A wok is a traditional frying pan of Asia, its shape is a segment of a sphere which is very important. Various pans can be called woks that are some other shape - that is not what I mean.
There have been many references here to ditching gas and going to induction stoves. One problem is that stir frying is difficult in a shallow or flat bottomed pan and that the traditional wok is great for tossing and stirring food but is very inefficient on a standard induction stove. The reason is the curved shape takes heat well from a fuel stove or gas stove as the hot gasses flow up the sides but only a small circle in the middle is close enough to the flat induction element to get any induction heating.
There are induction woks, the top is a toughened glass bowl with a curved induction element under it, this allows the whole area of the induction element to be close to the wok and so maximises efficiency. My problem was that before now the ones I found that looked good were horridly expensive (up to $8,000) and the ones that were cheap were of very uncertain quality and capability, frequently sold from a hole in the wall overseas that would ignore consumer legislation with instructions in another language.
I have come across an induction wok that is sold in Australia whose price is reasonable. It is made by Borrelli who is very hard to track down or get reviews about. It sounds Italian but I can’t verify that.
The bowl is 30cm and the nominal power is 3500w. I have two mild steel heirloom woks, one 32cm and the other 35cm, since the larger fits the curve of the burner better I use it, being slightly too big doesn’t matter. It is a good size for non commercial use. The case is stainless steel and it has internal cooling fans that are managed automatically according to the temperature in the case.
It is portable and plugs in to a power point so it isn’t taking up space on the bench all the time. It is easy to clean. The power is controlled by a front panel knob that can be configured to set power, temperature or time. To me the first is all I want, stir frying is an immediate art not something you can set and forget. If you want to do other kinds of cooking these settings may be useful but not to me.
So is it any good? Yes!
I have had gas wok burners that are around 5kw and this is at least as powerful in practice. The reason is that induction is much more efficient at getting energy into the wok, provided it fits. If using a gas wok a great deal of power is wasted heating air and sending hot gasses up the sides of the wok and out the exhaust fan. Just like gas you can turn the power up or down and it responds immediately.
I bought from CKS online for $400 plus delivery, they offer a one year warranty. I thought the price was reasonable.
There is a catch however. You need a 15 amp circuit and power point to run it, the plug will not fit in a standard power point and it may be dangerous to use one anyway as it does draw all that power. I was well placed for this as I had a spare circuit to the kitchen which was suitable and all I had to pay for was a new power point. Providing a new circuit for this burner may add considerably to the cost but you could get it done at the same time as connecting up your new induction cooktop and save somewhat. If you are renting unless a suitable power point is in the kitchen you are out of luck.
So I am pretty happy with my new toy and other members of the household who love their stir fry are too.
