Wok

The range of woks these days is immense, although unfortunately most of them are inadequate. The best to buy is one of carbon steel, with a diameter of about 14 inches. It is the all-purpose Chinese cooking utensil and can be used for stir frying and deep frying, dry roasting and sauce making; with the addition of bamboo steamers, it is a perfect steamer as well. Its seasoning and care are discussed in the section on cooking techniques.