"Louis Cohen" > wrote in message
...
> This has got to be one of the craziest ideas I have seen in a while. Cast
> iron pots and pans are great for dishes in which you want to keep the
> temperature constant for a long time, either because you are adding cold
> food to deep fry in hot oil or keeping a stew/braise going evenly over a
low
> flame.
>
> But woks are light and thin, so that you can adjust the heat from hot hot
> hot stir frying to a simmer. And, you can move cooked pieces from the
> bottom center to the side so that they don't overcook while the rest
> finishes. On cast iron, teh temp would be the same throughout.
>
> And, of course, even Iron Chef Chen would have trouble flipping food in a
> cast iron work.
>
> By all means get a cast iron skillet and griddle and Dutch oven. But go
to
> Chinatown and get a cheap, spun steel wok in a grocery store. Or maybe a
> thin, flat bottom wok for an electric stove (or even a gas range with not
> great burners).
>
> --
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------
------
> Louis Cohen
> Living la vida loca at N37° 43' 7.9" W122° 8' 42.8"
>
>
> "Julie" > wrote in message
> ...
> > Does anyone have a le creuset wok? If so, does it work well, and are
> > they worth the money? My range is electric and I've found that regular
> > woks don't work very well on it.
>
I was of this opinion as well. But, as it turns out, the Chinese make cast
iron woks that are quite thin and actually work very well. If you go to the
Chinese countryside and take a poll of wok preferences, you will get a
majority of Chinese households preferring cast iron.

I recently tested this by ordering a cast iron wok from
http://www.thewokshop.com and found that it worked just fine. You can read
my review at http://www.foodieforums.com. I still have a preference for
carbon steel but there is no doubt the cast iron wok gets the job done.
I've never tried a Le Creuset wok, however so I can't comment on that.

Fred
Foodie Forums
http://www.foodieforums.com