Off topic...Wok

Hey everybody.

So i am in the market for a wok. The main use would be inside on a gas stove but i would also like the opportunity to use it with my weber gourmet system. I could take the middle section out and drop the wok in the middle for outdoor cooking.

My question is, what flat bottom woks do people recommend or have experience with?

Thanks for any insight

Check out The Wok Shop online. They have a really good selection of woks, both round & flat bottom, and they're inexpensive. The hand hammered carbon steel ones are the way to go, as they're light in weight and they heat up & cool down quickly so temperature control is great and that's a must for stir frying. As much as I am an advocate for cast iron cooking, and I use CI skillets almost exclusively, they are not very good for woks because of the weight and that you cannot get those quick temperature changes. Hope this helps a little!

A Lodge CI Wok will fit in the gourmet grill you have, I use it like that all the time. Not sure if steel is better than CI, thats the only Wok I have, but I like how it works.

Thanks for the info guys. i think i am going to go with one from the wok shop!

Scotts,

What size are you going to go with. I was looking at the 12" or 14" models. I

Scotts, the general rule of thumb is to go flat bottom wok for electric stove tops and round bottom woks for gas top. Round bottom woks also require a wok ring to support and balance the wok. One can season both iron and carbon steel woks, so they remain as nonstick as possible. CI woks are beastly heavy, as Kenny noted, and take a while to bring up to heat and they take their pleasing time to cool down. However, they do have the advantage of a more consistent temperature distribution along the whole surface, especially is you are cooking over gas or flame where the heat source is concentrated in a very narrow point.

Myself, I use the CI exclusively as it is very predictable, though there is a whole lot to be said about the lighter carbon steel. In light of what you say, for you, my arrogant opinion is that you need both-- a round bottom carbon steel (with wok ring) for your indoor gas stove, and a flat bottom CI for the grill.