Wok vs. Skillet

[luvgoing2disney]

Even though my DW and I enjoy fried rice (especially at one local restaurant) we had never made it at home. I thought I would give it a try this past weekend, and it turned out pretty well, if I do say so myself. But I began wondering about a skillet cooking in comparison to a wok. The recipe said it could be cooked in a skillet, which is what I used, but would a wok make THAT much difference?

 

[jeepwreck]

I also use a wok when I make fried rice at home. i donno if it make a difference but that's what i use

 

[wishesuponastar]

We use a skillet.

 

[lynxstch]

We have a skillet and a wok, and I don't find much difference between the 2 when making fried rice. I just find myself using the skillet more often.

 

[MataHari22]

My dad makes really excellent Chinese food. He makes it a couple times a week. He ended up getting a super burner on his stove that would come in contact and heat up the wok properly, so it can be used as intended. The flames come up around the sides of the wok. A lot of the time, especially depending on what you're cooking, you would actually be better off using a skillet or something that comes in contact better with the heat source versus a wok with a round bottom that isn't made to sit on most stoves. I've also seen some woks now, that have a bit of a flat bottom, which would probably help get better results.

 

[luvgoing2disney]

Our stove is electric so we would not have flames from a gas stove to go up the sides of the wok. With an electric stove, the skillet may be the best option.

 

[mnrose]

Unless you have a super hot burner (50,000 BTU or higher), it won't make much difference. A wok has more cooking surface, and is phenomenal at cooking foods super fast with a HOT burner. My DH was so frustrated by wok cooking before I got him a standalone 100000 BTU burner (sounds like a jet engine taking off when in use, and ONLY for use outdoors). But, man, what a difference. Meat is cooked, and veggies, hot but still crispy, like in a good Chinese restaurant.

But, with a regular burner? Nope. Won't matter at all.

 

[Christine]

I use both and there's not much difference (I have gas cooking). The wok will give you much more surface area when cooking and is great when you have a big stir-fry or something and you need high sides as you are pushing it around. I find that my 14 inch skillet handles most jobs though.

 

[FairestOfThemAll37]

Echoing what others have said about the heat source plus the wok being the key to replicating Chinese food.

 

[morgan98]

I about the heat source, but I also would not discount the material the wok is made of either.

We purchased a Le Crueset wok and that thing gets very hot and stays very hot for a long time on our highest BTU burner.

 

[Cogswel_Cogs]

I make Chinese food a lot and Wok is better and faster but IMO only if you have decent burner. I barely get by with what I have wish is the biggest commercial burner on market. If you have four equal sized burners on your stove wok most likely wont get hot enough to use effectively.
Without a decent burner (again IMO) skillet might even be better.

 

[monsterkitty]

We use our Blackstone and cook it on the griddle. Huge surface.

Key to great fried rice is to use day-old rice. Just make sure you cool it on a cookie sheet so that it cools evenly and bacteria doesn't grow, even while in the fridge.

 

[Cogswel_Cogs]

We use our Blackstone and cook it on the griddle. Huge surface.

Key to great fried rice is to use day-old rice. Just make sure you cool it on a cookie sheet so that it cools evenly and bacteria doesn't grow, even while in the fridge.

Totally agree with the old rice. Though day might be a little youthful to when I will toss it in the wok.

 

[AppleDumpling]

Zombie thread from 7 years ago, but responding to new post:

I want to buy a good wok, but having looked through the people's posts, I see that a lot of them prefer a skillet. Can't make the choice.

I have a Breville electric wok that I love. Have had it for many years, and use it often for all kinds of stir-fry meals. I use a skillet on my gas stove for different things.

 

[starvenger]

Zombie thread from 7 years ago

I want to buy a good wok, but having looked through the people's posts, I see that a lot of them prefer a skillet. Can't make the choice.

Wok's aren't great if you don't have a gas stove. The stand alone electric one should do the trick as a substitute.

But if you're making fried rice, wok's can make a huge difference in how the rice turns out. Skillet will be a bit uneven, with some grains getting crispy and some not crispy at all (think hibachi-style fried rice), whereas you should get a more even cook with the wok. I don't think either is a bad option, just a preference. I do seem to get more flavour from the wok though. I think our burners run hot enough so that we can get that wok hay. Flames don't go up the sides, but it creeps up enough to get what I need, and I can usually get the rice done before the smoke alarm goes off.

 

[LuvOrlando]

My dad makes really excellent Chinese food. He makes it a couple times a week. He ended up getting a super burner on his stove that would come in contact and heat up the wok properly, so it can be used as intended. The flames come up around the sides of the wok. A lot of the time, especially depending on what you're cooking, you would actually be better off using a skillet or something that comes in contact better with the heat source versus a wok with a round bottom that isn't made to sit on most stoves. I've also seen some woks now, that have a bit of a flat bottom, which would probably help get better results.

Yay you but really, you can't drop a brag on something like that without recipes, so do tell

 

[jerrywilliams]

My vote is for Wok, but it has to be a proper one, not Tefal or similar popular brands.
You can find a decent thing here for sure https://yоsukata.com/carbon-steel-woks/ and you will know for sure that you paid the money for the quality not just for the name. They have a good choice for different cooking skills and those woks will last you for ages.