7 Reasons Electric Wok Is Best for Delicious Stir-Fry
Pros of using an electric wok for stir fry: portable, ideal for Asian food, no need for gas, spacious cooking area, hassle-free, easy temperature control, stylish look.
Have you ever stopped and asked yourself some questions about the best ways to cook stir-fry? This popular dish has people from all over the world looking for the best possible ways to cook their stir-fry – and that goes beyond the sauces and to the actual cookware.
If you find yourself in the position where you want to know the best way to make stir-fry, you might wonder if an electric wok for stir-fry makes sense.
We will take a look at all of this as well as the options that you have for cooking stir-fry to make it as tasty and delicious as possible.
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Why Might an Electric Wok Make Sense?
There are plenty of reasons why you might want to consider getting an electric wok to cook stir-fry and many other delicious meals. A few of these reasons include:
- An electric wok is very portable
- It is ideal for preparing Asian food
- You may not have easy access to a steady source of gas for cooking
- You will have plenty of space in your dish for cooking
- It takes the hassle out of cooking
- It is easy to adjust the temperature on an electric cooking wok
- The look and style are ideal
Now, we must go into each of these ideas in a bit more detail to help you to understand why you absolutely must go with an electric cooking wok.
1. Portability
You will probably want to share some of your delicious cooking creations with friends and others that you enjoy spending time with. Therefore, it makes sense that you would want to carry around an electric wok that is highly portable and able to go where you want to go. That is a big upside of going with the electric option (ditto for grills).
As long as the space where you are going has access to electricity, you have everything that you need to start cooking some amazing-tasting food on the go.
2. Perfect for Asian Food
Asian dishes such as stir-fry are best prepared in a wok. You will notice that many Asian markets and restaurants have woks displayed as something that they use for cooking these delicious eats. This is because woks are frequently used in Asian culture to prepare the types of dishes that are traditionally eaten in Asian countries.
You will certainly want to use the tools that are used by native people for cooking the type of cuisine that you want to cook. Thus, you should certainly make sure you have a wok that you can use to prepare Asian food when necessary.
3. Lack of Access to Gas is No Problem
If you do not have access to gas for cooking, a traditional wok may not work out so well for you. However, if you have an electric wok, this isn’t such a big deal. You simply use your electric cooking wok normally even if you don’t have access to the gas that you would need to prepare other types of dishes.
4. A Spacious Dish
One of the biggest frustrations that some people have when they attempt to cook something is that they may not have enough space or capacity in their various cooking instruments to prepare their food.
It is entirely possible that some parts of the food will hang outside of the dish or that they won’t be able to add all of the ingredients that they had hoped to add because they simply do not have the space necessary to do so. That problem is not as big of a hindrance when using an electric cooking wok.
Cooksillustrated.com explains why the electric wok is the perfect utility for cooking this type of food:
One obvious benefit of cooking in a wok is that its high, sloping walls allow you to easily move food around the surface without spilling it over the sides. I also discovered that a wok’s tall sides create two distinct heat zones that work in tandem to cook food efficiently and evenly.
The cooking wok is great because it is possible to get all of the ingredients that you need to be placed into this one dish and allow yourself to enjoy all of the flavors that you crave. You will certainly want to take advantage of this as it is often the case that the very best stir-fry dishes contain a multitude of ingredients that you will want to include when you prepare them.
5. Eliminate the Hassle
There is something profoundly rewarding about taking the hassle out of cooking. With an electric wok, you will not need to worry about playing around with the handle on this dish or about making other adjustments that you might with other cooking instruments.
Instead, you merely get it set up the way that you want it, and then you allow the electric cooking wok to do the heavy lifting for you. You will not have to touch the handle at all as you add your various ingredients. You just throw them in and monitor how everything is cooking.
If it all seems like it is too good to be true, you just need to check out an electric cooking wok for yourself to see how it really can transform your entire cooking experience. It will be challenging to grasp how this all works until you own one.
6. Adjust the Temperature as Necessary
You may need to adjust the temperature on your cooking wok from time to time to make sure everything that is contained within is cooking just right. Fortunately, the electric cooking wok makes it easy. You simply set the temperature as desired to whatever it needs to be set to for cooking what you happen to be cooking at that time.
