Vegetarian Cooking tools?!
Vegetarian Cooking tools?
I was considering buying a Wok, since I have heard it is a good tool to have on hand if you are a vegetarian. But since I'm a begginer vegetarian I wanted to know if thats ture? Should I buy it?
Let me know what you think.
Answers:
Buying a wok has nothing to do with being a vegetarian or otherwise. I've had a wok for a few years now. I basically use it for stir fried dishes and once in while I use it for steaming. But quite honestly, as far as steaming is concerned, you could use just about any kind of pot. The reason I use for steaming is because the bamboo steaming basket that I have fits perfectly into the wok.
But to answer your question, if you think you will be using it often, then it is a good tool to have in your kitchen.
If you already have a pot, a vegetable steamer and a frying pan then buying a wok won't really change what you can and can't do in the kitchen.
As a vegetarian, the one thing I use that most people don't is a garlic press. I actually use it to extract the juice from ginger, which I then use in all sorts of dishes from soups to salad dressings.
It's not really needed (as others have said). The main problem with using a wok is that it doesn't fit on normal burners so regular pans work better!
The 'weird' (to most folks minds) item I use the most is a big, heavy Korean meat cleaver. It's been reground to a 17 degree angle that makes it useless for it's intended purpose of cutting bones but makes it fantastic for slicing veggies and mincing herbs. Much easier to use than standard chefs knives or the trendy santukos!
As for 'strange' cooking utensils I use my pressure cooker much more than my wok. It makes cooking beans and stew much faster and if you ever decide to try making your own soy milk and/or tofu it's indispensable for cooking soybeans!!