I need a new wok. Any thoughts on this one?

[Hayabusa Rider]

I'm going to use the turkey fryer again (it's become a favorite cooking heat source), but my wok really isn't suitable for this much heat. It has wooden handles and they routinely flame up and I have to put them out. Not exactly how I want things to go.

I also like being able to make larger quantities/fewer batches and I cannot get wok hei on the stove.

Bottom line- new wok.

I'm considering this 18" hammered wok

I don't know much about the company and their products, but the price is right and 14 ga. steel seems thick enough.

Opinions, suggestions, alternatives?

BTW making a variation on this tonight.

 

[Kaido]

I always point everyone to the Wok Star website:

http://eleanorhoh.com/

I have the whole kit: (includes a cast-iron wok)

http://eleanorhoh.com/wok-star-kit/

She emphasises 4 keys: right wok, right technique, right heat source, good brands of ingredients. Read up on her thoughts on cast iron:

http://eleanorhoh.com/wokset/

In particular, on carbon steel:

Food stir fried in a carbon steel wok lacks flavor. One advantage of carbon steel is that it can withstand being bashed around and this is one reason it’s popular in many Chinese restaurants. Cast iron is a brittle material and casting it thin to achieve lightness makes it susceptible to breaking if you drop it. My experience is that carbon steel doesn’t build a patina as nicely as cast iron (therefore the food sticks). I’ve also found, If you don’t use it regularly, it gets rusty.

 

[Platypus]

do you have a wok burner? sounds like you're using your stove top.

I haven't cooked with a wok in my own kitchen but my friend has a dedicated stand-alone burner that gets hot enough as his stove won't get to the temp needed.

I don't have any suggestions for a wok and I don't want to derail or anything, just curious if you do own a burner or if anyone can recommend one, been meaning to get a setup going.

 

[Kaido]

do you have a wok burner? sounds like you're using your stove top.

I haven't cooked with a wok in my own kitchen but my friend has a dedicated stand-alone burner that gets hot enough as his stove won't get to the temp needed.

I don't have any suggestions for a wok and I don't want to derail or anything, just curious if you do own a burner or if anyone can recommend one, been meaning to get a setup going.

He mentioned he uses a turkey fryer. I have a round bayou burner for outdoor cooking:

http://www.amazon.com/Bayou-Classic-...dp/B000291GBQ/

Indoors I use a 12,000 BTU Iwatani (I have an electric flat-top stove, no dice for the cast-iron wok). They're only fifty bucks & you can use them if the power goes out or for camping:

http://eleanorhoh.com/stove/

If you like to cook but don't want to spend a lot of time doing it, or want to eat healthier, wok-cooking is one of the best ways to go. Super fast, super easy.

 

[Platypus]

He mentioned he uses a turkey fryer. I have a round bayou burner for outdoor cooking:

http://www.amazon.com/Bayou-Classic-...dp/B000291GBQ/

Indoors I use a 12,000 BTU Iwatani (I have an electric flat-top stove, no dice for the cast-iron wok). They're only fifty bucks & you can use them if the power goes out or for camping:

http://eleanorhoh.com/stove/

If you like to cook but don't want to spend a lot of time doing it, or want to eat healthier, wok-cooking is one of the best ways to go. Super fast, super easy.

thanks, and yeah I misread the OP

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

do you have a wok burner? sounds like you're using your stove top.

I haven't cooked with a wok in my own kitchen but my friend has a dedicated stand-alone burner that gets hot enough as his stove won't get to the temp needed.

I don't have any suggestions for a wok and I don't want to derail or anything, just curious if you do own a burner or if anyone can recommend one, been meaning to get a setup going.

