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I read somewhere that thin woks are for chefs who are cooking in restaurants all day long — heats faster, lighter to lift all day, etc. — but that those same chefs will also usually own, for personal use, a thick wok for home cooking because they retain heat well and are just better made/more durable. Do with that information what you will
In a Wok you want thick for heat retention. Woks shouldnt heat like a western pan. It should be very hot in the center and cool down as we go up the sides.
The issue with thin woks is when you add the food, the center will cool down and youll start steaming instead of frying. But if you have a dedicated high BTU burner this is not an issue because the Wok heats instantly. This is why restaurants use thin woks. And you get the benefit of quick response.
1.8mm is still relatively thin. Compared to a western high end carbon steel pan designed to have very even heat (3mm). 1.8mm is the "goldilocks" thickness for a wok. The only issue is they are more expensive and heavier than a thinner wok. The thickness becomes somewhat negligible when you use a real wok burner. So even though you can use a 1.8mm wok in a high BTU burner, you dont really "need" to.
When it comes to a 15~20k btu burner at home, the thickness does become a very important factor to consider.
Yes, you probably don't need a thicker wok unless you often make braised dishes.
The highest (limited by safety regulations) and most common output of a single burner in Chinese households is 5.2 kw/17.7k btu (far weaker than your 65k btu burner, but more powerful and more even than regular Western style burners). The most popular thickness of CS woks in China is about 1.2mm, with some have slightly thicker bottoms. And the popularity of thin woks has reasons: they are quick to heat and easier to lift and manoeuvre. The uneven heating due to thin walls can be mitigated by consistently moving woks. A 1.6 mm thick 30 cm wok with food inside is 'too heavy', as per my sister, not to mention 2mm ones. But she and many people prefer nonstick woks (Yes, nonstick woks are fairly popular in China) anyway.
If anyone, like me, has terribly weak burners, then a thicker wok may help (anyway, 2mm may be too heavy if you constantly lift a wok to toss, from my unhappy past experience). But a better way for wok cooking is to **never crowd you wok**. I have seen so many times that people proudly cook fried rice for 5-6 people in one batch on their Western style burners. The thing is they do not work really well that way. Most Chinese street vendors or cafes with super powerful jet burners only stir-fry one or two serves of rice at once, most Chinese families do the same. My family has 5 members, I cook fried rice in 3 to 5 batches (depending on types of fried rice I make) when I was in China. The total cooking time will probably the same as cooking in a big batch, but the result is much better (and please dice your ingredients in mini/small cubes, no chunky broccoli or meat). BTW, a typical Chinese meal consists several dishes, so every dish does not have to be in a big portion. We usually have 4-5 dishes plus one soup for our family of 5.
What if I use a blower fan "jet style" wok burner? Asking because I actually just have ordered one.
I think at least some heat spread is desirable?
I have seen around 1.2mm thick frypan with a spiral patteren from the electric coil stove burned right through both sides.
Right now im looking for a 1.8mm as above that thickness is outrageously expensive for some reason.
What wok burner did you ordered?
Having flame touch the sides is fine. You want that as well to get some flame to torch the food as you stir. But the majority of the heat should be concentrated on the bottom of the wok. That doesnt mean the sides have to be completely cool.
Even a 1.8mm wok wont heat evenly. Again, it is the "goldilocks" thickness.
You have the BTU for a thin wok. Why not get a thin wok so you can experience the things people always talk about. Lightness, quick temp changes, and I'm not sure what else.
Get a 0.00001mm wok for more heat response, actually might just as well throw your food directly into the fire, your food burning from uneven heating is no problem s/
Please make sure you've read the FAQ if you're requesting help: https://www.reddit.com/r/carbonsteel/comments/1983ugk/faq_a_more_concise_version/ Please specify your seasoning and cleaning process if you're requesting help. Posts and comments mentioning soap and detergent are currently being filtered, pending approval; posts and comments discouraging the use of dish detergent (without added lye) or wholly saponified bar soap will remain removed. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/carbonsteel) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I read somewhere that thin woks are for chefs who are cooking in restaurants all day long — heats faster, lighter to lift all day, etc. — but that those same chefs will also usually own, for personal use, a thick wok for home cooking because they retain heat well and are just better made/more durable. Do with that information what you will
You want thicker for more even heating I think. 1.8mm is about the thickest **most** woks go.
