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[–] 5 points 2 weeks ago (18 children)

You should look at Induction top. Much safer, higher speed, easier to clean, way more efficient. Just plain electric heaters is what my parrents used literally 30 years ago (but yes those do cause more fires statically)

The only reason to go with gas is that you like to use a Wok, but don't want to invest in a induction bowl.

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  • [–] 1 point 2 weeks ago* (1 child)

    We have induction at home and we did get a steel plate to use for pots and pans that aren’t ferrous. But it works so badly. Sure the induction plate heats up but then you have to rely on contact heat transfer between the metals and it’s very slow and laggy. Kills all the benefits of induction. I can’t possibly imagine trying to do this with a wok. First of all a wok needs to move and be picked up to stir and flip. The second induction loses contact, it loses heat. We should just say that gas wins hands down for woks because that’s the reality.

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  • [–] 1 point 2 weeks ago

    There are special wok induction plates (more like bowls at that point), and those work quite well. But I cant see spending so much money on the matter. That's why for a wok I prefer fire above anything electric.

    You can also (we don't have gas, and didn't want to spend money on a round induction bowl) buy a wok with a tick and flat bottum. (also suggestions where listed here somewhere)

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  • [–] 1 point 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (11 children)

    I use a flat bottom carbon steel wok on an electric stove and it heats up like lightning. Its the top pick from this article. Kenji Lopez-alt, a long time serious eats contributor, also wrote the book on woks that is excellent if you're interested in getting started with wok cooking.

    With the above wok, I can get oil smoking in 30 seconds from cold, and it sears everything like a dream. It is 100% the "dont turn away while its going or else" wok cooking experience. Unless you have very exacting standards, woks are covered on electric/induction.

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  • [–] 1 point 2 weeks ago (10 children)
  • [–] 1 point 2 weeks ago* (9 children)

    Sure, but you dont need a dedicated induction wok element. The flat bottomed woks are insanely good and work on any stove.

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  • [–] 2 points 2 weeks ago (8 children)

    Only the flat center of the bottom can heat. And you lose the ability to pick the wok up and flip without also losing heat. I’ve lived with both gas and induction - currently have induction. Like everything else everyone here is saying about induction, it’s true in theory but in practice there are compromises, and woks are one of them.

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  • [–] 1 point 2 weeks ago* (7 children)

    You dont lose either in my experience. I use a electric flat top, which also just heats the bottom of the wok.

    The flat bottom isn't isolated from the rest of the pan. It radiates the heat out over the carbon steel very rapidly. I wasent exaggerating when I said oil smokes in 30 seconds. The sides are always searing hot, and I can flip food with no issue. I get the exact char and smoke flavor I expect from a wok with it.

    I would guess your wok isn't carbon steel if you're having problems with induction heat. The material seems key to making a flat bottom wok work.

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  • [–] 1 point 2 weeks ago (6 children)

    I’m speaking only about induction. Sounds like you are using resistive electric.

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  • [–] 1 point 2 weeks ago (5 children)

    Okay. I guess I'm confused about the difference in context. The method of heating just the bottom of the wok differs, but thats all either does. Induction should if anything be more effective than resistive heat.

    Youre saying you have a flat bottom, carbon steel wok you use on a full size inductive range and it doesnt heat in a comperable way?

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  • [–] 1 point 2 weeks ago (4 children)

    I can’t compare anything to resistive heat because I haven’t used it in about 30 years. I have zero thoughts on resistive.

    I just think induction is far from ideal for woks because it’s only able to act on the very flat bottom of the wok and doesn’t permit much movement, flipping and such which is expected when you’re cooking with a wok.

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  • [–] 1 point 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (3 children)

    I'm still confused man. If the bottom of the pan is hot, it heats up the rest of the pan. Thats just how metal and heat works.

    I'm telling you that I have a wok and a heating element that only gets the bottom of the wok hot, but then because of metal and you know, physics, the rest of the wok is also scorching hot. I move it around, I flip things with it, it adds that exact wok char and smoke to my food.

    Do you have a carbon steel wok you have used with your induction stove? It sounds like you just think it won't work, instead of actually trying it.

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  • [–] 1 point 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (2 children)

    Yes I have a steel wok I’ve used with my induction stove. I’ve owned it for about 35 years and have used it on quite a variety of stoves.

    Let me make it easy for you. Take your wok outside and set it up with a propane torch heating the fuck out of one square inch of the bottom. And try to cook on it.

    By your logic it should “heat up the rest of the pan” right? So where’s the problem! This is extending the issue to an extreme but it’s the same point.

    Obviously if you have to rely on conduction to spread heat to the rest of the pan, you’re going to burn some food before some parts of the pan are even warm. This isn’t hard to understand.

    A gas burner licks the entire wok with flame continually and you get high, even heat everywhere. End of story.

    An induction stove can’t act on metal that isn’t directly touching it. What you are doing is rotating your food through the one hot spot you have. Maybe it eventually works but wok cooking is about high heat for a short time and you’re not getting the best results you could be.

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  • [–] 1 point 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (1 child)

    Okay, so I think we are disagreeing around the edges here.

    Its fully possible that I'm not getting the 100% ideal wok experience, but all I know is that I put my wok on the burner and I have smoking oil in 30 seconds and everything I toss in hisses and sears insanely well. Liquids start to instantly boil. Food cooks fast as hell, the whole pan is dangerous as fuck to touch, and I need my vent fan on max speed to handle the searing smoke.

    If thats not as good as a gas wok, well fuck me mate, I don't think I need it.

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  • [–] 1 point 2 weeks ago (3 children)

    Or if your power goes out often

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  • [–] 1 point 2 weeks ago (2 children)

    I use an induction stove for camping. You can clearly cook without the grid if you wanted to.

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  • [–] 2 points 2 weeks ago (1 child)

    Let’s be real. You can’t backpack into the wildness with batteries and an induction stove. You can with an ultralight and a bottle of gas.

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