"slim" > wrote in message
...
>
>
> Peter Dy wrote:
[...]
> > > My query: Is some exraordinarily powerful heat source really a
> > > requirement of Chinese/stir-fry cooking?
> >
> > No, definitely not. That's a strange, I dunno, myth or idée fixe out
there,
> > that you need super high heat sources to get "restaurant quality"
Chinese
> > food.
>
> In Cantonese cooking, its a definite YES!
>
> Its called "Wok Hey" in Cantonese.


You don't say...


> Beacuse in your part of town, its whats expected from the masses.
>
> Even in NYC,


Uh, here you are agreeing with me.

Fancy and expensive pots and pans, expensive German knives, and expensive
high-powered stoves are not necessary for great cooking. Having such items
guarantees nothing. I'd rather eat fried rice at my Cantonese friends'
places with their crappy electric stoves than at restaurants that have
powerful stoves which lend "wok fragrance" to crap. One doesn't even need a
wok. I say: Go look for great recipes, learn good techniques, and use great
ingredients and you'll make better Chinese than most every restaurant in the
States. You say: Try Italian instead. I think that is a dogmatic position,
and certainly not fun!

[...]

> On a regular stove, I recommend the heaviest iron wok you can manage,
> as the iron will hold heat better than the thin stainless ones, and keep
> the portions small. Make two batches instead of one large one to keep
> the initial temperature drop to a minimum.


Huh? So, you just don't know what "requirement" means, is that it?

Peter