On 2010-06-01, ChattyCathy > wrote:
>
> Not really sure what you mean, but the electric wok I have gets good and
> hot for a bit, and then suddenly the thermostat just switches off the
> heating element and the temperature drops rapidly - then (when it feels
> like it) it kicks in again. It's done that since I took it out of the
> box..........

Most electric appliances work on a very simple principle of on or off.
You set the temp, it reaches it, it turns off. If the temp drops
below a certain point, it turns back on. Most elect woks are made of
aluminum and the heat disapates rapidly. Max temp, off.... heat drops
cuz made of alum, turns back on. Not rocket science. Wok hits max
temp, turns off. Add cold food, temp drops and heating element turns
back on. Unfortunately, elect heating elements are slow to heat so
the recovery time is slow and quick stir frying is rarely acheived.

With a gas burner, one can turn the knob and add more heat almost
instantly. If you look at commercial restaurant woks, you will
discover they have an auxillary valve --often foot operated like a
car's gas peddle-- that instantly provides an extra large shot of very
intense flame to quickly increase the temp of the wok when cold food
is added. This kind of hardware is hard to duplicate in the home, but
high heat and rapid cooking can be acheived with judicious cooking
techniques. Wok cooking is an art, not merely a simple method like your
microwave.

Buy the best hardware you can afford and learn to work with it.

nb