The wok is one of the best cooking utensils you could ever utilize.
This piece of cookware helps you stir fry, pan fry, steam, and braise meats and vegetables.
The useful design of the wok ensures the food remains in the pan even when you shake it around to spread the heat. The smooth surface and easy to clean body of the wok also makes this a hit.
In most cases, people use their woks over an open flame. But what if you live somewhere where it would be dangerous for you to have an open flame on hand? You’d need an electric stove to heat your wok.
Fortunately, there are many great choices to find when getting the best wok for electric stove use. You can find many woks that can quickly take in the heat generated by an electric stove top. You’ll have an easy time heating up anything you wish to serve when you have a great wok ready for use with your stove.
The Beauty of Cooking in a Wok
Of course, chefs and cooks can substitute other types of cookware like cast iron pans for the wok.
But woks have a definite advantage over these cookware – it quickly heats up and its metals heats in an even manner, too. Both of these qualities translate to the absence of cool spots, a common issue in other types of metal cookware.
The extremely hot surface temperature provides the perfect platform for cooking a wide range of food, especially in searing meats from pork to chicken effectively.
There’s also nothing like using a wok for stir-frying vegetables like carrots, beans and broccoli, as well as preparing noodle dishes. The flavors of the food cooked in a wok are also different because of the transfer of flavor from the seasoned wok to the food.
Woks are also versatile cookware!
You can use them for a wide range of Chinese-style cooking techniques including stir-frying, pan and deep frying, steaming, braising, stewing, searing, poaching, and smoking.
You will likely find hundreds of recipes where the wok is the recommended cookware, too.
Tips In Choosing the Best Nonstick Wok for Electric Stove
Many modern woks have nonstick coating so it’s a matter of choosing the best cooking wok based on its materials, shape, and size. Here’s our thoughts on the matter.
Cast iron and carbon steel woks work equally well although there are a few drawbacks to each type. If you want the benefits of the classic wok – quick heating, even heat on the surface, and seasoned flavor (i.e., wok hei) – then the cast iron wok is your best choice. If you want a wok that tends to retain the juices from food, then a steel wok with non-stick coating (i.e., PFA and Teflon) is an excellent choice, too.
Chefs are divided in their opinions regarding the quality of the food prepared in cast iron and carbon steel woks. Their choices are largely influenced by their personal experience and preference. We then recommend buying one of each so you can determine for yourself.
Look at the type of stove where the wok will be used on. The round-bottomed woks are suitable for use on traditional stovetops and wood-fired stoves while the flat-bottomed woks are best for use on electric stove. The latter’s design allows it to make full contract with the heating element.
Choose based on your preferred size. Most woks range in size from 12 to 14 inches in diameter, although there are also smaller 8-inch woks for the home and 36-inch woks for restaurant kitchens.
Review of The Best Wok for Electric Stove:
1. Lodge P14W3 Seasoned Cast Iron Wok
This is a 14-inch cast iron wok with a sturdy flat base so we consider it the best wok for electric stove. The cast iron already comes seasoned with oil while the flat bottom makes it suitable for use on induction, electric and cast stoves. The material also means it can quickly heat up and retain its heat longer, a must for stir-fried dishes.
2. Joyce Chen 22-9938 Pro Chef 10-Piece Excalibur Nonstick Wok Set
Beginners will find this Joyce Chen 10 pc wok setas a great choice for their exploration of wok-cooked dishes. You have everything that you will likely need in a Joyce Chen carbon steel wok, from the thick 2.0mm carbon steel material to the premium nonstick surface. You can also use it with metal utensils without damaging the Excalibur coating, in contrast with other carbon steel woks, although we recommend using wooden utensils to extend its life.
3. Techef Onyx Collection 12-Inch Wok
The main selling points of the Techef 12-inch wok are its nonstick Teflon coating and heavy gauge aluminum construction. You can cook healthy dishes on it, thanks to the need for little oil, and rely on it for several years’ worth of cooking due to these two aspects. The wok can also be used on induction and gas stoves because of its heavy base while both the pan and its lid can be used in an oven and dishwasher.
4. Cooks Standard Multi-Ply Clad Stainless Steel 13-Inch Wok
The combination of stainless steel surface and aluminum core makes the Cooks Standard 13-inch wok becomes extremely hot within a minute or so, as well as maintain even heat throughout its surface. You can then use it for stir-frying meats, vegetables, and noodles, among other wok-cooked dishes. You can even use it in an oven – it has a 500 degrees capacity – and clean it in the dishwasher after it has cooled off.
5. Calphalon Triply Stainless Steel 12-Inch Wok
The three-layered construction – two stainless steel layers sandwiching an aluminum core – means that the Calphalon Triply 12-inch wok can achieve fast, consistent and even heat over its cooking surface. You can also use it with metal and wooden utensils, thanks to its non-porous surface, while its material makes it oven- and dishwasher-friendly. This is a flat-bottomed pan so it can be used on gas and electric stoves while its clear tempered glass lid keeps the heat in.
6. T-fal A80789 Specialty Nonstick Jumbo Wok
The 14-inch diameter of this T-fal wok makes it suitable for whipping up large meals for your family and friends. The durable aluminum material can withstand years of regular use for parties and the like, as well as ensure that the cooking surface maintains an even heat distribution. You can use it in an oven up to 350 degrees while its non-stick interior makes it suitable for use for most types of cooking.
The T-fal wok is a great choice if you’re looking to level up the amount of dishes you can cook on single cookware.
7. Breville BEW600XL Hot Wok
If you are a technology geek and cooking enthusiast, then you will love the Breville hot wok! This isn’t your standard wok because it has a 1,500-watt butterfly heating element that can heat up its surface up to 425 degrees. You can choose from 15 heat settings and rely on its technology to maintain even heat distribution from its walls to its bottom, while its die-cast aluminum material lasts for several years.
8. Cuisinart 726-38H Chef’s Classic Stainless Fry Pan with Helper Handle
The 18/10 stainless steel and aluminum core construction makes it heat up easily, just as a wok should be. You can move it around using the helper handle and riveted handle, which allows for a secure hold. You may also use it for baking in an oven with temperatures up to 550 degrees.
9. Le Creuset Enameled Cast Iron Signature Wok
Yet another excellent cast iron wok is Le Creuset, a wok with a flat base and sloped sides for excellent balance. You don’t have to season the wok either as its enamel interior already comes pre-seasoned, not to mention that the exterior enamel can withstand bumps and drops.
10. Calphalon 1948257 Signature Hard Anodized Wok
This Calphalon wok has most of the things that we look for in a wok. You may find the heavy-gauge hard-anodized aluminum unique but it works just as well as the cast iron and stainless steel works in our list. The surface achieves extreme temperatures – and maintains it, too, for as long as there’s a flame underneath – within a minute or so. The nonstick surface is durable enough such that spoons, spatulas, and metal whisks will not easily scratch it.
Conclusion
The best wok is the one that suits your needs and wants in the classic cookware! You may choose a round-bottomed wok, for example, you prefer the classic shape with its fast heating quality. You may also buy a flat-bottomed pan because it works just as well as a classic wok but it has a stove-to-table quality.
Whatever your choice, you should use the woks as many times as possible. You can then get the best value for your money – the more uses, the more returns.
