On Dec 18, 5:31*am, George > wrote:
> On 12/17/2010 11:50 PM, spamtrap1888 wrote:
>
>
>
>
>
> > On Dec 17, 3:07 pm, "Pete > *wrote:
> >> sf wrote:
>
> >>> On Fri, 17 Dec 2010 13:11:25 -0800 (PST), spamtrap1888
> >>> > *wrote:
>
> >>>> On Dec 17, 12:18 pm, "Pete > *wrote:
> >>>>> Brooklyn1 wrote:
>
> >>>>>> On Fri, 17 Dec 2010 10:25:55 -0600, wrote:
>
> >>>>>>> I'm not much of a cook at all.... but one thing I do
> >>>>>>> like is fried potatoes and stir fry type dishes
>
> >>>>>>> I have a nice skillet (probably too small) though.....
> >>>>>>> but have wondered if maybe a wok is the better "tool"
> >>>>>>> for me?
>
> >>>>>>> Can someone give this neophyte cook some advice on the
> >>>>>>> advantages of wok vs BIG skillet?
>
> >>>>>> Big skillet wins... raw spuds is not something lends itself to stir
> >>>>>> frying. *I see no point to a wok unless one cooks very teeny
> >>>>>> quantities or has a huge BTU gas burner. *The vast majority of folks
> >>>>>> who wok at home are just fooling themselves (ie. masturbating).
>
> >>>>> I agree, unless you have a high BTU burner (or cook over a wood or
> >>>>> charcoal fire) you don't have enough heat input for a wok to function
> >>>>> properly and you may as well use an ordinary large skillet.
>
> >>>> Hmm... should I go by this unsupported assertion, or rely on over
> >>>> thirty years of personal experience stir-frying on ordinary gas
> >>>> stoves?
>
> >>> They're from the "Tim, the Toolman, Taylor" school of thought.
>
> >> You'll find that same "unsupported" assertion from many professional
> >> chefs and you'll find they all use woks on burners with much higher BTU
> >> output than an "ordinary" gas stove.
>
> > Funnily enough, most Chinese meals are not cooked by professional
> > chefs, but by home cooks. A typical wok burner puts out 4.5kW, or
> > 15,350 BTU, easily achievable from any US range.
>
> You seem to want to rearrange the question to fit your objection.
>
> No one suggested that you can't use a wok to cook food on a "household"
> burner. What was noted is that if want the extra flavor associated with
> good restaurant wok cooking because of "wok hei" you aren't going to get
> that on a household burner. If storage space/budget/whatever were
> limited and if no high heat burner is available then skip the wok.

Please tell me a restaurant and a dish that provides this extra flavor
obtainable only by high heat cookery, without which spending $20 on a
wok is a waste.

I also use my wok to make straccetti with arugula.