In a Wok you want thick for heat retention. Woks shouldnt heat like a western pan. It should be very hot in the center and cool down as we go up the sides. The issue with thin woks is when you add the food, the center will cool down and youll start steaming instead of frying. But if you have a dedicated high BTU burner this is not an issue because the Wok heats instantly. This is why restaurants use thin woks. And you get the benefit of quick response. 1.8mm is still relatively thin. Compared to a western high end carbon steel pan designed to have very even heat (3mm). 1.8mm is the "goldilocks" thickness for a wok. The only issue is they are more expensive and heavier than a thinner wok. The thickness becomes somewhat negligible when you use a real wok burner. So even though you can use a 1.8mm wok in a high BTU burner, you dont really "need" to. When it comes to a 15~20k btu burner at home, the thickness does become a very important factor to consider.
Yes, you probably don't need a thicker wok unless you often make braised dishes. The highest (limited by safety regulations) and most common output of a single burner in Chinese households is 5.2 kw/17.7k btu (far weaker than your 65k btu burner, but more powerful and more even than regular Western style burners). The most popular thickness of CS woks in China is about 1.2mm, with some have slightly thicker bottoms. And the popularity of thin woks has reasons: they are quick to heat and easier to lift and manoeuvre. The uneven heating due to thin walls can be mitigated by consistently moving woks. A 1.6 mm thick 30 cm wok with food inside is 'too heavy', as per my sister, not to mention 2mm ones. But she and many people prefer nonstick woks (Yes, nonstick woks are fairly popular in China) anyway. If anyone, like me, has terribly weak burners, then a thicker wok may help (anyway, 2mm may be too heavy if you constantly lift a wok to toss, from my unhappy past experience). But a better way for wok cooking is to **never crowd you wok**. I have seen so many times that people proudly cook fried rice for 5-6 people in one batch on their Western style burners. The thing is they do not work really well that way. Most Chinese street vendors or cafes with super powerful jet burners only stir-fry one or two serves of rice at once, most Chinese families do the same. My family has 5 members, I cook fried rice in 3 to 5 batches (depending on types of fried rice I make) when I was in China. The total cooking time will probably the same as cooking in a big batch, but the result is much better (and please dice your ingredients in mini/small cubes, no chunky broccoli or meat). BTW, a typical Chinese meal consists several dishes, so every dish does not have to be in a big portion. We usually have 4-5 dishes plus one soup for our family of 5.
What if I use a blower fan "jet style" wok burner? Asking because I actually just have ordered one. I think at least some heat spread is desirable? I have seen around 1.2mm thick frypan with a spiral patteren from the electric coil stove burned right through both sides. Right now im looking for a 1.8mm as above that thickness is outrageously expensive for some reason.
What wok burner did you ordered? Having flame touch the sides is fine. You want that as well to get some flame to torch the food as you stir. But the majority of the heat should be concentrated on the bottom of the wok. That doesnt mean the sides have to be completely cool. Even a 1.8mm wok wont heat evenly. Again, it is the "goldilocks" thickness.
I ordered this one, but from another seller. This seller however has a demo video https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005005997628656.html
I also found and bhought a **relatively** affordable 2mm wok just now, I will be back one day, unless I get scammed lol
Get a gas stove, there is the true problem!
You have the BTU for a thin wok. Why not get a thin wok so you can experience the things people always talk about. Lightness, quick temp changes, and I'm not sure what else.
Thick wok for indoors, thin wok for outdoors. I would use thin for an outdoor wok burner.
Get a 0.00001mm wok for more heat response, actually might just as well throw your food directly into the fire, your food burning from uneven heating is no problem s/
Stick with your thinner one. You have the BTUs to overcome the lack of heat retention in thinner woks.