Kitchen equipment shop in Helsinki

[Rosamunda]

I got the Swiss Diamond sauteuse from Prisma. Not exactly a wok but almost. Only problem is that I use it on induction and the base is too big for my induction hob

IIRC there is an OPA outlet at the Iittala/Arabia factory outlet on Hameentie (far end, Arabianranta? near the tram terminus) but it's a while since I've been, so might not be there any more.

[Cloudberry]

We ended up buying one from Ikea but all the non-stick coating is coming off in our food which is highly toxic.

I wonder what coating used in cookware is highly toxic? Somehow the whole idea of highly toxic stuff used in cooking reminds me of: http://www.dhmo.org/

or did Cloudberry mean that her food was highly toxic?

Nooooo! we only cook healthy food in our wok!

There's tonnes of info online about the dangers of coated cookware

http://www.ewg.org/reports/toxicteflon

http://www.wisegeek.com/is-teflon-dangerous.htm

[Cloudberry]

I've been eyeing off those swiss diamond ones but yes, the price has turned me off. I wonder if the coating they have is safe though. I'll have to do some more research I think. But I'll go check out that ceramic one on the way into Helsinki tomorrow too. Thanks again

[Mook]

There's tonnes of info online about the dangers of coated cookware

Wikipedia seemed fairly balanced: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polytetrafluoroethylene

I think the message was that you shouldn't overheat the pan.

A 1959 study (conducted before the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the material for use in food processing equipment) showed that the toxicity of fumes given off by the coated pan on dry heating was less than that of fumes given off by ordinary cooking oils.

[Upphew]

I think the message was that you shouldn't overheat the pan.

A 1959 study (conducted before the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the material for use in food processing equipment) showed that the toxicity of fumes given off by the coated pan on dry heating was less than that of fumes given off by ordinary cooking oils.

So in the end it really was the food that was toxic...

edit. I think that teflon in pans is less dangerous than C2O5OH or H2O, at least with my cooking, drinking and sailing habits.

[tuulen]

...But since we used the wok nearly every night we thought we should invest in a high quality stainless steel one that won't suffer the same fate.

Since you use a wok on a regular basis you are in luck! The Chinese commonly use a wok made out of ordinary steel, not stainless steel, not teflon coated steel and not ceramic coated steel, but of plain old, ordinary steel. With regular use over time ordinary steel will develop a slick black, non-stick coating on the inner surface of the wok which works wonderfully. The ONLY drawback to an ordinary steel wok is that it can RUST if not used regularly, but apparently you are a regular user. Best of all, ordinary steel woks are what the Chinese normally manufacture and so they cost much less than any other kind of wok. Oh, in Chinese wok = pot, a cooking pot. I often use a wok, too.

[tuulen]

I think the message was that you shouldn't overheat the pan.

A 1959 study (conducted before the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the material for use in food processing equipment) showed that the toxicity of fumes given off by the coated pan on dry heating was less than that of fumes given off by ordinary cooking oils.

So in the end it really was the food that was toxic...

edit. I think that teflon in pans is less dangerous than C2O5OH or H2O, at least with my cooking, drinking and sailing habits.

Ah, but...

A good Chinese cook will always put a small amount of water into their wok before adding any oil, and then keep a small amount of water in their wok while cooking until just before the cooking is done, so the oil never gets hot enough to smoke, no matter how hot the wok gets. The keyword here is small. Too much water amounts to merely boiling the food, and that is not good. A good wok is a HOT wok, and an ordinary steel wok over HIGH heat works wonderfully! The trick is in having all of the ingredients cut to size, prepared and ready to go before cooking them, and to keep a bowl of water next to the wok in order to add a small splash of water when needed.

BTW, that method of cooking is very efficient, very fast and very good. Maybe Finland will adopt the wok for use at home?

[Rosamunda]

Maybe Finland will adopt the wok for use at home?

Nearly everyone I know up here has some kind of a wok. Wok food is to a Finn, what Chicken Tikka Masala is (or at least was, until recently) to a Brit.

When were you last in Finland tuulen? The 70s?

[sinikala]

Maybe Finland will adopt the wok for use at home?

Nearly everyone I know up here has some kind of a wok. Wok food is to a Finn, what Chicken Tikka Masala is (or at least was, until recently) to a Brit.

When were you last in Finland tuulen? The 70s?

Having bitten my lip at a lot of Tuulen's posts, I'm more inclined to suggest never.

[Cloudberry]

Well we made it to the Kokkipuoti cook shop and they had the wok we saw months back in stock still. It was 44,00 Euro. Photo and more about it at http://www.kenhom.com/news/NewsDetails/ ... oking.aspx

It looks and feels great - I can't wait to season and begin using it! I'll let you know how it goes.

[Cloudberry]

There's tonnes of info online about the dangers of coated cookware

Wikipedia seemed fairly balanced: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polytetrafluoroethylene

I think the message was that you shouldn't overheat the pan.

A 1959 study (conducted before the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the material for use in food processing equipment) showed that the toxicity of fumes given off by the coated pan on dry heating was less than that of fumes given off by ordinary cooking oils.

The problem is that when you're stir frying the key to a good stir fry is a hot wok - the kind of excess heat that releases the toxic gases. So yes, under normal conditions cooking regular food maybe the toxicity of teflon isn't so bad. But when you're cooking at high temps like we often do it's inevitable that you're going to overheat the teflon surface and release the nasty toxins. We have two frypans that are teflon which I think are fine, but we don't use the kind of heat on them as we do with our wok which is why it was so important for us to get a non-coated wok.

[darrylfoster]

what size was the Ken Hom wok

32 or 36cm?

[Mook]

Ken Hom, who'd have thunk it. My Wok is a Ken Hom one. Bought it back in '96..

[Cloudberry]

what size was the Ken Hom wok

32 or 36cm?

The Ken Hom green wok we bought yesterday is a 36cm - it's nice and big

[Cloudberry]

Ken Hom, who'd have thunk it. My Wok is a Ken Hom one. Bought it back in '96..

Wow, is it uncoated like this one? that's great it's lasted this long!