I have a high pressure propane turkey fryer/stove, so in essence I do have a wok burner. That's why I have flaming handles

 

[Kaido]

I have a high pressure propane turkey fryer/stove, so in essence I do have a wok burner. That's why I have flaming handles

If you do have gas available, they make an adapter called the WokMon coming out soon:

http://www.seriouseats.com/2014/05/...ur-home-burner-into-a-wok-range-solution.html

 

[Kaido]

She has a pretty good blog too, if you need ideas:

http://eleanorhoh.com/blog-reviews/

I like her freestyle cooking method - no recipes, no measuring, etc. It's a pretty simple approach; her kit includes all the basic sauces & stuff you need. You have a pretty good background in cooking, so I don't know if you're looking for pointers on wok cooking, but Serious Eats has a pretty good quickie course as well:

http://www.seriouseats.com/2010/06/wok-skills-101-stir-frying-basics.html

I like wok cooking because if you're hungry, you can whip up something tasty in like five minutes and not have to resort to junk food or do actual cooking.

 

[NetWareHead]

The problem with cooking with a wok (properly, using high heat) is the smoke. The wok also splatters a bit too. Using a wok almost necessitates a good ventilation system for cooking smells and smoke. Sure you can close doors and isolate the kitchen but eventually the whole house ends up stinking.

I just think it is a better idea to go the outdoor wok burner route and keep all of that smell and splatter outside. I also fry outdoors using the same burner now. Its just easier and keeps the house smelling clean. Indian food for the same reason gets made outdoors too. The only thing I fry in the house is bacon, because that smells great.

 

[Kaido]

The problem with cooking with a wok (properly, using high heat) is the smoke. The wok also splatters a bit too. Using a wok almost necessitates a good ventilation system for cooking smells and smoke. Sure you can close doors and isolate the kitchen but eventually the whole house ends up stinking.

I just think it is a better idea to go the outdoor wok burner route and keep all of that smell and splatter outside. I also fry outdoors using the same burner now. Its just easier and keeps the house smelling clean. Indian food for the same reason gets made outdoors too. The only thing I fry in the house is bacon, because that smells great.

Yeah, that's why I like that little $50 portable burner I linked to above...you can use it outside. My current residence has a horrifically bad ventilation system. I can't even do burgers inside without smoking the place out. Once you get your wok seasoned & get the hang of the cooking techniques, it's not too bad tho.

 

[OutHouse]

That wok mon looks cool.

 

[NetWareHead]

Yeah, that's why I like that little $50 portable burner I linked to above...you can use it outside. My current residence has a horrifically bad ventilation system. I can't even do burgers inside without smoking the place out. Once you get your wok seasoned & get the hang of the cooking techniques, it's not too bad tho.

I have this burner and at 210,000 BTUs is wayyy overkill for a cast iron skillet for burgers/steaks etc.... The element itself is 10 inches in diameter and fullly engulfs a cast iron pan with fire. I use it instead to boil a 180 quart pot.
http://www.bayouclassicdepot.com/kab6-kick-a-banjo-burner-plus.htm The burners roars and you need to yell to be heard above it at full blast. It can't be safely used at full throttle with a 20 pound propane tank. The fuel draw exhausts the vapor pressure the tank is capable of providing, it then frosts over and the flame dies. I can use it at simmer settings but I'm getting a 100 pound tank at some point in the future to better use this burner.

I'm getting a smaller burner at 55,000 btus http://www.bayouclassicdepot.com/ss10_bayou_classic_stainless_propane_burner.htm for regular cooking/frying, cooking on cast iron, wok and for using with a pressure canner. Similar to yours but all stainless instead of painted black. This will much easier to control and perfect for these needs.

 

[Kaido]

I have this burner and at 210,000 BTUs is wayyy overkill for a cast iron skillet for burgers/steaks etc.... The element itself is 10 inches in diameter and fullly engulfs a cast iron pan with fire. I use it instead to boil a 180 quart pot.
http://www.bayouclassicdepot.com/kab6-kick-a-banjo-burner-plus.htm The burners roars and you need to yell to be heard above it at full blast.

That is glorious

 

[Kaido]

That wok mon looks cool.

