A Wok Burner is becoming a familiar fixture in many UK homes. Although it is mainly an appliance used in the Far East to cook Asian foods. It is a bowl-shaped utensil used for sautéing, braising, boiling and frying. They’re a great combination for creating some really great recipes and foods that are actually really good for you.
The combination system provides a cooking system that can cook food very quickly. Fresh ingredients are generally used, these retain most of their nutritional value due to the speed with which they are cooked. Food cooked with a wok burner stays fresh and still tastes great. In fact, you can cook many other foods as well, you can even smoke them if you wish.
In the Far East, the wok and wok burner is the center of the kitchen, in fact you will find that for most prepared foods, nothing else is used. In Asian families, they make a feast out of fresh ingredients, a wok, a wok burner, and a butcher knife. They are so easy to use – the key really is to use full heat and let the wok heat up. The principle behind the wok is that it does not lose its temperature when food is added, allowing for a true low-fat stir fry. The food made is crispy and delicious.
Due to the growing popularity of wok cooking, mainly thanks to our famous chefs like Ken Hom, wok burners are a part of many UK families. They are generally used with gas and can be used outside. It is large in size compared to the other burners and provides much higher power, around 9kw, triple that of a large indoor hob.
It’s also great with large pots or even griddles. A wok is like a part of the culture in the far east. You will find them in every home. You’ll need to have a wok burner to be able to recreate those favorite Chinese foods in minutes.
Some important points to remember when you are about to buy one:
– Use a carbon steel wok to start. This wok is old and has been around for a long time.
– A Wok burner made of very heavy cast iron. However, the advantage is that it distributes the heat very well over the entire surface of the wok – it has a large enough flame with enough heat to maintain the necessary heat in your wok – thus cooking the food evenly.
– Consider what gas you will be using and make sure you have the right regulator. Most retailers will offer you a regulator with your wok burner as part of the package.
– If you use yours outside, do you have a chance to shield the flame from the wind, use the wok burner in a sheltered area or find a windshield that will fit the wok burner you purchase.
Above all, have fun with your new oriental cooking system. Try new recipes and experiment.