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A month ago I tried wokking on the BBQ for that "Wok Hei" thing (as per "the food lab"/Kenji Lopez suggestion). It was basically a disaster, but I found two useful facts based on measurements I made with my laser/infrared thermometer: 1. The BBQ heats up to considerably higher temperatures than the hob. 2. However, with the miniature BBQ I used, the wok itself heated up considerably more on my hob than it did on the BBQ. Which is to say, temperature alone doesn't do it. From whatever heat source you use, you need sufficient total heat output to quickly get the wok back up to cooking temperatures. Suddenly the bicycle-pump pressured jet burners used in Asia are starting to make a LOT more sense. LiuZhou: That's funny, from all the Chinese I've seen when I lived in Asia, most of them would get a nice car before they'd get a house looking good not only on the inside, but the outside as well (i.e. not box-shaped, if you see what I mean). I may be biased though as I never lived in China.

It is almost impossible to find round bottomed woks in China any more. All are flat bottomed or nearly so - some have a flat section at the very bottom, then round up a bit. Induction cookers are to blame. They are the fashion. Once it was to have a bicycle, then a radio, then a tractor, then a phone, then a motorcycle, then a house, then a car. Just before cars came free-standing induction cookers. Ideal for plonking down in the middle of the table for hot pots. But the woks would fall over, so they flattened them. I have spent the last two weeks trying to find a traditional round bottomed wok and failed. Prior to the induction cookers, all cooking was done by gas or directly from fossil fuels and wood etc. I've never seen an electric cooker in China (apart from table top induction cookers n the last few years.)

I was eating stir-fry all the time for a while, inspired by living on the border of Chinatown SF. For years I managed well enough with a traditional round-bottomed carbon steel wok (at least I think that's what it is--I bought it in Chinatown 40 years ago), a ring, and underpowered gas stoves. But even though I turned out some nice stir-fries, I was always conscious of the fact that a little more heat would be a lot better. I never found the flat bottom woks to be very effective, but it never occured to me to use one on gas stove; I thought they were designed for electric stoves. Finally I treated myself to a Viking stove once we moved to our own house. One option was a "wok burner" which we went for immediately. It is made of the same heavy cast iron as the others and is easily switched in as needed. It allows the wok to sit very firmly and lower to the flame than any ring would allow. So not only is the flame higher and hotter on the Viking, but the wok sits down further in it. Short of a more professional wok set-up this works pretty well. Perhaps there are other ranges now that have replaceable wok inserts even if the don't have more btu's. That might go part way toward more heat.

i think every poster on this thread has interpreted the OP and subsequent posters in every which way, and they are mostly correct in their own interpretations :-)) If by 'true' Chinese cuisine you mean as in the 'western' countries, or as in China? If it is as in the 'western' countries, then it is predominantly Cantonese or its derivatives, and wok hei IS a big deal in quite a lot of Cantonese stir-fry. But, Cantonese cuisine (Yuè cài) is not only about stir fry or wok hei (think dimsum, steamed seafood, blanched kai lan, etc). However, if it is about stir fry in China in general, then all bets are off, as there are at least 8 regional cuisines, of which Yuè cài is only one of them, and they differ significantly from each other. If it is only about achieving wok hei at home (are home stoves not really hot enough) as compared to what a restaurant can dish out, then IMO, its something like asking if one can produce a great grilled steak at home as compared to what can be expected from a steak restaurant, ie do most home cooks need or have an external/industrial/whatever grill and sous vide to achieve the same results? Also, a great steak, or a great wok hei, is very subjective, and if it came from ones own kitchen, one may tend to be less demanding, especially if most of the wok hei/steak experience is from ones own cooking. If it is a more general question about heat intensity and control and how it has evolved in Chinese cooking techniques, then you may want to watch this video that i had previously posted inhttp://forums.egullet.org/topic/145563-chinese-cuisine-and-cooking-techniques/The first episode is " optimal heating ' and you may then agree that it is not all about high flaming heat, and sous vide is not going to be adopted any time soon anywhere in China. Why flat bottomed on a gas stove? and why cast iron which will weigh a ton and how does one flip the contents during woking? it does not take much practice (using raw rice in a cold round bottom carbon steel wok) to learn that technique, which is somewhat similar to flipping pancakes (flapjacks), and is part of the art of achieving wok hei with or without a nuclear reactor as the heat source? I believe, as i have no proof, that Maillard reaction can only explain a small part of what it takes to achieve wok hei. happy woking.

