Should I bother trying to use a traditional wok on an electric stove?

I received a round-bottom wok with a cooking ring as a gift. I have an electric smoothtop stove. Upon opening the packaging, an included sheet of paper listed some additional information, including a note about not using round-bottom woks with electric burners, as "the heat reflected back can damage the element."

Should I return the wok? What are my options?

Best Answer

There are two problems here:

Not enough heat reaching the wok/food due to limited contact surface.
Part of the heating element not being in contact with a cooling metal (pan/wok) and the heat reflected back at it (not escaping).

This can result in a large temperature difference between the parts of the element that are in contact with the wok and parts that are not as well as over heating the element.

You may still be able to use your wok on portable single burner gas stoves. Otherwise I'd recommend heeding their advice and not using it on an electric stove. It won't make good food with little contact point anyway.

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Can you use a traditional wok on an electric stove?

Yes, woks work on electric stoves. However, to use a round-bottom wok on an electric stovetop, you must use a wok ring as an interface. Woks with flat bottoms will work better as they establish proper contact with the heat source. A carbon steel wok is better than a cast iron wok on an electric hob.

How do you use a wok if you have an electric stove?

Best Overall: HexClad Hybrid Stainless Steel Wok The ideal wok for an electric stove should have the durability of stainless steel, with the non-stick coating of carbon steel. While most have to satisfy for one or the other, the HexClad Hybrid Stainless Steel Wok successfully manages both.

What kind of wok is best for an electric stove?

A gas stove is ESSENTIAL for wok cooking because you need HIGH HEAT! Electric stoves do NOT generate enough heat and because the round bottom cast iron wok shape only gets a small contact area, it won't work!

Can you stir-fry in a wok on a glass top electric range?

Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

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