Get a wok ring if they make one, they help concentrate the heat on the wok. I have 23k btu burners and they are better than average, but still very marginal for wok cooking. The Cornufe appears to have 17k burners, so I would expect similarly OK, but marginal performance. Once you've tried a 100K wok range it's hard to go back-- I tried hard but between the exhaust and fire department issues I couldn't have one in our kitchen. Have one planned for outside.

Successful wokking requires high temperatures in the wok. Most burners can heat a portion of a wok to the desired temperature, the problem arises when food is put into the wok and drives the temperature down steaming off moisture. Modest btu burners will only allow wok cooking of very small portions at a time. Even my 30k-btu-equivalent induction wok hob can caramelize only modest portions at a time. Once the portions are sequentially cooked, putting a large amount together for the final mixing and re-heating will achieve only a steam heating effect. The point made about 100k btu wok burners is valid.

A thought for consideration -- in earlier times Beijing hotels used coal stoves in their kitchens. The blast through an aperture at the top of a cast iron coal stove will be higher in temperature and total heat flow than the average over a residential gas flame. If coal stoves are still allowed by code, then with suitable ventilation, make-up air, and stove chimney, wok cooking might be achievable at professional heat levels in a residence. However, like the country Chinese, one might want to have the kitchen separated from the main house, and only fire up the coal stove in the winter.

Good luck

kas

I would imagine anyone would have a VERY difficult time getting a permit for a coal-burning range inside a house. The MUA requirements would be phenomenal, I imagine. In many areas the MUA codes are expensive to meet even for high-CFM exhaust fans.

For something like a coal-burner that is a high-risk carbon monoxide emitter - especially in these days of better insulated, better weatherized/air-tight homes - I'd consider it too dangerous to even consider doing.

If you can afford a La Cornue, why not put in a specialized wok station?

All,
My Shanghai-native mom wokked on old style gas cooktops and in the last 15 years, a nice Dacor gas cooktop (before she aged out of cooking). It probably had 15K btus, max. Nonetheless, she created fabulous food that EVERYONE raved about. Was it exactly like a restaurant's food? No, but her meat did get seared and veggies cooked quickly without par-boiling first. I know this is true of all the Chinese moms from the 60's, 70's, 80's and on!

Even if culinary-school trained, we are still talking about cooking in a home kitchen, with its practical limitations.

I think replied to the OP via email; I had no problems with my CornuFe using a carbon steel traditional wok. Yes, you can sear and there are no problems with your veg -- you may have to use smaller batches. The main burner is 17,5K and the design actually works well with no wok ring.

I speculate though, among her original choices, that the Thermador 22K burner and star design might be even better.

This post was edited by gooster on Fri, Jan 23, 15 at 3:19