I Did I suggest they shouldn't? Anywhere? I was asked what I felt the situation was regarding home cooking and wok hei in China. I answered that. i have no idea what relevance sous vide has here. Are you proposing sous vide wok cooking?

It's more than the Maillard reaction, there is also the Liedenfrost effect. A superheated surface instantly vaporizes any liquid that comes into contact with it, causing food to float on a bed of steam. This, combined with the typical stirring and tossing of wok cooking tends to selectively cook the surface of foods. Just because many Chinese home cooks don't have a high powered wok burner does not mean that the passionate cook should not bother. I don't think that people on eGullet are average cooks - this forum is the birthplace of Modernist Cuisine, we witnessed the birth of Alinea, and I am willing to wager that more of us own sous-vide machines than the general population. A high powered wok burner will give you different results than most piddly little stovetop hobs and in most cases it would be better. Why else do restaurants use it?

Maillard reaction, no question. but I have been thinking: In General Chemistry 101, I remember that chemical reaction can be initiated and/or accelerated under very high heat and vigorous agitation. Would it be possible that under extreme heat and stirring, new flavor compounds is created between various seasonings and food ingredients? beyond/in addition to maillard reaction? wok hei = C12H22O11CO(NH2)2NO2 CH3CH2OCH3? dcarch

A lot of the Chinese diaspora is Cantonese, so that may explain the prevalence of the wok hei concept abroad.

My jaw dropped open in amazement. Close to everyone I know knows about wok hei. They even know that if you order fried noodles in a restaurant, you try not to order two servings of the same dish because the chef will cook both servings at once and divide it in half - cook two servings, get less heat, get less wok hei.

I honestly don't think there is a question. It is not something Chinese home cooks obsess about the way some westerners do. They don't seem to even think about, if they even know about it. I have just conducted a quick and totally unscientific survey of 10 Chinese friends who are keen home cooks. Half asked me what is is 'wok hei'? ( I asked them in Chinese and they had never heard the word.) The others guessed what it is but said it isn't an issue at home. They don't expect it or need it. The idea that you cannot stir fry on a home cooker is ridiculous. Literally millions of Chinese people do so two or three times a day - even in Sichuan!

Liuzhou - can you address the whole wok hei at home question in terms of home cooking in China versus restaurants? The first time I saw someone use a real wok as opposed to the teflon electric ones being demonstrated in stores way back when, it was here in the states on a regular gas stove. I went to pick up my kid and the mom who was born and raised in Taiwan was making dinner. While waiting for the kids to pick up their toys I watched as she cooked a simple beef and gai lan dish. What impressed me was the progression of the ingredients into the pan, the movement of them, and the slicing. I did not have the opportunity to taste it but the smell made my tummy growl in anticipation.

The electric coil stove at my parent's house gets hot enough to IGNITE the oil in my wok if I leave it too long without food in it. As long as I don't overcrowd it, it gets plenty damn hot. In our London flat, the gas stove is hotter than ANY cheap apartment gas stove I've used, and is equally sufficient. Cheap apartment gas stoves, however, SUUUUUCK. I have yet to see how the stove at my new condo fares, it's a GE profile gas one. One thing to keep in mind when cooking at such high temperatures is that your kitchen will get EXTREMELY smoky, which may be why some say that stir-frying "can't" be done at home. (also, the comment about Sichuanese cooking not really having a concept of wok hei seems right, I can't think of any Sichuanese dishes that employ it, or are even stir fried (chao) - Gong bao chicken would be a famous exception, but everything else seems braised, dry fried, simmered, etc.)

Most Chinese homeowners cook on stoves like the one pictured below. They are no hotter than regular western stoves. I've never seen a "blast furnace" wok burner anywhere other than restaurants and wouldn't know where to buy one for home use.