This is important because you will want to ensure that you get exactly the right temperature settings no matter what you happen to be making at the time, and that is not necessarily easy to do with every type of cookware. Fortunately, it isn’t too difficult when you are working with the right type of electric cooking wok.
7. Wonderful Look And Style
Part of the cooking experience for many people includes adding their own personal flair to proceedings. Yes, the way that the food ends up tasting is the most important thing of all, but having a great look and style while they are cooking is important as well.
That is why they may decide to go with the electric cooking wok to add that extra bit of zest to the way that they cook. People love the way a wok looks, and it can add a personalized touch to the way that you prepare food in your own home.
You may just decide that this is the very best way for you to cook and create dishes that people will not forget. Make sure you take the time necessary to make those dishes just right and also work on finding the wok that looks precisely the way that you want it to look.
These are a few of the best things about electric woks, but you shouldn’t be led to believe that it is all upsides when it comes to electric woks. Yes, many people find a lot of joy in them and want to use them for all of the meals that they prepare, but you shouldn’t think that they aren’t any drawbacks at all.
If you allow yourself to believe something like that, you are probably going to be disappointed when you discover that there are some downsides to electric woks that you had not considered. We want to review those downsides as well to ensure that you receive the full and complete picture of what an electric wok is and what you should consider if you are thinking about getting one.
Downsides of an Electric Wok for Stir Fry
The downsides to an electric wok might not be as numerous as the upsides, but you should still know about them regardless. If you have a full understanding of how they operate, then you are more likely to make a more reasoned decision regarding whether you should purchase one or not. Let us take a look at these points individually to better understand them.
Steady Electrical Access
It is not too challenging to find a steady source of electricity almost anywhere these days, but it is important to understand that you will need access to that electricity at all times as you use your electric wok.
Any disruption to the electrical flow and you are not going to have the kind of food preparation outcome that you had desired. That said, you should be able to find the electricity that you need most of the time.
Just remember, you need to make sure you anticipate paying a little more on your electrical bill when you receive it.
Maximum Temperature Problems
You may find that you run into some problems with getting your electrical wok to reach as high of a temperature as you can get on a traditional wok.
The reason for the difference between the two is that the traditional wok is built to reach higher sustained temperatures over a longer period of time.
For the most part, this isn’t that big of a problem for most people because they understand that an electrical wok will still cook what they need it to, but you may want to think twice about this if you happen to be making a recipe that requires a very high temperature.
An electrical wok may not be able to maintain those sustained temperatures.
Not as Easy to Clean
Electrical woks are not as easy to clean as traditional woks. They are designed in such a way that you have to be very careful around all of the wires and other parts as you work with them.
This means that you may discover that you have to work extra hard to get them cleaned up just the way that you want them to.
Make sure you keep this in mind when deciding if you would like to purchase an electrical wok or a traditional one. The answer may not be quite as clear as you would like to think that it is.
If you are not prepared for all of the cleanings that go into maintaining an electrical wok, then you need to embrace the fact that you should try a traditional wok instead to keep yourself from having to worry about the burdens and headaches that an electrical wok may cause you.
May Cook Less Effectively
It is possible that this wok may cook less effectively than you had hoped or anticipated. It is not designed to handle some of the things that a traditional wok can handle.
For most people, it isn’t that big of a problem. They are not cooking on the extreme end of things and an electric wok will do just fine for them.
However, there are some who want to have only the very best when it comes to cooking the Asian food that they love. If that sounds like you, then you know that you need to go with an electric wok to get the best results.
You can’t and won’t get the kind of results that you know you need to get when you are cooking with something that is of a lesser quality than that.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is an electric wok worth it?
In our opinion, it is absolutely worth it as long as you are not spending beyond your pre-set budget. There is no reason why you can’t enjoy an electric wok frequently and get your money’s worth out of it.
Can you cook with a wok on electric?
Yes, the beauty of an electric wok is that you are cooking on it using the electricity supplied into your home.
What should I look for in an electric wok?
You want something that is large enough to cook any kind of meal that you might want to make in it. Additionally, you will want to ensure that it doesn’t draw more electrical power than necessary. There is no reason to run up your bills just for the ability to cook something.
Which is better, electric wok or stove-top wok?
For most individuals, the electric wok is the better and more economical option. However, those who need everything to be absolutely perfect before making a purchase may want to go with the stove-top wok simply because it can technically do more.
