Wok Star Eleanor Hoh

Be a Wok Star!

wok cooking

Iwatani Gas Stove, Best for Home Wok Cooking!

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Love Chinese food but never succeeded in getting it to taste like your favorite Chinese restaurant? 

Tried various permutations of woks and stoves and still never figured where you’re going wrong?

IT’S NOT YOU!

There are many reasons why you’ve not been successful in wok cooking at home. HIGH HEAT is one of them, I’ve resolved that with this portable Iwatani VA-30 gas stove, the other three are good ingredients, the right technique and the right wok, that’s why I put together a WOK STAR KIT.

As a cooking teacher and entrepreneur, it’s important to recommend tools that function efficiently and help to solve problems. I remember growing up in Hong Kong, everyone in Asia uses a gas stove for wok cooking, so this was an AHA moment and it will be for those of you who’ve tried every permutation to fry up your favorite Asian dishes at home and not succeeded.

You don’t need a 40,000 BTU gas stove for home cooking, that’s an overkill. If you have a residential gas stove at home, make sure it’s at least 10K or else you won’t be successful. Check this post how to figure out the best burner to fit your wok.

This Iwatani portable gas stove together with my WOK STAR KIT has basically transformed wok cooking at home.

Advantages of this Wok Gas Stove:

FOCUSED HEAT – 2 3/4″ diameter burner where heat is needed most.

TASTY FOOD – high heat gives your food FLAVOR, TEXTURE & COLOR.

TRAVELING KITCHEN – together with my WOK STAR KIT, this stove has its own carry case. It is perfect for boating, RVs, tailgate parties, picnics, entertaining friends poolside or just out on your balcony.

CONTROL – switching to high or low heat is instant.

FIT – snug fit with my 15” lightweight, round bottom, thin walled cast iron wok.

SAFE – good for indoor use, caterers and restaurants use them.

STURDY – steel casing and compact. 

WINDGUARD – prevent flames blowing out when you use it outdoors. 

PRACTICAL – cheaper than piping in gas, it’s light to move around. A stir fry takes very little time, so you will get many meals from one refill. Gas cartridges last about 1 hour and cost about $2-$4.

CONVENIENT – leave out on your counter or on top of electric stove so you’ll use it for cooking everything. Has rubber feet so it won’t scratch your electric stove. You’ll have BEST OF BOTH heat sources, gas for wok cooking, electric for flat pan cooking.

LIFESAVER – during hurricanes and power outages, you’ll rely on this stove to make coffee, lunch & dinners.

Always, always get backup gas cartridges so you don’t run out of gas in your Wok Star moment!

I am an Amazon affiliate, I will get a commission if you use this link to order gas cartridges and I hope you will. 

Here’s a short video how to install a gas cartridge in this stove and a longer, detailed version on Youtube. 

Enjoy! Happy to answer questions in comments below.

How to install gas cartridge in Iwatani VA-30

How I learned to Cook Like a Wok Star from my Mom!

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  • Mom, pianist
  • Eliza Hoh
    Mom, Eliza Hoh
  • Mom, Teacher

I learned to cook from my mom, whose instructions were, “it’s just a little bit of this and a bit of that.”  Who knew, decades later, what she taught me became my mantra too. 

My mom was born in Singapore and met my Dad in Malacca.  When my parents moved from Malaysia to China, then Hong Kong, she had to make do because she couldn’t find many Malaysian ingredients. 

  • Cub Master
  • Malaysian Kebaya
  • Kimono, gift from Japanese neighbors

It was fascinating and hilarious to hear mom’s stories of chickens laying eggs on her pillow. She didn’t learn to cook till after she got married and she didn’t enjoy cooking at the beginning. My mom was multi talented, I don’t know how she juggled 5 kids, taught at a Boy’s School, gave private tuition, was a Cub Master, as well as taking lessons in crochet, ikebana, cooking and piano. She had such an infectious laughter, she would set off and get us all in hysterics.

Mom looked gorgeous in a Chinese Cheong Sam as well as in western outfits.
Mom enjoyed entertaining with lavish dinner parties and decorating.
I think my sisters and I picked up many of her talents.

When my sisters and I were shipped off to boarding school in England, circa 1970’s, we were at a loss how to imitate her delicious dishes we grew up eating. We would call her up and I’ll never forget a simple thing as using the right vinegar could make or break a cucumber, tomato, onion pickle!  She served that with Spicy Malaysian Chicken Curry or Char Quai Teow to cool us down. We were hooked on that pickle and to this day, I make this whenever I’m making a spicy dish. 

