Wok’s are a great addition to the cooking utensils in your kitchen. They are very versatile which is why in a Chinese restaurants just about everything, and I mean everything gets cooked in the Wok. Stir frying vegetables? In the wok. Deep frying chicken? Add a bunch of oil at high heat and cook that chicken. Need to steam something? Throw a steaming basket on top and you have a perfect steamer.
The Best Woks are Designed for Induction Ranges
The irony is the best woks on the market are perfect for an induction range. Yes, even I had one of those aluminum jobs I bought at Ikea for $7 and yes, it worked fine. Not perfect, but fine. But it is aluminum so a no go for induction. Yes you can use the induction plate but the problem is the surface area on the bottom is so small you have a hard time warming it up.
Carbon Steel Woks for Induction Cooking
What you are looking for is a Carbon Steel wok to use with your induction range. You should be able to stick a magnet to the side of the Wok and it should stick. And because it is ferro magnetic, the entire wok will heat up, not just the bottom.
Carbon Steel woks are similar to cast iron skillets. They are very magnetic and need to be seasoned to become non-stick. Once you season it is should be slick just like your cast iron pan and kinda be black and ugly. But this allows you to add all kinds of foods and not have it stick.
Flat Bottom Woks for Induction Cooking
The wok I originally wanted to get I couldn’t for a very simple reason. It was a traditional round bottom wok. Traditional round bottom woks are designed to sit over a fire, and if you go to a Chinese restaurants they are high BTU wok stands. But because we are using induction, we need to have a flat bottom that touches the cooking surface. So be careful and don’t buy a round bottom wok.
Cast Iron Woks for your Induction Stove
Everyone loves cast iron and it works extremely well. Once it is seasoned properly it creates a slick surface to cook things. And a Cast Iron Wok can work for you as well. There are several cast iron woks sold on Amazon with a flat bottom. This is also a great choose for your induction range.
Non Stick Wok Please
While we can talk about all the great things about cast iron and carbon steel, they can be difficult at times. They need to be seasoned before use, and they are not dishwasher safe either. And I live in Hawaii which means everything rusts, even aluminum. I am not kidding, i had aluminum windows rust (technically they oxidized but come on!).
If thats what you are looking for, let’s take a look at two choices for you. First is from All Clad and they have a very nice non-stick flat bottom wok with a built in induction plate to allow you to use it on the induction stove.
If $99 is a bit heavy, Analon also has a real nice flat bottom wok and lid that also has the built in induction plate to use on your induction range. Be careful you get the proper Analon wok. There are two of them. One has the induction plate and the other does not. I have linked below to the one with the induction plate.
Both would be a nice but I do like the AllClad just dUE to the all metal handles versus the silicon coated ones that for some reason get icky in Hawaii. My sister prefers the Analon and I would say they are better quality than the Calphalon ones in my opinion.
Induction is perfect for Wok Cooking
So don’t be afraid to get a wok for your induction range. They are perfect way to quickly cook vegetables, meats and steam fish if you get the basket to go on top. Which one did you choose?
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