sant (02/11/83)
I am interested in buying a wok and would welcome any suggestions. Does an ordinary wok work well on an electric cooking range? Or should I go in for an electric, temperature controlled one? Also most of the woks I have seen on the market are too big for my purposes. Are any smaller ones available? Deepak Sant HP Labs
kjg (02/12/83)
#R:hplabs:-118600:harpo:6800006:000:1012
harpo!kjg Feb 12 10:01:00 1983
Whatever you do don't buy an electric wok...I've never used one
that could maintain the heat high enough for stir frying. Most
other (passive) woks have a reversible stand. It it used with the
wide end down for gas ranges and up for electric:
wok wok
__________ _________
stand \ / / \
-------- -------------
electric gas
Woks work much better with gas ranges than electric (faster response
to heat changes with gas)...again don't buy one with an integral heating
element. When you get one, keep it properly seasoned. Also, don't go
for a non-stick surface (teflon or any other). Do buy one with wooden
handles, the steel ones get mighty hot in short order...
Kevin J Glass
(harpo!kjg)
PS- Wash only thoroughly enough to remove food particles...too much washing
ruins the seasoned surface, also dry thoroughtly so it won't rust...bart (02/13/83)
This is a resounding NO to electric woks. For a good many stir-fry dishes, a very hot wok is required. Electric woks can get up to the needed temperatures, but don't have enough heat output to keep up, once the food is added. I've had good result with a wok on both electric and gas stoves (tho' gas is always my preference). Also, I might recommend a wooden-handled wok. When the wok gets hot, it beats fumbling for a pot holder. ---Bart Miller U.C. Berkeley
shp (02/14/83)
I've used an electric wok for years only because it allows me to cook any where I want. Sitting around a table with a few friends drinking, preparing, cooking, and then eating, is a ton more fun than if you were tied to the stove. - sam praul ...decvax!ittvax!shp
gil (02/14/83)
Washing Woks: never use detergents; just hot water and a plastic or rubber scrubber (no steel wool).
agk (02/15/83)
No disrespect to Kevin Glass, but we have an electric wok with a teflon interior, and think it's great. It does have a problem pumping out enough heat to deep fry things, but we have a deep fryer to solve that (it also solves the problem of what one does with three cups of 300 degree oil in the middle of the recipe -- just leave it in the fryer and go back to the wok for the next recipe step). And you do have to be careful in selecting implements: stick to bamboo chopsticks and wooden spoons. The benefits, however, outweigh the problems. Probably the nicest thing is that you can cook at the table. This adds some interest to the meal (a free show), frees the cook (often me) from the kitchen, and gets the food to your plate while it's HOT. Food can be cooked in small batches, produced as it's needed, each batch eaten hot off the wok, and there are no left-overs (the unused food is returned to the refrigerator fresh). Clean-up is a snap because the wok immersible. Our wok is about 4 years old, and has been used an average of once a week. -andy kegel, bell labs, naperville, il (...!ucbvax!ihuxp!agk)
barbaral (02/21/83)
Smaller woks are available. The size of your sink may be a consideration in the size you choose. I've found my wok to work fine on both electric and gas ranges. Some people like the electric wok units so they can cook at the table, or have someone else cooking at the stove while they use the wok on a counter top. I've heard a lot of good reports about the silverstone electric wok.