Can I Use a Wok on an Induction Hob

Can you use a wok on an induction hob?

I love my job!  Not only do we have the privilege of turning people’s dream kitchens into a reality but we also get to go on the occasional training day to try out the products we sell.   I may be a bit of a kitchen geek but I was super excited when AEG invited Jane and I to attend the School of Wok in London to find out if you really can successfully wok cook on an induction hob.

For those of you unfamiliar with induction hobs, they offer a fantastic responsive way of cooking.  They work by using electromagnetism to create heat energy inside the pan itself.  They are visually slick and, because you are heating the pan as opposed to the hob itself, they are much safer than the alternatives.

ON THE DAY

We started the day splitting into groups before being sent off Apprentice style to Chinatown with £20 and a shopping list to find our ingredients for the afternoon.  A few wrong turns and cheesy selfies later we were back at our tables, armed with our ingredients and being shown how to prepare our meal of Thai green curry and spring rolls.  With very welcome glasses of Prosecco we set to work making our dinner.

Once we’d prepared everything we were taken through to the kitchens.  My team was allocated a standard induction hob using the Fusion Wok.  Now I’ve seen a fusion wok before but never actually used one. The unique wok support accessory claims to give fast focused heat for optimum wok cooking performance. Our initial thoughts were that it wasn’t heating up as much as we would have liked but the addition of a wok lid soon helped it along.

One of our team members was using the purpose-designed hob with central hollow specifically designed for a wok.  The central hollow results in the entire base of the wok being directly heated and he certainly seemed to be having more success. These hobs also have Oko Timer technology which saves energy by switching off the zone and using residual heat to complete the last few minutes of cooking making it ultra-efficient.

THE VERDICT

In conclusion, would I let the induction’s supposed inability to use a traditional wok put me off?  Most definitely not.  With the options available to you; be it a fusion wok, a combination hob comprising of part induction and part gas burners, a central hollow domino hob or the addition of a flat based wok to your kitchen cupboard. I would say that an induction hob’s strengths by far outweigh its weakness.  It’s a lovely controlled way of cooking and it is safe.

For me personally, I know that if the boys (or cats) were to turn it on by accident then no damage could be done.  They wouldn’t get hurt and the house won’t burn down. The hob will simply remain inactive until a pan is placed on it, or turn itself off.  I love the clean lines and ease of cleaning.

A huge thank you to Nicola at AEG for inviting us to the day.  We had a brilliant time!