Cooking Utensils

At this point, we have gathered our first group of basic Chinese ingredients. But before leaving Chinatown, I insist that my students visit a store, one of only a few, that is a treasure trove of Chinese cooking equipment. All of the shops are called, simply, hardware stores by their proprietors. We walk into one and the questions come. What sort of wok is best? Which should I have? Should I have more than one? Which steamer should I buy? Which knives, and how many? Spatulas? Ladles? The number of Chinese cooking tools is not large, but it is important to buy well and to equip yourself properly, so that when you begin to cook, you will have the best and most suitable in hand. I begin each time in a particular aisle, its floor piled high with woks.