slb@drutx.UUCP (Sue Brezden) (07/31/85)
I have had experience with both cast iron and electric woks.
I love my cast iron wok, and would never have considered an
electric wok if my stove were gas. It is non-stick--with no
non-stick stuff to wear off. (The same thing with my frying
pans. I would never use anything but heavy cast iron.) I
used it with a normal electric stove, and it worked quite
well (although gas would have worked better.)
However, 2 years ago we moved to a house with a corningware
flat top. I don't like it--it is even slower than the regular
electric. If I had the money I would rip it out and put in
gas. We bought the house for other reasons and love it--but
I hate the stove.
A wok simply will not work on these tops, so I have an electric
wok now. I didn't want to go to one--I generally like the old ways.
It works great! It is not as esthetically pleasing as the old
fashioned cast iron. But it heats much faster than cast iron on
an electric stove. I haven't used cast iron on a gas stove so I
can't compare that. It cools faster than the cast iron in any
case, which is nice when you want to wash it and cook something
else immediately. (Like making eggrolls, where you have to cook
the filling, then deep fry them.) It is very controllable. I
have used it for both stir-frying and deep frying. I haven't done
any steaming yet.
You need to be careful which you buy. I have heard that some brands
do not have the power to come up to heat quickly--the prime
requirement. Consumer Reports can help. Mine is a West Bend,
and works quite well. You can't get them without silverstone.
I don't know how well that stuff wears--mine is ok so far, and I've
had it about 6 months. The main problem there is that you aren't
supposed to use metal implements, and most standard wok ones are metal.
I use wooden spatulas and chopsticks.
In summary, I recommend a cast iron wok if you have a gas stove,
and an electric wok if you don't. I was pleasantly surprised.
--
Sue Brezden
Real World: Room 1B17 Net World: ihnp4!drutx!slb
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