Topic: Getting The Heat!

[Davy]

Hi,
Just wondering what contraptions our members have for actually cooking their curries? I have seen Cory's mega burner and wondered if anyone else has managed to buy or even invent the ultimate flaming device? Has anyone dared to fit a commercial wok burner into their house?  I have a new Cannon Range with gas wok burner that is ten times better than my old gas hob but I feel the cast wok stand absorbs more heat than it lets get to the pan. So I use the wire wok stand I got from my local Chinese cash and carry.

[Bobby Bhuna]

I'd love one - I could never get the heat I want, even more so for Chinese cooking. However, since I got a carbon steel wok, my life has changed! ;D

It's nuts the difference it makes. In my standard Tefal number, I struggle to get the oil smoking. With the wok however, the instant I add the oil, it shimmers and separates and smokes almost immediately. I can get the thing smoking so much it fills the entire kitchen.

I suppose a wok is fairly inappropriate for BIR style cooking but I'd love to lay my hands on a carbon steel curry pan!

[JerryM]

Davy,

this has been on my mind for a while.

i use an electric hob on full (i think it's a measly 1.5kw) and get the toffee/choking smell no probs.

my curries are not quite there at BIR taste and the only 2 things i currently have on my mind causing the shortfall is either the burner or the use of recovered oil.

a few weeks ago i tried cooking on my gas bbq. the burner is rectangular and not ideal. it's rated at 7.5kw output so felt it was a reasonable comparison c/w the 1.5kw in doors. i couldn't really say there was a difference in the taste. the wok hey effect i understand builds with cooking and sort of not washing the wok so this could still be a factor.

there's a 7.5kw wok burner for 25? on ebay that i keep thinking about. i currently intend eliminating the reclaimed oil before splashing the cash.

the other small issue with cooking outside was the lost convenience compared to the hob in the kitchen.

however the small issue with cooking inside is that no residential extract would shift the toffee/choking smoke and although i have no problems cooking in it  ;D the family do complain and end up opening the back door.

i'm also questioning whether i really need that last 5% on taste as i couldn't NOT keep nipping to my local BIR and Takeaway.

[parker21]

hi bobby
try visiting www.eurocatering.co.uk for your black steel pan it costs a measly 8.99 is 9 inches and retains heat well. and it is what most use in the BIR restaurants as they a dead cheap and easy to maintain just have to wipe out and oil to preserve them.i have not been disappointed by the results i have acheived using it and now regularly taste like the local rajver vindaloos. but tastier! my wife says anyway!

regards
gary

[Davy]

Hi all,
Jerry, I must admit I am leaning heavily toward the reclaimed oil as taste enhancer. I was so desperate to try unclebucks new naan recipe that I knocked up a quick sauce last night using the oil and it was fab. I initially reclaimed it from my base sauce and then fried a couple of currys in it as well and reclaimed. It has sat in my fridge for a couple of weeks and it gets better with time. Inevitably there is some sauce lying in the bottom of the oil container and I think this marination also helps flavour. It works for me!! Bobby I cook all my curries in my wok. The same one I use for my chinese cooking and it is fine. I think we all tend to shy away from applying prelonged heat to the wok or pan initially because it goes against most of what we have been taught during conventional cooking. As we know though it helps when cooking curry! I really think that it isn't necessary to get too high in the heat stakes as far as most curry cooking goes though if I were you Jerry I would seriously consider gas if only for the more instant heat. The biggest problem we have is temperature recovery when adding cold ingredients to the pan such as the base but members have also got around that one buy preheating the base first! The main reason I feel commercials have such high heat is they need to heat large amounts quickly. In less experienced hands we may just end up burning things instead of getting a result. I am starting to think more ingredients and technique rather than raw heat if you know what I mean  The more I look into asian cooking the more I find that we are able to replecate in the home. I was thinking about building my own tandoor but I have had good results cooking Tandoori food on my gas barbeque so I am thinking will the extra effort and expense really benefit me that much?!         

[Yousef]

Here is a deep link to the pan and a picture - ?7.99

http://www.eurocatering.co.uk/ebstore/ec/product.asp?p_part_code=BIFP10

I feel sure with this type of kit your on your way..

[Bobby Bhuna]

That pan looks just the job. I reckon I'll get myself one of those!

I am starting to think more ingredients and technique rather than raw heat if you know what I mean 

As far as Wok cooking is concerned, this is just not the case. If you read the article linked on this thread http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php/topic,1664.0.html it describes the Wok buckling heat used in top Hong Kong restaurants and describes Wok Hay as something that's in the food and in the Wok that comes out when great heat is applied. I'm certain heat has a huge part to play.

CA also wrote up a report on the differences using his kitchen cooker vs his Wok burner http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php/topic,1851.0.html and concluded that the Wok burner did empart a superior, more BIRish flavour on the end dish.

[JerryM]

the eurocatering website appears to have a 50? min order.

has anyone any other ideas on where to get as i'm sold on buying one.

[SnS]

I don't think this place has a minimum order value. There is a charge for orders less than 50 squid though and the pan is more expensive.

http://www.buycatering.com/catering-equipment-prod357-10---black-iron-frying-pan.html

SnS  ;D

[JerryM]

SNS,

thanks, have a pan on the way (20? inc vat & del)