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This is an interesting topic as I just bought a 160k BTU outdoor wok burner and a round bottomed wok. I've been using it for about 2 weeks now with a lot of success and some burnt rice. I purchased Grace Young's Breath of a Wok and Stir-Frying to the Sky's Edge and both are very helpful. I also joined her Facebook group called "Wok Wednesdays" and it has been nice getting feedback directly from her and the others in the group. That being said, the book was written for a standard home stove, not the outdoor high power burner. She has already given me ways to adjusting the recipes in terms of how they will react to the high heat. Things like not needing to have very dry vegetables, not needing to sear meat for a minute in a single layer, not adding the aromatics first as they will burn, etc. I find the books show me the order I need to build my stir-frys and obviously provide recipes as I'm unfamiliar with some of the building blocks of stir-frying. Like others said though, it's about doing it over and over when it comes to stir-frying and learning how to build each dish, what goes in when, etc. etc. I'd recommend both books. They both offer a lot of background insight and other useful information. Breath of the Wok is probably the one to start with if you only get one. I initially got SFTTSE figuring it was the newer and better version, and it is great, but I'm finding BoaW to be more of an education.

I recently bought one of these rocket stoves for bikepacking. I'm anxious to see how it works as a wok burner.

My dream catch needs to eat the florets too, since I hate broccoli. Oh wait, he already does, but he never gets to eat it because I can't even tolerate the smell. I didn't used to be like this and I don't know how this happened. On the other hand I really like Chinese broccoli (gai lan), stems, leaves the whole package. With lots of garlic, wok-fried. I remember those years when my daughter only ate white food. What a weird phase. But some kids just need to take a stand about food. Until the don't.

Decided to give the oven a bit of a test with Modernist Cuisine's low temperature steak. Seared it first in a cast iron pan over the wok burner on full whack. Verdict is that the burner with the broader outside ring going as well as the focused flame is great for this. The ample smoke was handled very well by the exhaust fan with very little smell in the room. Put the oven's temp probe into the meat along with my needle thermocouple probe. Then into the oven at 60 C, which turned out to be too low so I bumped it to 65 then 70. However, the meat temperature stalled well beyond supper time and it barely reached 55 C. The temp probes in the meat were a couple of degrees apart, which is a bit of a problem if you were really wanting to have the oven turn itself off at temperature. Probably better for a roast where the oven's probe could be inserted all the way into the meat (I think it is an RTD). But the oven temperature was rock steady and within a degree of a separate thermocouple I put in. The oven temperature can only be set to 5 degrees but goes down to 30 C. I think that is sufficient. Don't know why I had so much trouble getting the meat to temperature since the oven was holding the proper T. Anyway the meat was great cold today. A couple of pictures. Sorry about the spill on the door. Spock gave it the seal of smell-approval.

The 2 biggest issues I had with frying were the thermometer and what to do with the oil. I tried all kinds of thermometers that clipped on to the side of the pan, but sometimes I used a wok, and they wouldn't work. And they would sometimes suddenly shift and be in danger of falling into the hot oil. Once I got the hand held IR thermometer, that issue went away. I like to use peanut oil. I have 2 jars, I keep the used oil in. A 2 quart jar for frying fish and a 1 quart jar for frying vegetables. Once the oil is cool, I filter it through a wire sieve and it goes back in the jar. I top each jar off with fresh peanut oil, before I use it again. I like to heat the oil up to 375 F and try to only add enough of whatever is being fried such that the temp does not fall below 350 F. One of my favorite things is fried zucchini. I think those would be an instant hit as a bar food just about anywhere. So easy to make, but yet so very good and crisp. Add a little salsa or a bit of spicy ranch dressing dip or lemon and garlic aioli and they would please just about any crowd. I think they also go very well with breakfast. The French fries are a different method, I learned from @Shelby. Starting off with cool oil and gradually raising the temp until they acquire a golden brown color. I do remember the Florence Henderson bit. I hardly ever fry chicken though.

I have nothing to offer in terms of equipment but do agree w the others. Unless it's for professional use the blasters don't seem worth it esp when you factor the danger. I have a Thermador 6 burner (propane) that puts out prob a bit more btu's then the avg burner. It's plenty for home use. I found varying results came down to the quality of the wok. A good one will allow for better heat distribution and retention. With accurate ingredient timing we can get close to resto qlty stir fries (at least we think:) I have a circulon 14' I got at Macy's a few yrs ago for about $70 and it's light years better than the thin metal cheapos we had. Gd luck and hope you find what you want. Btw, hello all, it's been about 10yrs since my last post.

Grace Young has written wonderful cookbooks describing how to stir fry at home with typical equipment. In general she advises using a flat bottom high carbon steel wok. After that it's about limiting the amount of food that goes in a one time and technique. Stirring at the right time and leaving to sear at the right time. Also learning velveting is handy.

