Electric woks

[kitchenhacker]

In general, as noted, electric woks aren't good at stir-frying, but they do have other good uses:

- As noted above, it can make something remarkably like paella, even down to the crusty bottom. Actually, my electric wok is one of my favorite tools for rice dishes.

- The shape and heat control on an electric wok makes it good for braises/stews. You can even sear the meat and braise it all in the same wok.

- You can use it as a warmer/server/extra burner. It may not be ideal for every use, but (with a little creativity) it is remarkably flexible. I've used mine to mull cider, for instance.

[Darienne]

In general, as noted, electric woks aren't good at stir-frying, but they do have other good uses:

- As noted above, it can make something remarkably like paella, even down to the crusty bottom. Actually, my electric wok is one of my favorite tools for rice dishes.

- The shape and heat control on an electric wok makes it good for braises/stews. You can even sear the meat and braise it all in the same wok.

- You can use it as a warmer/server/extra burner. It may not be ideal for every use, but (with a little creativity) it is remarkably flexible. I've used mine to mull cider, for instance.

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For last week's minor Chinese feast we had a gas stove, two carbon steel woks AND three crockpots and the crockpots acted as keep it warmers, particularly for the soups.

[OliverB]

just get an outdoor wok burner (not a turkey fryer, a real wok burner) and a nice carbon steel wok for it. Mine puts out 60k BTU supposedly, what ever it is, it gets blistering hot and cooking something takes just a couple minutes, the time here is in the prep, you NEED to have everything ready and within reach.

My burner, I think called big kahuna was quite cheap and runs on bbq gas tanks. Folds down into nothing, easy to store. Check Amazon, and somewhere here on this site is a whole thread about outdoor wok burners. Sorry, no time to search for it right now.

I love mine and the food comes out fantastic!

I'd never fry a turkey and my custom burner seems a lot safer to use while jiggling a wok around (and no, you're not supposed to fry a turkey on it, per instructions.

The thing cooks so fast, you practically have to dance with your food, which is fun

[Ashen]

I thought about buying a wok burner for awhile until one day I was watching a Martin Yan program, the person he was talking to was cooking in a wok on a bed of charcoal. It struck me that historically this was the way wok cooking was done and I had the perfect instrument on my back deck already.. I fired up my BBQ with lump charcoal and stoked it white hot with a hairdryer , nestled my wok in the bed of coals and now I wouldn't stir fry any other way.

[Kerry Beal]

I stir fry in a wok on my Big Green Egg - works wonderfully. You can get it screamingly hot, the house stays cool with no splatter.

Edited July 12, 2011 by Kerry Beal (log)

[dcarch]

You can in fact get some very decent stir frying done using normal home stove and wok.

Here are my techniques:

1. Have your wok with oil smoking hot on your stove. Meanwhile, microwave your ingredients very hot (but not cooked).

2. Dump the hot ingredients in the hot wok. IMPORTANT, DO NOT STIR! DO NOT STIR! Until the food almost start to burn, and then just stir a little, and then again.

Stirring encourages evaporation and evaporation loses a lot of heat. Stirring also gets the cold food to make contact with the wok before the wok has a chance to catch up. Resist the temptation to stir!

For foods which generates lots of liquid, such as seafood and bean sprouts, I also have a cast iron frying pan going at the same time. Just when the wok is getting behind, I dump everything into the smoking hot frying pan, and let the wok get hot again.

That’s right, try not to stir when stir frying.

dcarch

[Dave Hatfield]

Ok. I've read all the posts in this thread & I'm still not sure what wok to buy.

We have an induction stove top. I've seen some woks that purport to work on these, but I'm suspicious.

We do have a large gas BBQ which I'm sure would probably work, but that means going outside to cook. OK in summer, but not in winter.

I'm leaning towards an electric wok. This most powerful ones I can find are rated at 2200 watts. Enough power? Don't know how this translates into BTU's.

Also, any advice/ experience with non-stick coatings for woks. I can't find any high power electric one that don't have a non-stick coating.

I would appreciate any & all advice anybody can give me.

[rotuts]

you wont be getting far with an electric wok. and the coating will sublimate at the temps you are looking for. there are induction wok 'burners':

the type of wok you want is the one at the end of this vid: sort of blacked,

Ming Tsai ( simply ming ) used one with an induction SS wok on one of his earlier shows. that was years ago and that model cost $ 10 k back then.

then there is this:

http://www.amazon.com/Adcraft-IND-WOK120V-Commercial-Induction-Cooker/dp/B004UI882A

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001H1021I?tag=wat013-20

if the price of these dropped a bit AND the circular 'depression' fit a good steel wok well, and there were enough watts, well, there it is!

Edited April 3, 2013 by rotuts (log)