Looking to buy a quality wok for home use. Would like an authentic wok used in Thai, Chinese cooking. What should I look for? Where’s the best place to buy in LA? Thx FTC
What kind of burner will you put it on? For a typical American kitchen, a traditional wok may not be right.
Just a regular gas stove burner. Great article! Thx
Love my 16” carbon steel round bottom from wok shop sf, bought from amazon. I do it outdoors on wok burner tho, so you will have to get flat bottom or ring
Kenji doesn’t think much of wok rings.
True but he is into carbon round bottom. So Is 16” a smarter buy than 14”? Our meals range from 2-6 people in general.
For a 16" wok, this is what I would recommend
For something smaller (like 14"), consider something like this
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But I should add that you need to really ask yourself why you want a wok, and what you plan to do with it.
If it’s just because you want to stir fry, then for home cooks without sufficient gas BTU ranges, a frying pan works just as well if not better.
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Japanese made carbon steel (needs seasoning, not stainless) wok from Action Sales in Monterey Park
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I bought one a long time ago and basically on a regular kitchen range it’s not very useful… heat transfer is so quick and we dont have enough fire to really kick it hard… so i end up using frying pans that will heat up and retain
you buy them at restaurant supply shops
If you want to get something like the results chefs get with professional wok burners, you might want to get an outdoor propane model. Such high BTUs are not safe for a home kitchen unless you install a special hood.
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Bingo
http://www.wokshop.com/ is one of my favorite stores. Period. I can’t give advice as, ipse suggested, I just use a large skillet.
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I started stir frying on my cast irons because the wok was upsetting me so much. Also you can’t cook the machine oil off in your house… took an hour in a scorching bbq
So, from what I’m getting from the thread, I should not use a conventional wok in my regular US kitchen unless I want to die.
Is this correct?
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The only problem with using a traditional wok in a regular US kitchen is that it won’t work very well with such low heat.
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15k BTU and above burner will do fine for home use … speaking from experience.
and use one of these wok ring contraptions to keep the wok close to the fire.
What does an average home cooktop burner put out?
Most newer ranges have fairly powerful burners. ie. this unit from GE @ $539 has one 15k burner.
https://www.bestbuy.com/site/ge-5-0-cu-ft-freestanding-gas-range-stainless-steel/4943612.p?skuId=4943612
This $2500 unit comes with a better tri-ring 20k burner
#wokrangegoals
30k BTU baby!