It looks like you've been doing research, so I'm sure you've come across the outdoor propane wok burners. They have upwards or exceed 100k btu, usually don't come with a stand. If you have any asian-centric areas like a chinatown or japantown nearby, go browse stores after the shut-ins are lifted and you'll find one, and can even haggle if that's your thing. On line they seem to have gone up in price compared to 10 years ago. I picked mine up in "Little Saigon" near my old house, haggled price down because of the rat poop in the box. Given that, please take a moment to consider my personal PSA on these stoves. They are a pain in the ass to use, ridiculously powerful, and will get a literal wok HEY out of you if you get them screaming hot and drop a little oil in with no experience. Don't ask how I know 🙈🙉🙊 What I learned: these kinds of burners are awesome fun, but in the long run the whole stir-fry thing may not be worth the effort. As simple as it looks, it really takes a lot of experience to get it right and consistent, more so than a lot of other cooking. Cleanup is awful (grease splatters everywhere), you'll end up with undercooked or overcooked food half the time, the danger is real, and you really have to use a lot more oil than traditional stove saute/stir-frying. Now, if you can set it up outside with plenty of dirt or grass surrounding your station, or, inside with a flowing water wall and a night-shift cleaning crew, go for it 👍 Remember the fire extinguisher. Seriously. PS: please note, this is based on my experiences, I gave it a legitimate go for 2-3 months, and eventually figured out a successful work flow. I'm sure there are more experienced home cooks or chefs who can chime in and confirm there aren't issues and I was likely doing things wrong blah blah blah, but no one is going to convince me to go back 😝. I found the "hey" component not worth the effort.

"Traditional" as in "not the appalling claptrap that most Americans believe to be Chinese." Iwatani makes high quality butane stoves, though none specifically designed to hold a wok. If you can suggest a Chinese alternative, I'm all ears - preferably without Iwatani's steep price.

In 25 years in China, I've never seen that! Traditional wok cooking used open wood burning fires. Iwatani is Japanese, not Chinese.

I have a less than excellent stove, and would like a butane burner for indoor and outdoor use. I've seen Chinese cooking channels use butane for traditional wok cooking and would appreciate a recommendation. I quite like Iwatani products, but the 15000BTU 35FW is a bit steep, and there are less expensive options of similar output - possibly some designed specifically for woks. Alternately, I'm open to a 50,000+ BTU propane burner like this one if it offers the necessary heat. Does anyone know if these can be used with disposable propane cylinders with an adapter?

Lobster reduction poutine - cabbage and enoki mushroom - big wok hay flavours (not pictured - but then again who wants to see veggies when you can look at this!)

I think you are in an NYC apartment but the smoke is done in a wok.. If looking for a change of pace. Maybe tea smoke and then do a pounded dipping sauce with the rest. https://www.vietworldkitchen.com/blog/2015/03/tea-smoked-chicken-recipe.html

Here's some advice from Food52: https://food52.com/hotline/22601-how-to-tone-down-garlic-taste @Paul Bacino I wonder if the acrid taste came from the stir frying procedure where perhaps the garlic went into the Wok at too high a temp and burnt it slightly? And from Serious Eats: https://www.seriouseats.com/2017/02/make-the-most-out-of-garlic-chopping-acid-heat.html

Most people who cook in the nude must have certain requirements. If you don't live in the middle of nowhere or in a designated nudist colony, you must have to pull down shades to avoid rubberneckers. My requirements for cooking include lots of light. In my kitchen that means daylight, which means windows in the kitchen and shades up. Cooking naked would make me a nervous wreck. Hot spatter is not a calming thought. Cooking in a beautiful cashmere sweater would also make me a basket case. When it comes to cooking I need protection; an old flannel shirt works and so does an apron. It's a toss-up as to what is worse: burning the top of your foot or ruining a pair of expensive shoes. My feet are too narrow for crocs, but cheap Keds work very well. If I had an isolated house in a tropical location I would consider making a gin and tonic when wearing nothing. But then, to really enjoy it, I would need to put on a beautiful kimono and fry up some shrimp chips in a hot wok.

As mentioned, seems to be a lot of cross over between flavours and food - I will attempt a list of flavours: - Truffles (white or black, I am not picky!) - Mangoes - Raspberry - Caramelized Onion - Roasted Garlic - Lobster - Crab - Roasted Almond - Figs - Wok-hay-Veggies

In the past few months I've allowed myself more eggs. I like a small omelet with a little Oaxaca melting cheese and it gives me the chance to use an old well seasoned carbon steel omelet pan. Another new dish (to me) is the simple Chinese staple of wok fried egg and tomato that @heidih mentions above. In a pinch it even satisfies when the tomatoes are less than perfect, like now, during the winter. Over rice it proves just about the easiest two-ingredient meal, not including condiments. And since the revelation of the Kenji hard boiled egg steaming routine we eat more whole peeled eggs. The steaming method not only allows the eggs to be smoothly peeled, but I also find it easier to control how the yolk is cooked. Finally, if you have a few left over shreds of lox (happens rarely), there's always a lox omelet to look forward to. I too love a little egg drop soup, especially if I am sick. Good chicken stock and rice or noodles and a drizzle of egg is makes me feel a little less sorry for myself. I feel a lot less sorry for myself if I can get my husband to make it under those circumstances. I am not one of those people who swoon over runny yolk egg porn. Forget fried, poached or anything with a giant wobbly yellow globe. I don't even look at the breakfast thread here until later in the day. Oozing on my plate makes we woozy.

