The Must-Have Accessory You Need If You Ever Use a Wok at Home
published about 3 hours ago
Having spent most of my childhood in my family’s suburban Chinese restaurant on Long Island, New York, I grew up cooking with a wok. But when I moved out and finally got my very own wok, I neglected to also purchase one very critical accessory. And I quickly became frustrated by my food sticking and cooking unevenly. I’d be annoyed that I had to use a spatula and serving spoon to get out saucy dishes. And I would burn my hand from the wok’s proximal heat as I cooked.
To solve all of those issues, I just needed a wok chuan.
What Is a Wok Chuan?
Sometimes called a wok spatula, wok turner, Chinese spatula, or wok shovel, a chuan is a multi-tasking kitchen utensil that is indispensable when cooking in a wok. Designed specifically to complement the beautiful rounded walls of a wok, they scrape, stir, and serve — leaving no onion unturned or grain of rice left behind.
What Makes Wok Chuans Different from Spatulas?
One of the most important characteristics of a wok chuan is its curved shape. Wok chuans have subtly concave surfaces, barely perceptible convex tips, and slightly rounded, ultra-thin edges. Why? Speed and uniformity — both critical to good stir-fry.
While straight-edged spatulas will skip over spots, unable to follow the angle of the wok wall and floor, the soft angles of a chuan hugs them all. This means no patches of food are left unturned to stick and burn. The chuan’s exceptionally thin lip is designed for scraping and getting under thin cuts of meat and finely chopped ingredients as you cook. Additionally, this edge, if made of a strong material, gives you another chance to break up or chop meat or vegetables that you might not have cut small enough during prep.
The chuan’s sides are also notably raised. This helps you with the tossing, mixing, scooping, and serving. To differentiate from a common spatula even more, the chuan’s head is also tapered, beginning wider and narrowing toward the neck. This squatter shape enhances its capacity, while also reinforcing stability.
Finally, the chuan has a straighter angle from the head to handle than a standard turner. This allows you to toss from directly overhead, as you would salad, to better integrate ingredients and sauce.
Why Do You Need a Wok Chuan?
A wok is one of the most utilitarian cooking vessels on the planet (I say with only a little bias!), and this one simple, highly functional tool completes the pair. As mentioned, the slightly curved shape of the chuan is specific to the rounded nature of a wok’s walls and basin.
While I’ve already made compelling arguments for function, wok chuans are also important for wok safety. The sloping walls of woks are meant to radiate intense heat up, guiding flames outward as they follow the lines of the pan. This makes cooking in a wok considerably hotter than a skillet — a key differentiator between sautéing and stir-frying. It’s also why wok chuans have longer handles than Western spatulas: To keep your hand safely away from any bursts of flame or from hovering over radiant heat as you stir constantly.
I should note that in commercial kitchens and for expert users, chuans are often paired with a Chinese ladle or hoak, which are angled more softly than Western soup ladles. These two tools are used in tandem to throw food from one side to another — the hoak catching as the chuan scrapes and throws. It’s a motion that introduces oxygen while releasing steam to keep vegetables crisp, and teases oil molecules into the air in hopes of capturing wok hei — that fiery flavor in excellent stir-fry. However, the ladle isn’t entirely necessary when cooking at home.
Wok Chuans I Recommend
The perfect chuan match depends on your wok. Traditional woks are made of naturally nonstick (with a whole lot of seasoning!) carbon steel. But nonstick woks are very common these days. You can also buy stainless steel and cast iron woks.
For anything but nonstick, metal wok chuans are the preferred and traditional material. It’s durable and strong, allowing you to scrape with abandon. It’s non-reactive with acids, too, and often dishwasher-safe. However, it can scratch stainless steel and nonstick woks and will sound like nails on a chalkboard on cast iron ones.
I personally like silicone or nylon wok chuans, but suggest avoiding bamboo versions. These tend to be shorter, their heads narrower, and their front edges too thick to swoop underneath food.
In all honesty, I have yet to land on the perfect chuan for home use. However, that doesn’t mean I haven’t found some great ones! Here are eight wok chuans I recommend.
Buy Now1. YYP Silicone Wok Spatula
A bit on the shorter side, this very inexpensive chuan is easy to work with on my standard gas range, which is limited by an above-the-stove microwave. The wood handle is heat-resistant, but it’s not above scorching when leaning against the wok surface. It’s not the best at scraping crusted or burnt-on remnants, but scoop and stir enough and you can avoid having to scrape at all.
Buy Now2. Staub Wok Turner
This chuan has a mostly silicone construction, so it won’t scorch easily. It’s sturdy, has a large capacity, and, at just over a foot long, it’s a great pick for a smaller wok , like ones with 8- to 10-inch diameters.
Buy Now3. Bundlepro Silicone Wok Spatulas
This two-pack comes in cute whimsical colors to suit any kitchen and is functional, to boot. One-piece molded construction means the head won’t pop off inopportunely, as some dual-material chuans have been known to do. Its length, at 13 inches, is all-purpose, and its width is ideal. Plus, it’s dishwasher-safe, heat-resistant, and has a non-slip grip.
Buy Now4. BYBYCD Wood Spatula Turner
I argued against the use of wood for woking, but if it’s your preferred material, this is one of the better ones to buy . It has a shovel-shaped head and as thin a lip as you’ll find in a wooden chuan .
Buy Now5. Zulay Kitchen Premium Wok Spatula
This one really is an ideal shape and size. The ergonomic curved handle is lovely to grip. Be warned, though — its beautifully thin blade is sharp and not meant for nonstick and will even scratch stainless steel woks.
Buy Now6. TableCraft Bamboo Handle Wok Spatula
This is a common top pick among many buying guides, with a sizeable 11-inch handle. Its traditional shape hits all the marks at a reasonable price.
Buy Now7. Spatula & Ladle Wok Tool Set
For those who want to try their hands at using a chuan and hoak together, this is a great value commercial-grade set . The tools’ wooden handles, generously lengthy at over 14 inches, keep your hands safely above rising flames, and the one-piece forging ensures durability. Their longevity is further reinforced with titanium plating, which keeps it safe from oxidation, rust, and general wear.
Buy Now8. ZhenSanHuan Chinese Traditional Handmade Iron Tool Set
Beautiful one-piece construction from hand-hammered iron makes this uncoated professional-looking set a dream, and it’s still pretty affordable. Like a carbon steel wok, this similarly traditional set is one you would need to season, but it’ll last forever.
Do you have a wok chuan you love? Tell us about it in the comments!
Su-Jit Lin
Contributor
Su-Jit's life revolves around food, travel, and words, with each feeding into the other. She's a lover of puns and telling the stories of human experience on both sides of the hospitality space.
Source : food
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