Wok cooking on AEG induction wok hob
We did our kitchen renovation last July. At that point in time, I had not had any experience on induction before, but would like to try it. Because I cook with wok more than half of the time, decision was to go with two Asko fusion volcano wok burners and Asko bridge induction unit set symmetrically covering about 1200mm width of cooking area.
Fast forward a year and a bit, I am quite satisfy with Asko wok burner for what is available in Australian market. It has concentrated inner flame that focus heat to the central area of a wok. Despite being quite low on fire power, rated around 3kW, it works quite fine for small cook with thin 13" carbon steel wok. Capital culinarian burner, if available in Australia, would be a better choice due to having much higher fire power and still has concentrated flame around central area of a wok.
Induction becomes my go to hob if I am not cooking with a wok. It is much faster, more powerful, easy to clean etc. If I had known this at the time of renovation, I would have spent more money to get an induction wok hob. It was, and still is, more expensive option, and I was not sure about spending money on some thing I was not confidence about.
Last month I stumbled upon an ex-display AEG induction wok hob at 50% off. So the fun begin.
Here was one of the very last cook that I used both Asko burners together, one on low simmer, and one on high heat. Noted that I had already swapped position of left hand gas hob and induction hob.
AEG hob requires a little larger cut out, so it was time to cover up every thing for stonemason to do his work.
There was a lot of dust, but it was not too bad cleaning up.
Electrician came in a day after to add a new dedicated 15A circuit. AEG hob is rated at 3.2kW on boost, 2.3kW on continuous maximum. It looks nice and neat and clean.
My first cook on it was fun. Heat was good. 13" wok that I have was a bit too small so its bottom was sitting right and the bottom and it rocks around a bit. A 15" one that I have has a bit of a flare so it sat on the upper rim and its bottom was a bit far from the glass. When doing 80ml boil dry test, it seems heat transfer wasn't good.
So I was off to buy a new wok. The plan was to make a template of a good fit shape.
This 14" was the best I found on a short scout trip. Despite not being an exact match, it seems to sit fine in the bowl
After a bit of seasoning, then it is time to check heating pattern. It is clear that right in the middle of the wok, it is less hot that the ring around it. During cooking with stir frying action, wok tossing action, this does not seems to be a major issue. I did a quick 80ml evaporation test, and it came to be about 2min30sec with this wok. The behaviour was that most of the water was evaporated very quickly till it reach the dead spot where evaporation rate drops off quite a fair bit.
Today is my second day with this hob, and I am extremely happy for my little kitchen reno/upgrade, only a year after original renovation.
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Wok-style cooking on induction cooktop
Comments (17)I believe that the feet of the Demeyere wok help to pass the energy up the sides, similarly to the Gaggenau wok/wok unit/ring (not sure that the Gaggenau ring/wok work (well) on other units). I have a Le Creuset cast iron wok which is flat on the outside and round on the inside. I think Lodge makes one too. The technique for using it is different than for using a traditional thin wok, which doesn't bother me, since, according to my Asian mentors, I'm hopeless with a wok anyway. :) The big problem with it is that the portion that contacts, or is close enough to the cooktop is so small that one can't use the outer, high power, part of the large double ring. The difference for cooking is that it takes a long time for the sides of the wok to heat up. I think it might be more practical to partially warm it in the oven first. Once the whole wok is actually hot it does work very well, at least by my limited abilities. The difference is that it does not cool fast either. There are a lot of techniques that involve cooling the wok and/or food by lifting, tossing, etc., that are out of the question. One could lift and toss, perhaps two handed for the weight, but lifting isn't going to cool cast iron, and while adjusting the setting on the induction will have an effect, it's going to take awhile to cool just as it took awhile to heat. If one does want to cool the food, a better way might be to add bits of frozen peppers, or even ice chips. Most induction units nowadays (including mine) do allow one to lift a pan long enough to toss the contents to mix them without turning off, so that isn't a problem. Again, it's not a one handed flick, but it works fine. For me, the whole point of the wok is the interior shape, so this works well for me. I also have