ryankimura

Sounds like a great start. I started with one of her books as well, and with that same chive method. I just ordered my portable kahuna too (thanks for the reminder, would have come to a nice spring day and been mad i forgot!). Will post pictures also when it finally gets nice out in chicago. Would be interested to know your clean up routine or methods also. i have a bamboo brush and usually just rinse with water and scrub, sometimes over heat, immediately after stir frying. since i dont deep fry often, i periodically re-season or coat a few times with oil. Ryan

Well i think that seals the deal for me. Thanks Oliver and Chris for the diligent research! happy wokking, share your results..

Personally, the more power the better. I've cooked on woks via your average short propane burner for 2 years. I regularly used it for dinner for 1-3 people, but that usually means 1-4 dishes, so they are adequately sized to the burner. The burner was about 50K BTUs with a 16 inch wok, and would not add more food than your typical sized chinese dish. I'd caution against actually using the 22 inch wok on the flame. As others have stated on here, I think you would need a really serious (even more than the kahuna) burner to cook appropriately on a 22 inch wok - meaning you need both more power and a wider source of heat. The round bottom woks (typical of the normal carbon steel catonese woks) slope gently and you are able to control the heat reasonably well (i.e. reduce the heat or pull away for a few seconds). So I don't realistically think there is a thing as too much heat. Maybe I am missing something, but it looks like the Big Kahuna is available standalone here: http://www.amazon.com/Eastman-Outdoors-90411-Portable-Adjustable/dp/B003GISCDK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1300136786&sr=8-1

Someone stole my outdoor burner I've been using for stir fry's and I'm looking to replace it with a taller one more appropriate for stir frying. As of March 2011, it looks like the only real options are the: 1. Big Kahuna Burner 2. PF13L70 from Outdoorstirfry (3rd option was the Bayou Classic Sportsman Choice Deluxe - but I ruled this out since it seems to be less well known and looks less stable) I've read of relatively good experiences on the Kahuna, but not much on the OutdoorStirFry.com options. Anyone have experience with this? It looks fairly homemade, so I question the longterm reliability. Does the Big Kahuna allow the wok (16 or 18 inch) to fit appropriately close to the burner? I've also read of concerns of rusting... Thanks, Ryan

Looking for dried elderflower to use in a ganache... Any recommendations on where to find online? In Chicago, if there are any specialty stores that carry this...