My Big Black Wok (BBW) pic included

BUDFORCE · 13 Jul 2022 at 19:53

Hi guys,

Just thought I'd share. I bought this at an Asian supermarket several years ago, cheap as chips less than a tenner. Although I've taken the pic on that induction hob I don't actually use it on that, I have an outdoor gas ring I run off a propane bottle.

Despite that it looks a bit ****** up in the middle at bottom inside, this wok is so good, carbon steel, well seasoned and doesn't stick at all.

Best pan I have and one of the cheapest I've ever bought.

drakulton · 13 Jul 2022 at 20:01

BUDFORCE said:
Hi guys,

Just thought I'd share. I bought this at an Asian supermarket several years ago, cheap as chips less than a tenner. Although I've taken the pic on that induction hob I don't actually use it on that, I have an outdoor gas ring I run off a propane bottle.

Despite that it looks a bit ****** up in the middle at bottom inside, this wok is so good, carbon steel, well seasoned and doesn't stick at all.

Best pan I have and one of the cheapest I've ever bought.

Humph! clickbait for BBW.

jpaul · 13 Jul 2022 at 21:03

BUDFORCE said:
Just thought I'd share. I bought this at an Asian supermarket several years ago, cheap as chips less than a tenner. Although I've taken the pic on that induction hob I don't actually use it on that, I have an outdoor gas ring I run off a propane bottle.

sounds like the thread could evolve like picture of your desktop/wok here and now - I'll snap ours tommorow.

so have you not investigated/invested in a wok with a flat section on bottom (like le creuset do) or a trip-ply one, to see if that could deliver the goods on induction ?
Personally have abstained from the wok until we get back to a gas hob ... cooking in the garden would be a pita.

^JP^ · 13 Jul 2022 at 21:12

Looks the same as mine, I sometimes find the wooden handle too short and end up grabbing the metal bit! Ouch!
Carbon steel is great though.

Minibiker · 13 Jul 2022 at 21:42

Came here to see some BBW but then found out it was a Wok

looks like I'll head over to the HUB :cry:

Philtor · 13 Jul 2022 at 23:05

I have a carbon steel wok, but never used it. I just stick with my heavy duty one. Does ok but slower…

BUDFORCE · 14 Jul 2022 at 06:46

jpaul said:
so have you not investigated/invested in a wok with a flat section on bottom (like le creuset do) or a trip-ply one, to see if that could deliver the goods on induction ?

Like this one:

It's not bad.

I've gone through several for induction hobs, I'm of the opinion induction hobs and any decent frying pan including works just don't go that well together.

That particular one was like £60 and it's not as good as the less than a tenner Asian supermarket one.

JonRGV250 · 14 Jul 2022 at 06:56

BUDFORCE said:
I've gone through several for induction hobs, I'm of the opinion induction hobs and any decent frying pan including woks just don't go that well together.

Agreed.
I’ve no gas where I live, and have pretty much given up using a wok, whereas my rental property has a proper gas wok burner and it’s phenomenal.
Damn I miss that thing

Rai200 · 14 Jul 2022 at 13:08

JonRGV250 said:
Agreed.
I’ve no gas where I live, and have pretty much given up using a wok, whereas my rental property has a proper gas wok burner and it’s phenomenal.
Damn I miss that thing

Commercial Wok Induction cooker 3kW | Adexa AMCD108W

Simple to use, clean and maintain, this professional single zone induction wok provides efficient, yet powerful cooking for all kinds of stir fry and Asian style foods. Designed to reduce running costs, less energy is wasted, saving money thanks to the direct power transfer and automatic pan detecti

adexa.co.uk

These work pretty well.

Or get a gas tank and one of these.

JonRGV250 · 14 Jul 2022 at 13:46

I’ve toyed with the idea of getting an external gas tank and plumbing in a gas burner, but I’ve recently bought a new electric oven and hob.
But, that wok induction cooker looks like something I didn’t know I needed.
Watched a few videos on it, and it works well.

jpaul · 14 Jul 2022 at 18:21

BUDFORCE said:
Like this one:

yes that's pretty much what the le creuset one, I have, looks like; on gas, once up to temp, it went fine, can't toss stuff around by moving the pan, just have to use the metal scoop thing.
Having never had a bowled carbon steel, one I don't know if they are always stable without a supporting ring on gas.