gas (though not blast-o-burner), so I could have a traditional wok. I am no expert at wok cooking, though I know a lot more theory than expertise, and I'm not sure I understand all of the insistence for ever hotter burners. If one is stir frying, I get the point of fast heat recovery, and the need for a certain amount of power to make that happen, but one doesn't want the wok itself to get hot enough to scorch the oil. I was taught, by my home cook friends, not to get the wok too hot. This may be why being able to quickly lift and cook a thin wok is so important. Once it's good and hot, the cast iron wok doesn't have the quick cool down when ingredients are added, and the recovery with induction is pretty good. That is, there isn't the instant heat transfer of the traditional charcoal fire and hand hammered carbon steel, but the wok doesn't cool off instantly either. This is with a smaller, family sized portion, however, not a big ol' party heap. At some point the quantity of ingredients will overwhelm the heat retaining mass of the cast iron....See MoreInduction and cast iron wok -- another why induction thread
Comments (10)Thanks for the info, Amcook. I was "taught" by Asian (as in from Japan and Honk Kong) home cooks who use big chopsticks with their woks. I didn't mean to imply that there aren't other valid ways. Only that that was the only way I know, and I'm not fast or accurate enough to do it properly. The metal has a taste remark was to Weisman, who said one needed chopsticks to eat the food. I found myself thinking that they do make a difference in the taste, which, at least for me, comes down to metal or plastic, both of which I can taste when I use such forks, and the polished surface of good chopsticks, which I guess also has a taste, now that I think of it, but it's "right" with Asian food. Not saying I've never used a fork on leftover takeout. Just agreeing about the flavor. And yes, stainless steel has a taste, but it doesn't come off on stuff. It's the fork itself that has the taste. I think anyone who is a very good wok cook would be happier in moving to induction with a bowl shaped specialty burner, which works well with your hand hammered wok. I looked at the stainless specialty induction woks, like Demeyere, and the Gaggenau unit/wok, and they looked all wrong to me. The Le Creuset just said it wanted to live it my house with all my other Le Creuset. There are very few flat outside, round inside cast iron woks. This one seems to work pretty well on the induction. The only issue would be the power, because the diameter of the bottom isn't big enough to trigger the outer ring. It should work okay on my front 2.2KW ring (about 15k BTU), though, which should give it a faster recovery time. The important part is that it certainly gets hot enough for stir fry, even on the 1.8. The outer ring boosts to 4.4KW, which is more than 30,000 BTU, but there isn't a round bottomed wok which has a big enough contact radius to take advantage of the 20,000 BTU large element, or the 30,000 BTU boost, but for normal portions, it shouldn't be necessary. This is something for people to consider when they're looking at total power on a flat surfaced induction unit. To me, the shape of the interior of a wok is the whole point. Other people are happy making a stir fry in one of those wok/frying pan hybrids, or just a skillet, which would be big enough to take advantage of the maximum power. And it made very nice, American style fritters....See MoreWok cooking on induction
Comments (4)Cooktek makes a few built-in wok models, from 1800 watts, 2500 watts, 3000 watts, all the way to 3500 watts. I've seen the highest priced 3500 watt unit at $1500 (Instawares), although it may be found less expensive elsewhere. The 3000 watt model is about $1400. The following information is on the 3500 watt unit. Greg CookTek's MagnaWave Induction Woks give cooking professionals a new reason to run, not "wok" to their kitchens. Designed and engineered to maximize efficiency in a number of foodservice applications, they are particularly popular in display, or exhibition, cooking environments. With the increasing popularity of display cooking stations in the culinary world, CookTek's induction woks are proven to be extremely fast, safe, clean and energy-friendly tools for cooking professionals requiring accurate and even distribution of heating at precise temperatures. Features:  Drop-in countertop design with stainless steel top, aluminum housing and control box, heavy duty electronic components, and specially engineered, high-impact, high-temperature, recessed glass wok bowl designed for use in commercial kitchens  Induction coil surrounds glass bowl to allow for maximum heating of induction compatible wok pans  Control knob for ease of use and automatic power or temperature control  SmarTemp Temperature allows for 20 power cook settings  