Dunno about Chinese homes and blast furnace gas heat, but I do know that it's pretty easy to get ultra high heat with a simple charcoal wok stove. I see the terra cotta and tin wok stoves at local Asian markets for about $20-30. Many folks use a chimney starter to good effect.

patrickamory - Completely agree. I learned to stir-fry the Chinese way with that same book a few years back. And yes, she gets all the credit for the good results I've gotten in my home stove. I was aware of outdoor wok burners, but the Weber cut-out hole for the grill was new to me. The Weber hole seems brilliant (the fact that I have a Weber grill and a round bottomed wok make it even more brilliant from my perspective).

Grace Young in The Breath of a Wok gives some seriously well thought out advice on how to get as close as possible to wok hei on a Western stove. She recommends a flat-bottomed cast-iron wok, properly seasoned, used on a gas stove. Her tips include preheating to the right degree, the usual swirling technique for liquids, never cooking more than 12 oz. of meat at a time (and letting it sear for 30 secs, stir for 20 secs, sear for 30 secs), and making sure to thoroughly dry all vegetables. And more. I'm sure you're never going to do as well as a wok burner outside, or a Weber with the circular cut-out hole in the grill for a round-bottom wok to sit in. But then again, wok hei is a Cantonese concept (or so Young argues) - Fuchsia Dunlop doesn't ever refer to it in her Sichuanese book that I can find. Don't get me wrong, I'm all in favor of the hottest heat imaginable for stir-fries, but I feel like I've gotten some great results following Young's recommendations for technique. This book is indispensable.

dcarch - That video helps me grasp what 200K BTU means heidih - Agreed. Wok shape/material is very important. I have two woks at home, with different materials (cast iron and carbon steel) and different shapes (round bottomed and flat bottomed). Even though I have a favorite wok, I would say that even with my least favorite wok I can get decent browning on the outside and an interior that is not overcooked. But yes, point taken, it's not just about the stove, having the right wok has a huge impact in the results.

Based on discussion like this one http://forums.egullet.org/topic/118417-woks-buying-caring-and-use-of/?hl=%20wok - it would seem that the type of wok is also a major factor in how the food cooks.

Just like you home stove/wok? dcarch

A 10 second google search on commercial wok stoves reveals a wide spread of BTU output, from a lower end of 100K all the way up to 225K.

200 BTU is nothing....maybe you have a few zeros missing? Commercial wok stoves have around 125K or more per burner. Of course, the commercial stoves are designed for use with big restaurant sized woks.

I have cooked on some weak gas stoves before. I think if you allow the wok or pan to get hot enough to sear and don't overload.. Authentic stir fry is attainable. IMHO More btu = speedier heating , easier control.

I frequently hear that true Chinese stir-fries can't be cooked in home stoves because they aren't hot enough. I'm curious to hear what fellow egulleters think about this. I often cook Chinese food at home on my 20-year old average gas stove and I think that I am getting good results. I am able to get brown spots on veggies and proteins without overcooking the interior, on medium-high heat. I find that when I turn the heat all the way to high, I need to move faster and because precise timing is more important, I'm more likely to make mistakes (e.g. sometimes the oil will overheat, or veggies get a bit too scorched). In other words, I don't feel limited by the heat level of my old gas stove. I understand that in Chinese restaurants they have crazy hot stoves - I heard 200 BTU (is this even possible?) I have no doubt that professional cooks can handle the speed and precision of 200 BTU, but I'm wondering if that's really necessary to achieve the "wok hai" that we associate with a good stir-fry. There is no controversy in the fact that home stoves are capable of causing the Maillard reaction in western cooking. Meaning, we can all cook a thin piece of fish or meat that browns on the outside without overcooking on the inside. I don't see how this is different from wok cooking. Or am I not thinking correctly? Would love to hear your thoughts!

Melissa and jean Marie are fantastic people and professionals. This is worth every moment. If I can fly out I will definitively wok at it.

Cast iron skillets and dutch ovens in several sizes are all I use for roasting, all the way up to a 17" skillet. No problems under the broiler. For the larger skillets I use a wok lid if a lid is need.