tfilm@ihuxn.UUCP (m e lindenmeyer) (02/04/85)
I gave my wife a wok for Christmas that we use on our GE electric range. According to the instructions, it may be used successfully on either gas or electric. The problems we noticed after using it about ten times were that the top of the range would become very hot, to the extent that the porcelain finish about 4 inches from the heater element chipped off in unsightly areas. This has really disappointed us. The excess heat has also melted a hole in the aluminum shield that rests beneath the heating element. Is this typical? Are we doing something wrong? Is there something we can do to improve conditions, i.e. transfer more of the heat to the wok, less to the oven surface and aluminum shield? MEL ihuxn!tfilm 850204.0910
wjt@hound.UUCP (Bill Taggart) (02/05/85)
We have found that our electric range has also been damaged by the
use of a wok, but not to the extent that the enamel has chipped or
the aluminum liners have melted. The damage we have experienced has
only been a discoloration (turning brownish) of the enamel surface
of the stove. I think your problem is that you are turning the heat
up too high, on our electric range we use a setting of about 7, where
10 is the highest setting.
I think the problem comes about because the wok does not sit right on
the burner surface like the other pots and pans, therefore the heat
transferred by radiation, not conduction. This is inefficient and the
heat ends up being reflected off the wok back to the surface of the
stove. I don't know of any way to solve the problem. A friend
has a Jenn-Aire stove, they have designed a special curved element
for their stoves that nicely fits the bottom of a wok. The element
provides support for the wok, so you don't use the shield, and also
transfers the heat directly from the element to the wok. I have
noticed that the stainless steel top of their stove has also been
discolored from the use of the wok, so this type of element is not
the ultimate answer.
It appears that electric stove damage is the price you pay for using
a wok, my only suggestion would be to cut back on burner setting
that you use.
--
Bill Taggart
...ihnp4!houxm!hound!wjthalle1@homxb.UUCP (J.HALLE) (02/05/85)
We have experienced no damage whatsoever using our wok on an electric stove. We normally use it at about 80-90%, but on occasion turn it up full. But I think the problem may be in the way you use the ring the wok sits in. The ring is beveled. (Frustrum of a cone.) For a gas range put the wide part on the surface and sit the wok in the narrow part. For an electric, flip it over. The narrow part sits nicely over the bib ring. Sit the wok in the wide part. Such an arrangement spreads the heat better, so it does not build up as much. And it cooks better this way.
mike@amdcad.UUCP (Mike Parker) (02/06/85)
> I gave my wife a wok for Christmas that we use on our GE electric > range. According to the instructions, it may be used successfully > on either gas or electric. > > The problems we noticed after using it about ten times were that > the top of the range would become very hot, to the extent that the > porcelain finish about 4 inches from the heater element chipped off > in unsightly areas. This has really disappointed us. The excess > heat has also melted a hole in the aluminum shield that rests > beneath the heating element. > > Is this typical? Are we doing something wrong? Is there something > we can do to improve conditions, i.e. transfer more of the heat to > the wok, less to the oven surface and aluminum shield? > Sounds like a round bottom wok with a wok ring. Most manufacturers now admit that these damage electric stoves. Get a flat bottom wok. Mike @ AMDCAD
nemo@rochester.UUCP (Wolfe) (02/06/85)
> (problems with electric range & wok - range too hot, etc.) > Is this typical? Are we doing something wrong? Is there something > we can do to improve conditions, i.e. transfer more of the heat to > the wok, less to the oven surface and aluminum shield? > MEL ihuxn!tfilm When I use my wok on the electric range, I put the ring on upside down (that is, with the wider end up and the narrower end down) and use a smaller burner. This improves heat transfer, but is still less than ideal. Others have claimed good results with the flat-bottom woks, but I don't know personally about them. By the way, a wok is terrific for camping! Nemo
