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In article >,
Tony P. > wrote:

> In article .com>,
> says...
> >
> > TheAlligator wrote:
> > > wrote:
> > >
> > > 20-gallon propane tank connected to a burner I got from Northern Tool
> > > and Equipment Company (northerntool.com). I like it a LOT better
> > than
> > > electric.
> >
> > Twist my arm why don't you.
> >
> >
>
> In answer to the original poster - I've always read and observed that
> true woks should be kept on full blast heat. That's why the walls are so
> nicely curved and high. You can push that which you don't want to get
> the direct brunt of the heat up, while leaving the stuff you want to
> sear at the bottom.
>
> There used to be a walk in fast Chinese place I frequented. They cooked
> within visibility and was I ever impressed when I first saw them lift
> the wok out of it's recess and then saw the flames shooting out. That's
> how hot it should be.

The problem is not how hot you can *get* the wok; it's how hot you can
*keep* it after you dump stuff into it. Most domestic cookstoves just
don't have enough heating capacity to do a first-rate job with a wok.

A proper wok ring can deliver about 40,000-50,000 BTU; most cooktop
burners are considerably under 10,000. A decent restaurant stove will
still not crack 20,000.

Isaac