Topic: How to achieve high cooking temperatures at home.

[JerryM]

i'm perfectly happy for Secret Santa or any member to feel that high heat makes no difference.

all i can do is make people aware of the alternative view.

i even see 2 off different taste using high heat - the high heat taste and the smokey taste. i am pretty sure i am burning the aerosolised oil/water mix that secret santa refers to. i also see a lot of caramelisation which curry2go refers to as roasting.

it really is down to the persons needs - if you've tried everything else and still not happy with your cooking then give high heat a try. don't expect to pick up the pan and cook straight away the perfect curry - it took me 3 months to get use to the high heat.

i doubt it's much help to those who don't believe but i have 4 kw gas on my domestic hob and really would use it if there was not such a huge difference between the 2 heats.

i feel in short if you don't judge BIR on the smell in the high street then you don't need high heat.

REV2: realized i only have 3kw not 4kw on my domestic hod.

[Malc.]

I was trying to search the web for answers on how powerful a typical BIR burner would be. This proved to be quite a challenge especially searching on Chester 8 burner which is the old skool preferred range and oven setup.

I managed to find just reference to a modern equivalent and was surprised to learn that the burners were only 4.5 Kw. I'm not sure that this counts as conclusive of course, so I have asked someone I know in the commercial kitchen equipment trade, to see if he can find out.

[Secret Santa]

i'm perfectly happy for Secret Santa or any member to feel that high heat makes no difference.

Did I say that? If I did (can't be bothered to read back) I retract it. What I mean is that the difference it makes (if any) is not what I am looking for to make the (my) true BIR flavour. Smokiness is not BIR, it's just an added extra.

[Secret Santa]

I was trying to search the web for answers on how powerful a typical BIR burner would be. This proved to be quite a challenge especially searching on Chester 8 burner which is the old skool preferred range and oven setup.

I managed to find just reference to a modern equivalent and was surprised to learn that the burners were only 4.5 Kw. I'm not sure that this counts as conclusive of course, so I have asked someone I know in the commercial kitchen equipment trade, to see if he can find out.

I just did a quick survey of the available modern commercial ranges Axe and many are 4.5kW (same as my domestic hob) but some go to 6kW. Still quite a stretch from the 9kW that Jerry and others claim is absolutely necessary.

I think what confuses some is that if you watch a video of the burners being used in a BIR the burner size (diameter) is relatively large so you get flame licking up the side of the pan and creating the false impression of having more power than is actually there.

[h4ppy-chris]

You don't need a high heat burner, to achieve bir! just time, the right recipes, and techniques.  high heat is for speed and only speed.

[Stephen Lindsay]

You don't need a high heat burner, to achieve bir! just time, the right recipes, and techniques.  high heat is for speed and only speed.

My sentiments exactly.

[goncalo]

i get a massive difference cooking at high heat. my burner is ~9kw but i don't feel you need quite as much heat - something like 7.5kw would be the min.

Is this you cooking a curry JerryM?  ;D

I think the high heat isn't the most important, but continuous and well distributed distributed is wherein lies the secret. I'm sure the highest the output, the easier you get to it

[Malc.]

I just did a quick survey of the available modern commercial ranges Axe and many are 4.5kW (same as my domestic hob) but some go to 6kW.

burner size (diameter) is relatively large so you get flame licking up the side of the pan and creating the false impression of having more power than is actually there.

That's interesting though I am not surprised by the higher output, it would depend on what the range is designed for. Definitely with you on the second point, and refer back to my comments on video quality too.

There is probably a place for an onslaught of heat to start but once the initial 'frying' has been done and the wet ingredients added i.e. puree, base etc. high heat then becomes ones enemy, or at least that's the way I have always seen it.

[DalPuri]

Ok, Here's a question or three.
How long does everyone cook their curries for?
Have you timed yourself?

That last video Chris just posted was 8.27 and that looked like a pretty high heat going the full length of the cooking time. Lets say 8 mins?
That burner was a LOT hotter than any domestic hob and yet he hardly moved the pan in that time.
So are you cooking your curries for longer to compensate or is everyone cooking in the same amount of time as a pro chef on your domestic flame?
 

[goncalo]

Ok, Here's a question or three.
How long does everyone cook their curries for?
Have you timed yourself?

That last video Chris just posted was 8.27 and that looked like a pretty high heat going the full length of the cooking time. Lets say 8 mins?
That burner was a LOT hotter than any domestic hob and yet he hardly moved the pan in that time.
So are you cooking your curries for longer to compensate or is everyone cooking in the same amount of time as a pro chef on your domestic flame?
 

Based on a jalfrezi that I cooked and video'd, I take somewhere about 13-15 minutes on average.