4 ms·

We have a Lodge cast iron wok [0]. That said, I don't know that I'd recommend it to anyone as we rarely use it. I read somewhere that unless you have a commer

We have a Lodge cast iron wok [0]. That said, I don't know that I'd recommend it to anyone as we rarely use it. I read somewhere that unless you have a commercial-grade gas range, you are unlikely to hit the temperatures needed to really properly cook with a thinner metal wok. Cast iron is supposed to be a bit of a compromise because it can hold the heat better, but you can't toss it around the way you would with a normal wok. As to carbon steel, I'd say go for it. I think you'll find it a lot less fussy than you have been told. Also, I'd say stir fry definitely qualifies under the "something specific" where you would want to use the high heat settings on the stove. [0] https://www.lodgecastiron.com/product/cast-iron-wok?sku=P14W3 https://www.lodgecastiron.com/product/cast-iron-wok?sku=P14W...

trepanne 6y ago
We have that Lodge cast iron wok too, but don't use it for stir-frying... very clumsy. Instead we use it for deep frying - a task for which it's better suited than any-other our other vessels. We do our stir-frying on a regular 14 in carbon steel wok, nothing fancy. It does take a bit more oomph than most American gas stoves provide, but we've had good results by ponying up for a Bluestar range [0] which outputs 25K BTU/h ... well short of what you see in Chinese restaurants, but on par with Western commercial stoves. Actual Asian households don't generally cook on fancy restaurant stoves, and yet somehow manage to stir-fry satisfactorily. The trick is they use propane, which has about twice the energy density of natural gas. So it's a lot more effective (and cost-effective) to use a turkey fryer/crab boil burner to do your stir-frying, if you can swing it. [0] https://www.bluestarcooking.com/cooking/rangetops/36-platinum-rangetop/ https://www.bluestarcooking.com/cooking/rangetops/36-platinu...
kls 6y ago
Even with a gas range, you really need a wok burner for example I have an older Viking range and the wok is pretty much useless without this burner: https://pisces.bbystatic.com/image2/BestBuy_US/images/products/8954/8954247_sa.jpg;maxHeight=640;maxWidth=550 https://pisces.bbystatic.com/image2/BestBuy_US/images/produc... but you summation is pretty much correct, a wok is useless for most home ranges. The heat has to be directed up the walls of the wok for it to cook correctly.

trepanne 6y ago

We have that Lodge cast iron wok too, but don't use it for stir-frying... very clumsy. Instead we use it for deep frying - a task for which it's better suited than any-other our other vessels. We do our stir-frying on a regular 14 in carbon steel wok, nothing fancy. It does take a bit more oomph than most American gas stoves provide, but we've had good results by ponying up for a Bluestar range [0] which outputs 25K BTU/h ... well short of what you see in Chinese restaurants, but on par with Western commercial stoves. Actual Asian households don't generally cook on fancy restaurant stoves, and yet somehow manage to stir-fry satisfactorily. The trick is they use propane, which has about twice the energy density of natural gas. So it's a lot more effective (and cost-effective) to use a turkey fryer/crab boil burner to do your stir-frying, if you can swing it. [0] https://www.bluestarcooking.com/cooking/rangetops/36-platinum-rangetop/ https://www.bluestarcooking.com/cooking/rangetops/36-platinu...

kls 6y ago

Even with a gas range, you really need a wok burner for example I have an older Viking range and the wok is pretty much useless without this burner: https://pisces.bbystatic.com/image2/BestBuy_US/images/products/8954/8954247_sa.jpg;maxHeight=640;maxWidth=550 https://pisces.bbystatic.com/image2/BestBuy_US/images/produc... but you summation is pretty much correct, a wok is useless for most home ranges. The heat has to be directed up the walls of the wok for it to cook correctly.