  • Malaysian Chicken Curry bowl
    Malaysian Chicken Curry
  • Malaysian Chicken Curry on banana leaf and newspaper setup
    Street Food Style
  • Rempah and curry paste for Malaysian Curry Chicken
    Rempah and curry paste

Some of my fondest and best childhood memories were of cooking with mom and my three sisters. What a blast, there was so much giggling and silliness going on, we wondered how we ever got dinner made. To this day, those memories come up whenever I cook. Certain smells of curry leaves, sour tastes from tamarind, sounds of a sizzling hot wok and even the way I peel and score down the cucumber to make a pattern and release its flavors bring back such vivid associations of food I grew up with. 

  • Char Quai Teow
  • Banana fritters
  • Singapore Noodles

Just the act of preparing dinner for my husband and myself makes me feel I’m taking care of our health and our well being and my mind goes into a state of a relaxation. Being in the moment, appreciating the action of chopping vegetables or stir frying in my cast iron wok, the wok my mom introduced me to using all those years ago!

My wedding day with mom.

Now, decades later, whenever my sisters and I have our reunions, we always cook together and reminisce about how fun it was cooking with mom.  And now, I get to share everything I learned from my mom to help you cook at home the same way I learned from her, except easier and faster. 

I’m telling you this story because if you knew how cooking with your family can bring such joy, such creativity, such happiness, such incredible memories, you’ll be inspired to start your cooking journey and experience those feelings I have when I cook.   

Induction Wok Stove, Greatest Invention Since Fire!

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As a cooking teacher, I talk about four ESSENTIAL elements to successful wok cooking: a good wok, the right technique, quality ingredients and most importantly, HIGH HEAT.

For the past 20 years,  I’ve recommended the 12K Iwatani butane gas stove. It is the most efficient and practical heat source for wok cooking and the best value. Setting the gas stove on top of your electric cooktop with your wok and you’re ready to go.  A gas stove also comes in handy during hurricanes and power outages. However, there are issues as some buildings prohibit their use (open flame) and you have to remember to order refills so you don’t run out in the middle of a stir fry.

Showing how to install a gas cartridge in the Iwatani gas stove during my cooking class.

My experiences with different heat sources…

GAS

I’ve used both residential and commercial gas stoves. I’ve found the three main issues:

  1. Many residential gas stoves still don’t generate enough high heat. 
  2. The burner rings are too wide since they are designed for flat pans. The heat is not focused on the base of the wok so the sides of the wok and handles become hot.
  3. They’re expensive. Industrial, high end gas stoves cost upwards of $4-6K.

Electric Glass Flat cooktops

These are the most common stoves installed today.   Their “modern and clean” design might be the reason for their popularity, but for me this was NEVER an option.  The surface contact area between the round bottom wok with the flat cooktop is too small to transfer enough HIGH HEAT.   The propensity of the wok to scratch the glass top also makes it impractical and would void the warranty from the manufacturer.  

I solved the problem of not enough heat generated by the electric cooktop with my wok by using an Iwatani gas stove ON TOP of an electric cooktop. Photo: Yanni Georgoulakis

INDUCTION…

Induction means generating a magnetic field which causes the wok to heat. No outside heat is applied to the wok. The heat is generated within the metal.  If there’s no wok on the stove, no heat is generated.

I’ve followed the induction technology over the past 20 years. Cost and size were the biggest obstacles to the technology becoming a consumer item.  The units I experimented with were heavy and bulky (took up too much counter space), noisy (extraction fan),  power challenged (220 voltage required), and expensive (all units priced $1-4K).

Now, there’s a perfect unit for the home kitchen…the Nuwave Mosaic Precision Induction Wok Stove!

It meets ALL my requirements…it’s light, attractive, and retails for under $100.   My 14” cast iron wok fits the unit perfectly and together they have such a small footprint that it’s always out on my counter top.   

I believe so strongly in this product I want to be an affiliate and offer it as an option in my WOK STAR KIT BUNDLE. 

I know many of you have been waiting for this review, so share your concerns and ask any questions in comments below. 

CONCLUSION:

The wok cooking experience is the same whether you’re using the NuWave Mosaic Precision Induction Wok Stove or Iwatani Gas Stove.  I like having both heat sources because gas is a reassuring backup for emergency situations like hurricanes and power outages. 

When I said, “the induction stove was the greatest invention since fire,” I wasn’t exaggerating because many people aren’t allowed to have open flame stoves in their buildings, so induction would be their only choice! 

Update: I know many have already bought the Nuwave Induction Wok Stove with their wok.

You can purchase just the stove on its own HERE! And still get my WOK STAR KIT HERE! Now, you’ve really got the best of both worlds.

I’m trying to be a reseller so you can have the one-stop shop experience. I’ll keep you posted.

NOTE: I was not paid by Nuwave to write this post.  

Different ways I’ve used Nuwave Mosaic Precision Induction Wok Stove…

Stir Fry Chinese Broccoli and colorful bell peppers.
Steaming tamales.
Blanching Yu Choy.
Husband frying omelet.
Frying bacon.