seifert@mako.UUCP (Snoopy) (02/07/85)
In article <616@amdcad.UUCP> mike@amdcad.UUCP (Mike Parker) writes: >> The problems we noticed after using it about ten times were that >> the top of the range would become very hot, to the extent that the >> porcelain finish about 4 inches from the heater element chipped off >> in unsightly areas. This has really disappointed us. The excess >> heat has also melted a hole in the aluminum shield that rests >> beneath the heating element. >> >> Is this typical? Are we doing something wrong? Is there something >> we can do to improve conditions, i.e. transfer more of the heat to >> the wok, less to the oven surface and aluminum shield? > >Sounds like a round bottom wok with a wok ring. Most manufacturers >now admit that these damage electric stoves. Get a flat bottom wok. > >Mike @ AMDCAD Is the flat bottom supposed to sit directly on the burner? How are round bottom woks supposed to damage stoves? Sounds like the stove wasn't designed properly to me. Being a chinese-cooking-utensil ignorant caucasian, I had Woodstock inspect the wok I picked out before purchasing it. She said that the round bottom types were better. I forget why. :-( I've used the thing on three different stoves (2 electric, 1 gas, spare me from gas stoves!) with no damage. Now if I could just learn to use the thing! -sigh- _____ |___| the Bavarian Beagle _|___|_ Snoopy \_____/ tektronix!mako!seifert \___/ You know you've been spending too much time on the computer when your friend misdates a check and you suggest throwing in a "++"
ken@turtlevax.UUCP (Ken Turkowski) (02/07/85)
In article <494@homxb.UUCP> halle1@homxb.UUCP (J.HALLE) writes: >We have experienced no damage whatsoever using our wok on an >electric stove. We normally use it at about 80-90%, but on >occasion turn it up full. But I think the problem may be in >the way you use the ring the wok sits in. > >The ring is beveled. (Frustrum of a cone.) For a gas range >put the wide part on the surface and sit the wok in the narrow >part. For an electric, flip it over. The narrow part sits >nicely over the bib ring. Sit the wok in the wide part. >Such an arrangement spreads the heat better, so it does not >build up as much. And it cooks better this way. I've got a ring which is not beveled. Regardless, I never use it. I just set the wok directly on the electric element. Direct contact seems to distribute the heat more efficiently. -- Ken Turkowski @ CADLINC, Menlo Park, CA UUCP: {amd,decwrl,nsc,seismo,spar}!turtlevax!ken ARPA: turtlevax!ken@DECWRL.ARPA
wmartin@brl-tgr.ARPA (Will Martin ) (02/08/85)
I always suspected that the concentrated heat under a wok when used with a support-ring would damage the stove finish. That's why I started with an electric wok, and picked up a long-handled regular wok with no ring at a yard sale. That latter wok sits fine on my gas stove burner grills; since it has the long wooden handle on one side, I can hang on to it during cooking and stirring. You'll note that restaurant woks sit in a hole in a black iron or other durably-finished stove, and seem to always use gas or other flame source of heat. I fear that ordinary round-bottomed woks and home electric ranges are fundamentally incompatible. Regards, Will Martin USENET: seismo!brl-bmd!wmartin or ARPA/MILNET: wmartin@almsa-1.ARPA
chin@ucbvax.ARPA (David Chin) (02/10/85)
Sometimes you can get the same effect as special rounded elements by bending a large element yourself to fit the wok. Be careful of breaking the element though. I have bent such an element and used it quite successfully for daily wok cooking over the last 4.5 years with no problems (no cracking of porcelain finishes, no problems with the stove, etc.). When neccessary, the element has been unbent (and rebent afterwards) for use with flat cookware. Dave Chin chin@BERKELEY ucbvax!chin
figmo@tymix.UUCP (Lynn Gold) (02/21/85)
I've used my wok with my stove many times, and with no damage. I have an electric stove and a wooden-handled wok. When my mother took Chinese cooking a number of years back, she was advised NOT to use the ring which comes with woks, but instead to use the wok directly on the electric heating element. I took my mother's teacher's advice. Neither my mother nor I have damaged our stoves. --Lynn