I just hope it gets fully funded...it's a genius design :thumbsup:

 

[Kaido]

I'm getting a smaller burner at 55,000 btus http://www.bayouclassicdepot.com/ss10_bayou_classic_stainless_propane_burner.htm for regular cooking/frying, cooking on cast iron, wok and for using with a pressure canner. Similar to yours but all stainless instead of painted black. This will much easier to control and perfect for these needs.

I didn't know they came in stainless, nice! I really like mine. I don't think I've ever used it for anything other than doing smash burgers outdoors on my cast-iron pan though, but I love burgers, so it was a great investment for me. Going to try Ultra smash burgers this weekend!

http://www.seriouseats.com/2014/03/the-food-lab-maximize-flavor-by-ultra-smashin.html

Side note on burgers: I've been using pink Himalayan salt on them lately - great salty taste & you only need to use a little teeny bit to get a lot of salt flavor :thumbsup:

 

[NetWareHead]

I didn't know they came in stainless, nice! I really like mine.

Many people have complained about the black paint burning and flaking off leaving bare metal. Some beer brewers also were angry about the burned paint flakes being launched into the air and then landing in the brew

Don't know if you ever had that problem with this but I figured its a good enough reason to upgrade to the stainless version of this burner and avoid all of that. Whats the purpose of painting the burner if it will get ruined and messy?

 

[Kaido]

Many people have complained about the black paint burning and flaking off leaving bare metal. Some beer brewers also were angry about the burned paint flakes being launched into the air and then landing in the brew

Don't know if you ever had that problem with this but I figured its a good enough reason to upgrade to the stainless version of this burner and avoid all of that. Whats the purpose of painting the burner if it will get ruined and messy?

I haven't noticed it on mine, but I guess I could always spray it with some oven paint or something. The stainless model is double the price of the unpainted one. Maybe I'll snag some red hi-temp engine paint if it starts flaking

 

[DigDog]

cant help thinking about I Want A New Duck
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eOL2q8leiLw

 

[Kaido]

cant help thinking about I Want A New Duck
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eOL2q8leiLw

LOL that was on the radio this morning, couldn't un-hear :biggrin:

 

[Howard]

I always point everyone to the Wok Star website:

http://eleanorhoh.com/

I have the whole kit: (includes a cast-iron wok)

http://eleanorhoh.com/wok-star-kit/

She emphasises 4 keys: right wok, right technique, right heat source, good brands of ingredients. Read up on her thoughts on cast iron:

http://eleanorhoh.com/wokset/

In particular, on carbon steel:

I haven't yet been able to keep a good seasoning on my carbon steel wok.

 

[NikolaeVarius]

I haven't yet been able to keep a good seasoning on my carbon steel wok.

My carbon steel wok has a pretty awesome one. Don't even need to use a sptaula to make eggs. I can just shake it and it slides right around.

I love my wok.

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

I haven't yet been able to keep a good seasoning on my carbon steel wok.

I had that problem until I switched to the propane burner.

 

[lupi]

Need to get one capable of cooking on the 7 billion BTU cooktop.

 

[Vdubchaos]

I would go with Cast Iron one....

http://www.amazon.com/Lodge-Pro-Logi.../dp/B00063RXQK

 

[NetWareHead]

I would go with Cast Iron one....

http://www.amazon.com/Lodge-Pro-Logi.../dp/B00063RXQK

Sorry to crap on your recommendation but there are a million other cast iron woks that are more suitable for Chinese cuisine than that lodge cast iron wok. Reason is that is it way too heavy and the walls are too thick. You cant pick it up and flip food around with this. Due to the thermal mass, this wok is too slow to heat up and cool down. It lacks the heat dynamic that Chinese made woks have. However, this would make a great deep frying vessel for its ability to retain heat.

You could try to cook with this wok but you are going to have to greatly modify your cooking technique if you intend to follow guidelines/recipes written for a traditional Chinese thin walled wok.