to drown all in oil. No one except the fatsoest of the fatsos wants oily eggs. What you really need is spreading the oil very evenly in a way that covers all the pan area. Also works with any other non nonstick pan. Pic related. Your best friend
>>22268656>You don't really need to drown all in oil.I never said you should but the thing is with these flat bottomed woks is the fat will run down the sides and pool on the flat anyway unless you are stirring and shaking, which you don't do with eggs.
>>22268662The iron is slightly porous. If you preheat it well, a small coating of oil will plug those pores and it becomes near nonstick. I make my eggs on cast iron all the time using miniscule amount of an extremely spread out oil. Thin layer of oil doesn't really"flow" down the pan all that much.
>>22268669>Thin layer of oil doesn't really"flow" down the pan all that much.Oh yes it does.I gave up cooking eggs on cast iron years ago, it doesn't work and I have the distinct feeling you are being disingenuous.
>>22268672>it doesn't workskill issue i cook my eggs in carbon steel anon>>22268669 is correct
>>22268673>skill issueMeme replyAnd saying the other anon is correct is you commenting on yourself.I have already said I cook eggs with carbon steel but you are lying about the cast iron, as I said here. >>22268672> I have the distinct feeling you are being disingenuous.
>>22268672I'm not disingenuous at all.
>>22268689Your pan is a lot smoother than mine but I take my hat off to you.
>>22268656>You also need to preheat the wok very very well.I thought the point of seasoning the wok would be that id have a non-stick coating of some sorts that meant I wouldnt need to do that pre-heating. From what I can tell carbon steel just seems like a worse stainless stell then? I have to be more careful with rust, I seasoned it, it's still just as "sticky" meaning I need to wait for the leidenfrost effect to kick in etc etc
>>22268775The difference of cast iron, stainless and carbon steel is not big. Chris young has a YouTube vid about it. Tldr: Thermal conductivity of carbon beats stainless.
>>22268775The only thing better about stainless is that it can survive being mistreated and can be used for acidic liquids that would strip seasoning off. Carbon is more nonstick due to the seasoning but you have to scrub it without soap and then dry it. If you can't do that, don't use it. Rust isn't an issue if you just treat it a certain way.
>>22268788Cheers m8>>22268899I mean I guess I havent extensively used the wok yet but on my stainless steel pan, the eggs dont stick so idk about the "more non-stick" thing so far..
>>22269038you just have to use it and suffer until the seasoning develops. when it happens you will know.
>>22268788>>22268899I bought a wok that I believe is carbon steel and has enamel so its described as vitreous steel.It has a non-stick coating called Quantum2 by former Whitford Corporation. Supposedly is made of PTFE and ceramic. Was it a worthy buy? Because I had the idea of getting a real carbon steel wok to season because I couldn't use high temperatures on these coatings. Is there anything that I should do specifically while using this wok that is different then other woks?
