Chinese Cooking Tools: Key Essentials for Flavorful Dishes
If you also love cooking Chinese cuisine as much as I do, then I recommend the following essential Chinese cooking tools. These kitchen essentials will make you a master chef in no time!
Essential Tools for Stir-Frying
Stir-frying is one of the most common and important cooking methods in Chinese cuisine.
Wok:
The core tool of Chinese cooking.
Iron woks are the first choice due to their fast heat conductivity and high heat resistance, making them suitable for stir-frying and deep-frying.
Non-stick woks are more suitable for beginners as they require less oil and are easy to clean.
Woks come in various shapes, and the two common ones are round-bottomed and flat-bottomed.
Round-bottomed woks are suitable for traditional Chinese stoves, while flat-bottomed woks are more suitable for modern induction cookers and gas stoves.
Wok Spatula:
When stir-frying, a wok spatula helps to quickly and evenly cook the ingredients.
The spatula typically has a curved surface, making it easier to scoop up the food.
There are two common types: metal and wooden spatulas. The metal spatula is durable and perfect for stir-frying harder ingredients, while the wooden spatula won’t damage the surface of the wok, making it ideal for non-stick pans.
Pot Lid:
Normally, a pot lid comes with a wok when you buy it. It can be used to maintain the temperature, lock in moisture and aroma, help the ingredients absorb flavors, and be evenly heated. Especially when making stewed, steamed, or braised dishes, you usually need to cover the pot with a lid.
Essential Tools for Steaming
Steaming is a common way to preserve the original flavor and nutrients of the ingredients.
Bamboo or Metal Steamer Baskets:
Made of bamboo or stainless steel, they can be stacked layer by layer and are traditional tools for steaming foods such as buns, steamed bread, and seafood.
Steamer:
Equipped with multiple steaming grids, it is suitable for steaming a large amount of food and keeping the original flavor of the food.
Modern steamers also include electric steamers, which are more convenient to use.
Steaming Rack:
Used to support the food, allowing the ingredients to be evenly heated, preventing the ingredients from directly contacting the bottom of the pot and avoiding sticking.
Steaming racks are generally made of stainless steel and come in various shapes, such as round and square. You can choose a suitable steaming rack according to the size of the steamer and the shape of the ingredients.
I suggest just getting an electric steamer, and you can cook all kinds of Chinese steamed dishes.
Essential Tools for Soup Simmering
Soup simmering is an essential part of Chinese cuisine. The flavor of the soup is closely related to the simmering tools.
Earthenware Pot:
Made of clay, it heats evenly. The microporous structure promotes the exchange of flavor substances. It is suitable for simmering various soups for a long time, retaining the essence of the ingredients and making the soup taste richer. Examples include mother chicken soup and medicinal cuisine. It can still keep warm for 3 hours after cooling.
Stewing Pot:
Modern stewing pots include electric stewing pots and slow cookers. They are more convenient to use and can set the temperature control. They are suitable for slow stewing for a long time, keeping the soup sweet and fresh.
Pressure Cooker:
It quickly releases the nutrients of the ingredients and shortens the simmering time. It is recommended for simmering tough ingredients such as beef brisket and spare ribs.
Steaming Casserole:
A traditional container for simmering soup, usually made of ceramic or earthenware, which can be heated slowly to maintain the freshness of the soup ingredients.
Individual serving steaming casseroles can achieve "steaming over water", retaining the original juice of the ingredients. It is the soul tool for Cantonese stewed dishes like "Coconut Chicken Soup Steamed in Original Casserole".
Soup Ladle:
With a long handle design, it is convenient to scoop out ingredients from hot soup and keep the surface of the soup clean.
Exclusive Tools for Pastries
Rolling Pin:
For Chinese recipes (such as rolling out dumpling wrappers or dough for steamed buns), a rolling pin is needed. It has no handle and is much smaller than European or American rolling pins. It is about 1 inch thick and 11 inches long, making it easier to operate.
Dough Cutter:
Sharp and durable, it allows for even cutting of dough, making it essential for shaping dough-based dishes.
Dumpling Mold:
It can quickly shape dumpling wrappers, suitable for large-scale home production and improving efficiency.
Steaming Cloth:
Lined at the bottom of the steamer basket to prevent pastries from sticking and absorb excess moisture at the same time.
Essential Tools for Pickling
Pickling jar:
For pickling vegetables, salted pickles, and other fermented foods, a pickling jar is essential.
Traditional ceramic pickling jars feature a water-sealed rim design, which creates an anaerobic environment that promotes fermentation by microorganisms, enhancing the flavor of the pickled food.
When using a pickling jar, make sure it is clean and oil-free. During the pickling process, ensure it is properly sealed to prevent air from entering, which could cause the food to spoil.
Cutting and Preparation Tools
Kitchen Knife:
Chinese kitchen knives are versatile, sharp, and durable, suitable for cutting various ingredients.
Cutting Board:
Made of wood or plastic, anti-slip and durable, it is the foundation for kitchen cutting operations.
Knife Sharpener:
Keeps knives sharp, improves cutting efficiency, and extends the service life of knives.
Regional Specialty Tools
Copper Hot Pot (Old Beijing Hot Pot):
A copper pot heated by charcoal is suitable for boiling mutton. It conducts heat quickly and evenly, preserving the tenderness of the mutton slices.
Casserole for Clay Pot Rice:
A specialty in Guangdong, the thick-bottomed earthenware pot forms a crispy rice crust at the bottom. It is necessary to preapply grease to prevent sticking.
Other Essential Tools
Slotted Spoon:
A slotted spoon is used to pick up deep-fried or blanched ingredients. It has many small holes on its surface, allowing excess oil or water to drain.
Chopsticks:
A representative of Chinese tableware, chopsticks are flexible for picking up food and are also a cultural symbol for conveying emotions.
Oven:
An oven is used for baking and roasting food. It can adjust temperature and time to achieve an ideal roasting effect for food.
Rice Cooker:
A rice cooker is used for cooking rice and making soup. It has functions of automatic insulation and reservation, which are convenient and fast.
Electric Pressure Cooker:
An electric pressure cooker is used for quickly stewing food. It can shorten the cooking time and make the food more flavorful.
Electric Hot Pot:
If you're a big fan of hot pot, buying an electric hot pot directly is very convenient. It supports adjusting the heat level, making hot pot cooking simple. Moreover, it is a dual-flavor pot that can cook different-flavored soup bases at the same time.
Zester or Grater:
Sometimes you need a simple grater to quickly and easily mince or grate some ginger. They are inexpensive and are essential tools for quickly and easily getting tasks done in the kitchen.
Mortar and Pestle
A mortar and pestle are very useful tools in the kitchen. They are essential for quickly crushing spices such as cumin and pepper, as well as for crushing garlic, onions, and herbs.