Eggs - a miracle that we take for granted, sometimes drool over as egg porn. feared nutritionally for a while; the list goes on. I needed a hit of protein in a soup today and meant to do egg drop style but the phone rang, I turned the burner off, and returned to a lightly creamy and simple enriched broth. When I started cooking from Julia Child long ago eggs took am important role. One's first quiche, eggs as enrichment, souffle - long long list. And then forays into other countries - tea eggs, baked whole in shell, in flavorful saucy bakes, eggs and tomatoes in a quicky wok pass. So...I ask - your most stellar egg forays recently or as standards.? I live in the land of Eggslut = Alvin Cailan) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eggs An older topic as inspiration https://forums.egullet.org/topic/147288-the-egg-thread/

I am never on the breaking news try it end of food. Sous vide - can't even go there.But this torch method has me a bit transfixed. Anyone gonna give it a go? Don't presently have a propane torch. https://www.seriouseats.com/2020/02/hei-now-youre-a-wok-star-a-fiery-hack-for-stir-frying-at-home.html

Hsiao-Ching Chou wok-fried egg. Not much of a fancy repast but I am paralyzed with virus fear. Got the job done.

Yes. Like 99.99% of Chinese people do. In a quarter of a century I've never met anyone here in China with anything but a regular stove. I wouldn't even know where to source a high powered burner. They seem to be a peculiarly American obsession. "Wok Hei" is a Cantonese term unknown to the vast majority of Chinese people. In Mandarin, spoken by most Chinese people, it would be 镬气 (huò qì), but to repeat, most would say "What's that?" Cantonese speakers are around 5% of China's population.

If you're just starting out with these reviews at a more professional wok. You can also find videos on YouTube and try something like that for cooking, as you said earlier. It's okay, my friend learned to play the flute with YouTube and other online lessons, and all for free.

Fresh ginger is always in my fridge. I use it several times a week, typically in stir fry. The first order of business before every stir fry is to make an oil flavored with ginger, garlic and chile, enough for whatever needs a turn in the wok. Yesterday we had one of my favorite splurge meals: Ahi tuna burgers. They have fresh ginger in them, among a few other things, and get cooked so the middle is barely warm. Pricey, if you buy the best quality sushi tuna, but then local wild caught fresh fish isn't exactly cheap around here. For coughs I find lemon ginger tea with honey is just the ticket. Fresh grated ginger, generous amount of lemon, add boiling water and stir. Add honey to taste. I like it pretty tart and never measure the juice, so the amount of honey varies as needed. Honestly I have no idea which does the heavy lifting--the honey, the ginger or the lemon. I do like gingerbread cake, but with some caveats. Many recipes just aren't very good and I'm often disappointed when served it. One issue is that I'm not too fond of molasses. I prefer using Steen's syrup. My favorite gingerbread however is Laurie Colwin's classic Damp Gingerbread, which uses Golden Syrup instead of molasses. It does not use fresh ginger, and I've learned that stale ginger powder is worthless. It's one of those shelf spices that needs to be refreshed frequently, and damp gingerbread really needs very fresh powder. It is a terrific recipe, and lends itself to all kinds of go-withs. Lemon sauce, ice cream (vanilla, salted caramel, coffee, peppermint, green tea or buttermilk ice cream!) and very yummy: creme fraiche with some fresh lemon zest, aged for a few hours. And yes, I have a recipe floating around somewhere for ginger bread cookies make with bacon fat. Haven't tried it, since I don't often have bacon fat sitting around, but now I'm thinking.....soon!

@Kim Shook 24 hours is plenty long enough for marinating the pork for char siu. As for the beansprout dish, I just toss in some fresh ginger into hot oil in the wok to infuse the oil with flavour. Toss in the beansprouts and stir-fry until slightly wilted. Season, add pieces of green onion and char siu. That's about it. It's simple but a favourite of mine. My Mom always warned me about NOT eating bean spouts whenever I was pregnant because they thin the blood and not good for baby. But, with each pregnancy, I CRAVED this dish! Imagine my hubby and I wandering down Shaftsburry Road in London, looking for a Chinese restaurant, to satisfy my craving! Having owned a restaurant, going out for Valentine's dinner was NOT an option. I made a recipe that I hadn't done for a long time - Citrus Marinated Roast Chicken. Eaten with green beans sauteed with fuyu, and brown rice and wild rice mix.

Planned on some kind of wok + rice treatment of a couple of scraps of pork, husband asked if I could just schnitzel it. So... Pork, mini-Yukons, beet greens. Above plate was mine. Potato simply smashed, truffle oil and salt. Husband blanketed his three potatoes with white pork gravy. Different strokes...