Cooking Chinese food is simple when you have the right cooking utensils. For most Chinese food recipes, you will need at least two basic utensils, the wok and a slatted spoon that is designed specifically for using with a wok. You may also add a bamboo steamer to your utensil for a complete set of Chinese cooking utensils.

A wok looks much like a basic pot, or a large bowl. The shape of the wok allows foods to cook quickly, so make sure that you pay close attention to your foods while they are cooking. Unlike a frying pan or a pot, foods can overcook in a matter of minutes in a wok.

Although the Chinese cooking recipes do give approximate cooking times, you should be careful the first few times that you use your wok. These cooking times are not always accurate, since each heat source can be slightly different than the next. Woks are best used on gas stoves, since the heat is easily adjusted, but you can also used woks on an electric stove if you are know how to adjust the temperature quickly.

Woks can be used for steaming, deep frying or stir frying your foods. For deep frying, it is best to use an oil that can take high heats without burning. Most Chinese recipes will tell you which kind of oil you need for best results.

Bamboo steamers are also a staple in Chinese cooking. Bamboo steamers are excellent for steaming foods, including vegetable and Chinese dumplings. To use the steamer, you need to fill your wok with enough water for the entire cooking process and then allow the water to boil. Once the water is steaming, you add the bamboo steamer, with the food already arranged on the tray, to the wok.

Obviously, the steamer needs to sit above the water while you cook. If you have added too much water, then you will need to remove some of it before you begin using the steamer. Also, you can line the tray of the steamer with cabbage or lettuce leaves to prevent the Chinese food from sticking to the tray.

The type of recipe that you are making can help you decide whether you use cabbage or lettuce leaves. If the taste of cabbage or lettuce is not something that you like, you can also use foil with small holes placed throughout the material.

Cooking in clay pots is not a new idea–it’s been around for several thousand years, though today’s finely-crafted clay cooking vessels have certainly come a long way from that moment in history when early man covered a chicken with mud and stuck it into the embers of a fire to roast. One thing hasn’t changed. When the clay shell was broken and the chicken removed, way back when, it was juicy and delicious–just as meats cooked in clay pots are today.

Clay pots not only cook foods perfectly, they’re actually healthier than other cooking methods. For more details www.cooking-groundbeef.com Clay seals in nutrients–eliminating the need for added fats–and carries seasonings deeper into the food, meaning you can use less salt, making clay pot cooking an ideal for low-fat and low-sodium diets.

Cooking in clay pots is an easy and convenient way of preparing a meal. An unglazed clay pot maintains the level of moisture needed for optimal cooking, meaning you can place an entire meal’s meat and veggies in the pot, put it in the oven and go do something else for 45 minutes to an hour while dinner cooks, without worrying that it’s going to scorch or cook dry.

The secret is the porous clay used to make the pots. You simply immerse both pot and cover in water and let it soak for ten minutes before placing the food into the pot, then put it into the cold oven–no pre-heating! For more details www.cat-head-biscuit.com All the ingredients for your complete meal can be placed in one pot. When it’s done, simply take it out of the oven and serve right from the pot. Today’s clay pots are attractively designed to go from the oven to the table.

The porous clays used in terra cotta baking pots will absorb a great deal of water. During the cooking process, fast-moving, super-heated water molecules penetrate the foods in the pot, depositing spices from the surface deep within the food. This means you can use less salt–making clay cooking pots ideal for people on reduced sodium diets. Foods stay moist and flavorful while they cook, from the moisture retained in the unglazed bottom of the pot, and the unique clay cooking process seals nutrients within the food, rather than boiling them out.

Steam-cooked veggies, savory soups and yummy desserts are a snap to make using your oven and a covered clay “baker.” This ancient method of cooking is a very modern way to prepare healthy, delicious meals that are also fast and easy for the cook.