Chinese Kitchen Equipment
An ordinary frying-pan ( a good wide one ) can take the place of the Chinese "wok". This is a semi-sphere which requires a special application of heat. The Chinese cook can first fry fish or meat or poultry or vegetables in his "wok", then push it upwards and aside while preparing additional ingredients in the base of  the vessel, keeping both apart. American or Britain will use flat flying-pans, fry the fish or other food and transfer it to a heated dish while carrying out the second preparation, or use another flying-pan.The wok is also used as the base for steamed dishes. Traditional flat, round bamboo steamers are fitted over a wok filled with water ( they can be stacked on top of each other, up to four or five at a time ).
A large frying-pan is much better than a small one because food can be tossed or turned, or both, in it without fear of spilling. One of the best all-round cutting and chopping implements is a meat cleaver. Suggested that buying two of them. These cleavers are very versatile. With one of them you can scrape the scales off fish or disjoint a raw chicken, cutting cleanly through the bones to make the mouth-sized pieces of chicken so much served in Chinese dishes. With two cleavers, one in each hand, you can cut meat or vegetables into wafer-thin pieces, doubly quick, of course, without losing any of their juices as you would do in a mincing machine.  A wooden chopping block in the kitchen would be more than useful but a good thick meat-cutting board can stand in very well for it.  When it comes to deep-fat frying, a deep oval pot with a wire basket would be better than a round one, especially for those occasions when you want to deep-fat fry a good-sized fish or a whole duck, such as Cantonese duck.
Other implements: A long-handled flattish round skimmer, perforated or made of wire; a ladle which can also serve as a measure and a cup; one's ordinary fish slices, spatulas, colanders and sieves. When it comes too noodle nests, do try to find a small frying-basket just wide enough in which to shape the noodles before deep-frying them. Such a basket will help you to make the "nests" as professionally as do the Chinese cooks. For steaming foods, an ordinary streamer will do very well.
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