Scam · 15 Jul 2022 at 13:14

Love my carbon steel wok! It has a flat bottom but once we do the kitchen and get a range with a proper wok ring I’ll revert back to rounded bottom.

DrToffnar · 15 Jul 2022 at 13:33

Nothing cooks like carbon steel. I pretty much exclusively cook East Asian food at home now and the pan I have (which is identical to yours if the label is anything to go by) is used daily. It is true that commercial hobs just don't get hot enough to produce that proper Wok Hei flavor, but doing it in a traditional frying pan doesn't feel the same.

As @^JP^ said though, I've lost a good few sections of fingerprints gripping the pan a little high, especially when deep frying...

Draeger · 15 Jul 2022 at 13:36

I had a similar wok which I loved using but lost it at the start of the year when we moved to our new house. No idea where it ended up, rather annoying.

Can anyone recommend a decent wok, around 30cm or larger as I sometimes cook for relatives and friends and often find a smaller wok isn't large enough for all the ingredients to feed 4 to 6 people.

Scam · 15 Jul 2022 at 15:17

Draeger said:
Can anyone recommend a decent wok, around 30cm or larger as I sometimes cook for relatives and friends and often find a smaller wok isn't large enough for all the ingredients to feed 4 to 6 people.

I think you just need to get to an Asian supermarket somewhere, they always have them. Mind you, I struggle cooking a noodle dish (e.g. pad thai) for two. I don't know how you'd manage for 6!

Draeger · 15 Jul 2022 at 17:24

Scam said:
I don't know how you'd manage for 6!

Little portions!!!

Jace007 · 15 Jul 2022 at 17:34

Philtor said:
I have a carbon steel wok, but never used it. I just stick with my heavy duty one. Does ok but slower…

Oh man that looks nice!!! i'm guessing its good for Shallow frying things too. Does the handle get Hot? Why is there some paper on the Wooden handle part of it

Philtor · 15 Jul 2022 at 18:09

Never tried it for shallow frying as I use my air fryer

It’s a great wok and well worth the money. The handle stays cool btw.

https://amzn.eu/d/gd1y9eb

jpaul · 16 Jul 2022 at 21:17

agree about wok size .. with a wok 12" diameter you can do just about two people portion of the meat component at one time, allowing them to have good contact with the wok walls;
I'd have to be removing stuff from the pan to keep warm by the side if I wanted to cater for more.
Once I put peppers/onions in I do usually add a drop of water and put the lid on briefly - to get some steam infusion/softening of 'veggies'

interesting analysis I saw ... so induction is not so much more efficient than ceramic/resistance-ring
it was a myth.

rgrocott · 20 Jul 2022 at 22:26

JonRGV250 said:
Agreed.
I’ve no gas where I live, and have pretty much given up using a wok, whereas my rental property has a proper gas wok burner and it’s phenomenal.
Damn I miss that thing

Flat-bottomed, thin carbon steel woks work just fine on induction hobs.

There are advantages and disadvantages when compared to gas, but compared to the average domestic gas hob I think I'd choose induction. Both can lower the heat instantaneously, which is a big advantage over bog-standard electric hobs. Induction, however, can raise the heat way faster than gas can (assuming you aren't rocking some super-powered gas burner).

The first time I tried stir-frying on my induction hob I assumed it would be underpowered, so I stuck it on the maximum setting for half a minute to heat up. Cue plenty of smoking oil, and when I threw the meat in it was immediately carbonised. Not just burnt but completely, utterly ****** in a couple of seconds. Once the wok had cooled down enough to clean it out, I realised that the base had actually gotten so hot it had partially buckled!

I realise that the above doesn't sound like a recommendation, but the point is that once you know what you're doing, you can very quickly get the wok back to high heat, drop it again, and generally stir-fry very effectively.

The most obvious downside is that the heat from induction is not very evenly distributed - it's focussed in a ring, maybe 2/3 of the way from the centre to the edge of the circle. So for seasoning the base of the wok, you need to move the pan around a bit, and you can't season anything beyond the flat base. I use a charcoal chimney starter to re-season the sides of the pan if needed, but really you don't need your entire pan to be well-seasoned, just the bits that get really hot.