How to Use a Turkey Fryer as a High-Temperature Wok Cooking Surface
Have you ever eaten in one of those authentic Chinese restaurants that serve tasty and delicious but hard to replicate Chinese cuisines? Yes, you read it correctly, they are hard to replicate. Believe me, I have tried so many times to copy the flavor of their dish in my kitchen at home but I failed to capture it. Fortunately, I did not stop trying and started to investigate why I failed to create the same dish.
At first, I thought that I was using the wrong ingredients or was lacking some secret recipe. But much to my amazement, I found out that it was not the recipe but the equipment I was using which was wrong. You see, unlike those commercial ranges that Chinese restaurants use, a regular kitchen range lack the capability to produce the amount of heat required to properly cook food in a wok, because the commercial ranges that restaurants use can produce 80,000 to 100,000 BTUs of heat, while even the high-end kitchen ranges sold in the market today can only produce up to 20,000 BTUs of heat. Luckily, I found a way to generate the heat needed to produce the same food quality by using turkey fryers as a high-temperature wok cooking surface. Using a Turkey Fryer as a High-Temperature Wok Cooking Surface The problem of generating the same heat as those commercial ranges can be solved by using a propane burner and a turkey fryer as a high-temperature cooking surface. This type of cooking setup will produce enough heat which you can apply as a cooking surface for your wok. Although using this one will solve your problem of generating the heat required to properly cook the Chinese dish that you want, it can also turn out to be a potential safety hazard. But it does not mean you can’t utilize it. You just need to follow certain safety rules in order to prevent unwanted events from happening while you are cooking your favorite dish. Safety Guidelines to Follow When Using Outdoor Cookers and Turkey Fryers as a High-Temperature Wok Cooking Surface Using outdoor stoves and turkey fryers as a high-temperature wok surface is not the safest setup in the world. Temperatures can become so hot quickly that it may produce some safety hazards. However, if you follow the safety guidelines indicated below, you can minimize the risk involved in cooking your dish so that you can fully enjoy its delicious rewards. 1. Make sure you use an all-metal pan or wok when using this setup because the high-temperature generated on the surface can easily burn wooden handles. 2. Use an outdoor location with a lot of clearance space to avoid transferring heat to items that are easy to burn or explode. 3. Use heatproof gloves to protect your hand from the heat when moving the wok or spatula. You can also take a clean and dry dishtowel if you don’t have any heat proof gloves available. 4. Prepare a heat-proof area to place your pan or wok when it gets too hot. You can utilize a galvanized steel can or anything that is heat resistant. If you follow these simple steps when using outdoor cookers, you can rest assured you will be able to duplicate those tasty and delicious Chinese dishes without risking any potential damages to your property and to yourself. |