Electric Wok

If you don't know what a wok is, you would probably know one if you saw it. Below is a picture of what most people know as a wok. You might have seen on a cooking show a chef using a wok to flip around the food.

The wok is a rounded cooking pan that originated in China. It is most often used to cook Chinese dishes such as stir fry. Chefs usually use a long handled spatula to toss around the food.

Traditionally, woks are completely rounded on the bottom. In the U.S., you can find woks that are flattened on the bottom. This does change how a wok can be used. Of course, a rounded pan will not distribute heat on a flat stove as effectively as a flat wok, but it would work over other heat sources.

Woks can be used to boil, deep fry, stir fry, smoke, steam, etc. Woks are great cooking pans because you can take advantage of the different amounts of heat around the pan. When the food is at the bottom of the pan where it is usually hottest, it will cook more. If you want to take it away from the heat temporarily, you can push it up to the side where the heat is less concentrated.

Woks today have changed a lot, such as the flat bottom.  Since most people don't have access to a traditional pit stove required to heat the bottom of a wok correctly, we have to make do, but not for long.

Today, you can now get an electric wok.  When you hear "electric wok" you probably think about how it seems even farther from traditional.  Electric is not normally a traditional heat source.  As a matter of fact, you can get many further benefits.

First of all, with an electric wok, it can still be completely rounded.  The pan doesn't need to be flattened on the bottom because it isn't going on a stove.  It has it's own built in stand that allows it to be round.

Woks are meant to be used on very high heat.  If your stove doesn't get hot, neither will your wok, especially if it has a flat bottom.  With a high quality electric wok, you can get the extreme heat necessary to cook your food how you want it.  Of course, that is another thing you have to keep an eye out for.  Many electric devices won't even get as hot as a stove top. 

Make sure you read reviews carefully before making a purchase.  Below are many great quality electric woks available at Amazon.com.  You can read reviews and get it for a great price.

When you begin shopping, you will start to wonder what electric wok you should choose to buy.  There are several excellent brands of cookware that make electric woks.  The top brands include Breville, Presto, Aroma, and West Bend.  You can find them below.

Honestly, it is hard to say which is best.  This depends entirely on you.  What is your budget?  Are you new to cooking or are you very advanced?  Do you know how to cook with an electric wok?  Are you looking for something portable?  Are you on a tight budget or are you willing to pay for the best?

You have to take all these considerations into account.  That is why I recommend browsing through the Amazon links below.  You can read reviews, check out prices, and pick the best electric wok for you.