Pan Maximizer feature achieves maximum heating rate of induction compatible wok pan  Microprocessor monitors vital components 120 times per second to check for overheating, power supply problems, and more. Cooktop shuts off and displays error codes enabling user to diagnose and fix minor problems  LED display for precise user feedback  Automatic pan detection allows for instant energy transmission to pan, and no energy use when pan is not present  Automatic shut-off feature prohibits overheating  Drop-in cooktops and control boxes engineered and designed for easy installation  Easy-to-clean glass bowl  Integral cooling fan keeps internal electronics cool  One year limited warranty  Made in the USA Specifications: Power requirements: 200-240V, 1PH Power consumption: 3500 Watts BTU comparison: 31,000 BTU Voltage: 200-240V, 50/60Hz Amperage: 15 amps Power range: 100-3500W Temperature range: 85 - 500F Surface dimensions: 16.50" L x 16.5" W x 6.15" H Cord length & plug: 6Ft., NEMA 5-15P Control box lead length: 40" Cooling clearance: 2 for front, sides and rear, 9 from bottom...See MoreMiele induction cooktop wok cooking
Comments (11)There are a lot of factors to consider in choosing a hood one has to live with, and there are myriad threads here agonizing over aspects of this topic. Let me try to raise again, historically writing, a point needing consideration when comparing VaH to Broan. In this comment, I give VaH the benefit of the doubt that their specified hood plus blower achieves 600 CFM in free air, and that the comparable Broan blower has to be 900 CFM (rated in free air, 600 CFM when installed in the hood with the combination in free air). At this point there appears to be equivalence, but we haven't considered duct pressure loss (likely modest) and make-up air pressure loss (potentially nearly anything depending on design, but where combustion appliances are present, must not exceed fractional inches of water (hundredths of Pascals). With added pressure loss, one has to look at the respective fan curves to see what the actual air flow will be. As it happens, for the only data I have seen from VaH, their squirrel cage fans have a drop in flow rate with pressure loss that is greater than typical Broan (or most other) blower fans. This means that with additional loss, the Broan hood/blower will flow more air than the VaH. This may or may not be different enough to matter. But you still need around 90 CFM per square foot of hood aperture to be sure that the effluent that gets into the aperture leaves via the duct and not by spilling out into the kitchen....See MoreChanop
7 years agolast modified: 7 years agoChanop
7 years agoKas, thank again for informative discussion. The bit that was puzzling me about my well used 15" wok was that it seems to performed well timing wise with evaporating water test on Smeg unit, comparable to 13" wok. Smeg unit has Schott ceran glass, so it might have diffetent curvature to Eurokera glass on AEG. Or it might be that electromagnetic field on AEG with this particular wok sitting how it is result in lower power draw and hence not as good timing for evaporation test.
Plllog, I have been cooking only a few dishes so far. Deep frying some beans, and flour coated pork for stir fried beans. and sweet and sour pork. For shot frying time, it was cool that carbon steel wok rim is still cool to touch, despite having a good amount of hot oil in it.
Stirfrying simple green is awesome. It has so much power that wok hei flavor can be achieved so easily while green still has a lot of crunch.
Reducing sauce/thickening sauce is faster too. We all know that induction is very good with liquid cooking
So far, I have been happy with it and don't think I will regret upgrading one gas hob to this induction wok hob. Yet, still have to wait for my new wok to take on more seasoning over the next few weeks. It is still sticky at the moment.
The only curiosity remain is whether chilling on induction wok hob or on Capital open burner would provide more satisfying cooking experience.
My inhome displays are just simple pulse counting units attached to smartmeter. It is accurate for total kWh, but just approximation over a period of time for instantaneous kW reading. Solaredge system had an option for clamp type metering as well, but I will wait for cheaper battery storage first.
kaseki
7 years agoIs the smart meter a power company device that measures true power, not just volt- amperes? (USA power company meters are of the true (real) power type.)
Besides mismatched curvatures, different steels may be involved with potentially slightly different inductive coupling efficiency.
"Stirfrying simple green" took me aback for a moment:
Chanop thanked kasekiChanop
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4 years agolast modified: 4 years agoGlenn Phillips
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