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Wok mon!


thelittlechef7

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Just recently read this: http://www.seriouseats.com/2014/05/the-wok-mon-converts-your-home-burner-into-a-wok-range-solution.html?ref=pop_serious_eats

 

Thoughts? I really want to get my hands on one and give it a go!

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"Plants, like algebra, have a habit of looking alike and being different, or looking different and being alike; consequently mathematics and botany confuse me."

 

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I have question about that device.

 

1. The total output of BTU for any burner is fixed, unless you fool around with the gas pressure or size of gas jet. That device will give you the impression that you are getting more heat, but in fact not one single BTU is more than before.

 

2. Normal burner transfer heat to your wok by conduction. You can see from the picture that the device gets red hot, which means it is taking some BTUs from the wok, and converts the heat to infrared radiant heat, and radiant heat goes in all directions. Lots of heat will be lost in being converted to radiant heat.

 

3. The device also focuses/traps heat downwards. Some stove/range finish can be damaged by the high heat. 

 

dcarch

Edited by dcarch (log)
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I have my doubts - unless you're stir frying a very small amount.  I stir fry outside with a three ring (four ring cookers are available, but I'll wait until I start discada cooking) propane cooker designed to hold a traditional wok.  I believe it produces about 85,000 BTU.  It is not the same as professional wok stoves, but it's pretty good.  The cookers are available at most Asian markets and are relatively inexpensive.  

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It's always puzzled me how the oil in a wok can be smoking beyond belief and yet it still isn't hot enough. I once left some oil to heat in my wok on high heat and it ignited, but the same stove renders more than half a pound of meat watery.

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It's always puzzled me how the oil in a wok can be smoking beyond belief and yet it still isn't hot enough. I once left some oil to heat in my wok on high heat and it ignited, but the same stove renders more than half a pound of meat watery.

 

The bottom of the wok and the oil in it get hot, but they don't have the heat capacity to store very much energy. And a home stove can't replenish the energy very quickly. So when you dump a bunch of meat into the bottom of the wok, it sucks most of the stored energy right out of it. The meat gets hot, but not hot enough, and your left with steaming meat on a warm wok.

 

It's not for nuthin that chinese restaurants have 100,000+ but/hr burners.

Notes from the underbelly

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I just wonder though, whether concentrating the heat right under the center of the wok might not make enough of a difference to be effective, perhaps combined with a cast iron wok (Chinese style, not Lodge/LC)

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Many new gas stoves have burners with a part that can be easily removed to give that jet engine flame blast.

 

However, I would not show how that is done on a general forum. I don't want to be responsible for someone who is not handy and end up having his/her house blown up.

 

dcarch

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I wonder if the Wok Mon + thin carbon steel wok will have advantages over a normal fire + thick copper saute pan in terms of stir frying. The idea is to supply as much heat as possible, so the Wok Mon, along with the quick response of a thin wok will heat up quickly, but only over a small area it seems.

 

On the other hand, a thick copper saute pan will be able to maintain heat longer, but may not be quite as responsive nor quite as hot. 

"Plants, like algebra, have a habit of looking alike and being different, or looking different and being alike; consequently mathematics and botany confuse me."

 

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I'd like to see Christopher Kimball and ATK weigh in on this.  Just this week (on ATK Radio)  he seemed to continue his jihad against woks on western stoves.  Given that Kenji seems to be an ex-ATKer, it would be an interesting development.

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I am the inventor of the WokMon. I have dealt with the low heat issue and lack of wok hei when using conventional home gas ranges all my life. When I was a young boy my relatives used to bitch about it. I finally decided to do something about it 20 years ago. With my technical training and many prototypes later, I came up with a safe, user-friendly design which any adult can easily setup in minutes for a real stir-fry experience. My claim that the WokMon increases the heat intensity by about 50% is right, and confirmed in the short time that Kenji of SeriousEats tested a WokMon prototype firsthand.

The power of the WokMon goes up proportional to the size of the particular burner. With the smallest (2") to the largest (4-3/4") gas burner, the WokMon would create in all cases a very strong flame of varying degrees. Cooking times will decrease. Some batch cooking may be required on smaller units depending on burner size. Whatever technical/scientific arguments are presented in this and other forums, nothing can dispute "your sense of smell and taste." That's the bottom line and isn’t that the reason we strive for that great taste?

The WokMon has been tested by both average Chinese home cooks and restaurant chefs using it on their home stoves. Their initial skepticism was gone after experiencing the significant power surge produced and their general response was that "any power increase to the center of the wok is much better than none." FYI, the science of stir-frying/wok hei requires that you move your food through the hot center of your wok and up the cooler sides in order to sear the outsides of the food but leaving the insides tender. My crowdfunding pitch video includes a History Channel clip that explains this clearly: 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M5FO8OVWPzo

I am satisfied with Kenji’s review and conclusions on the WokMon’s performance. I have posted some replies at SeriousEats to similar comments like those here. Please feel free to read them at http://www.seriouseats.com/2014/05/the-wok-mon-converts-your-home-burner-into-a-wok-range-solution.html. Sorry, I wish I could reply to each and every comment but I have a campaign to run to bring the WokMon to a stove near you.

My first idea to market was EZ-Sticks, the Original Mechanical Chopsticks in the 80s. At the time it was the only kid on the block but then the block got a little crowded with "me too" copies. I am not afraid to start changing paradigms again. It's part of the ever-changing landscape when something new comes around for the better. I believe logic and reason will prevail in the end.

One more thing: I recommend getting a WokMon... not so you can help fund my project but to prove to yourself that the WokMon will produce wok hei like never before on a regular gas stove. Your taste buds will convert you and your foodie friends.

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  • 5 months later...

1. The total output of BTU for any burner is fixed, unless you fool around with the gas pressure or size of gas jet. That device will give you the impression that you are getting more heat, but in fact not one single BTU is more than before.

 

Same impression here, the idea is good but the average Gas Stove lacks of BTU, the flame in the video looks anemic

 

better to buy a proper outdoor wok burner

 

Edited by sub (log)
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I've been taking off the disc diffuser on my burner for the last year since with the disc most of the heat goes to the sides. But I always stir-fry in my Lodge cast iron wok. There is practically no point in stir-frying indoors with a regular wok, you might as well use a regular skillet. 

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I've been taking off the disc diffuser on my burner for the last year since with the disc most of the heat goes to the sides. But I always stir-fry in my Lodge cast iron wok. There is practically no point in stir-frying indoors with a regular wok, you might as well use a regular skillet. 

 

If you take off that disk then make a wokmon type shape out aluminum foil, you get a proper jet of flame for pennies

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  • 3 weeks later...
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