On Fri, 17 Dec 2010 11:00:47 -0800, sf > wrote:

>On Fri, 17 Dec 2010 12:41:17 -0500, blake murphy
> wrote:
>
>> if there are asian markets near you, a hammered carbon steel wok will be
>> pretty inexpensive and work fine.
>
>Ditto. No need to go overboard. Buy a more expensive one and you're
>throwing money away unnecessarily. Most Asians buy theirs from the
>market too and they use theirs on a daily basis. I figure if it's
>good enough for them, it's good enough for me.

Also, the consider the layout of your stovetop. A 12' wok is more
difficult to work with, but in some cases a larger one won't fit on
your stove. I consider 14" a workable minimum for home use. My Kenmore
stovetop allows me to use a 15", so I do.

Please do consider those little oriental butane stoves, though. They
run about $25-$30 and they all come with a built in wok support on the
fire ring as well as auto-ignition. You can take them anywhere (like
out on the patio) and a 15" hammered iron wok fits quite confortably.
Worst case: Stove, $30, wok, $25. (and you get another burner for your
kitchen without remodeling!)

HTH

Alex