A Wok Burner is becoming a familiar site in many UK households. Although primarily it is an appliance used in the far east for cooking Asian foods. It is a bowl-shaped utensil used for stir-frying, braising, boiling, & deep-frying. They are a great combination to create some really nice recipes and food that actually is very good for you.
Thecombined system provides a cooking system that can cook food very quickly. Generally, fresh ingredients are used, they retain most of their nutritional value due to the speed in which they are cooked. Food cooked using a wok burner stays fresh and still has a bite to it. In fact, you can cook lots of other foods too – you can even smoke food if you like.
In the far east, the wok and wok burner is the centre of the kitchen, in fact, you will find that for the majority of food prepared, nothing else is used. In the Asian families, they produce feast using fresh ingredients, a wok, wok burner and a cleaver. They are very easy to use – the key really is to use full heat and allowing the wok to get smoke hot. The principle behind the wok is that it does not loose its temperature when food is added, which allows for true low fat stir frying. The food made is crispy and delicious.
Due to the increased popularity of wok cooking, mainly down to our celebrity chefs such as Ken Hom, wok burners are a part of many UK Families. They are generally used with gas and can be used outside. Big in size compared to the other burners and provide a much higher output, around 9kw – triple that of an indoor large hob.
It is also very good with large stock pots or even griddles to BBQ with. A wok is like a part of culture in the far east. You will find them in every home. You will need to have a wok burner to be able to re-create those favourite Chinese meals in minutes.
Some important points that you must remember when you are about to buy one:
– Use a carbon steel wok to begin with. This wok is ancient and has been around since a very long time.
– A Wok burner made from cast iron very heavy. However, the advantage is that it distributes heat very well to the whole of the wok surface – it has a large enough flame with enough heat to maintain the heat required in your wok- thereby cooking the food uniformly.
– Consider which gas you will use and ensure you have the correct regulator to suit. Most retailers will offer you a regulator with your wok burner as part of the package.
– If using yours outside, do you have the facility to protect the flame from wind, either use the Wok Burner in a sheltered area or find a wind shield that will fit the wok burner you buy.
Above all – have fun with your new oriental cooking system. Try new recipes and experiment.