Breville EW30XL Electric Gourmet Wok
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Kitchen and Housewares Reviews of Breville EW30XL Electric Gourmet Wok
Customer Review: A great wok!
Summary: 5 Stars
I'm a guy and cut my teeth on the traditional wok used over a gas stove 20 years ago. Bought this one as a gift for my wife, but with that came my promise to do most of the Chinese cooking! She was skeptical at first, but now is sooo grateful!
This wok is superior to a traditional one. Has become the workhorse in our kitchen. I also like cooking with cast iron and this wok's moderate mass makes for stable cooking temps. We use it to heat tortillas, make omlettes, make crepes, stir fry julienned zucchini in place of pasta, and of course for some great Chinese cooking. I even make homemade pasta sauce and sautee vegetables for cajun bean soups in it. Heat is great and adjusts quickly and easily. I really like the large dial. Did some Chinese burritos (Mu Shu pork/chicken) for some friends. When it came time to serve, just popped the controller off and placed the entire wok in the table. A nice presentation and everybody just dug in! Can donate the traditional one! I should also add that for as hot as this thing gets, I have never burned myself on it.
Cooking surface shows it has gotten a lot of use over the past 8 months but has retained its integrity. The spatula that came with mine works great. Bamboo utensils might decrease the service life of the non-stick surface. We usually cook with very high heat with a minimum of oil and it is possible that some things can stick a bit. But de-glazing before it can burn with a teaspoon of water quickly releases anything that sticks and adds color and flavor to the dish. Also makes cleanup a snap!
Some have remarked that the base is difficult to reinstall after cleaning. Personally, have no problem with it. Can usually get it back on and latched in under 30 seconds. To clean it well, it would be best to take the handles off, but over the time we've had it have not done that. Have always managed to get a paper towel in the space between the handles and the unit. The large glass dome is nice and heavy, I just have a hard time keeping it sparkling clean. It also has a loop in the plug to insert a finger to make it easier to extract it safely from the electrical receptacle.
Anybody who enjoys cooking with a wok will appreciate the quality and sturdiness of this appliance. Would make a great gift and I have at least 2 people lined up for it.
Customer Review: Quality item that works well: try it, you'll like it
Summary: 5 Stars
Okay, I'll admit, I'm not a big fan of stir-fry anything. To me, if any vegetable still has crunch after cooking, I think it's raw. Hey, I was reared in the South and all vegetables are required to be boiled for hours, in water and bacon fat! It's the law or something.
Still, for those of us who have *only* an electric range, or even worse, a glass/ceramic cooking top that cannot accommodate cast iron pots and pans or cooking on "high," something like this Breville electric wok is the best we can do. And I do mean "best." I was a little hesitant to spend this much money but I'm happy I did.
The Breville is very well made, albeit heavy, has a wonderful non-stick surface and it's so easy to use, plus it comes with a cute stir-fry spatula. The wok has a dial for selecting the amount of heat, and when you turn it to your heat number you get a satisfying little "click." I am always surprised and wowed at how quickly the wok heats and cools -- a matter of 30-60 seconds in each case. That means if you're cooking something and want to keep it warm and covered, once you turn it off the wok really does cool quickly and stops cooking. Sooo unlike a normal range top! I'm not able to address the issue of how hot this Breville cooks vs. an ordinary wok, since I've already admitted to my love of limp Southern-style vegetables and this is the first wok I've owned. Cleanup is a snap with the non-stick surface -- just wipe it off with a damp paper towel, no need to take it off the base and wash it. However, if you do need to remove the wok from the base, you turn it upside down and release it from underneath. It's a snap.
As a side note, I've cooked scrambled eggs, salmon, pork, fajitas, potatoes, rice, all kinds of other things besides stir-fried veggies, and I've never been disappointed in the results. The nice thing is the capacity is large so it's quite handy for those times when you have company and need something more than a 12" saute pan. Think outside the Asian box and you'll find all sorts of things to cook in this wonderful device.
All factors considered, this is well worth the money and a quality product. If you don't have a gas range for all your stir-fry needs then this is the next best thing. Or, just boil those veggies in water and bacon fat -- your cardiologist needs the business!
Customer Review: Go for a Wok!
Summary: 5 Stars
Updated 3/24/11: I still love this small appliance. The scratches I mentioned below are nothing to be concerned about. The Wok is holding up much better than I ever expected. I can't imagine not having this in my kitchen now.
A couple of weeks later... I have used my wok to make chili... yes chili! It turned out great. But, even though I have only *ever* used the included plastic spatula in the wok I see several scratches! This is very disappointing! I still love the wok... but am really scared at what I might see in a few months regarding the "non-stick" surface.
I have been cooking my own Chinese food from scratch for many years. I have never had a wok and always used frying pans or whatever pot was available that was big enough... I was missing out on a lot of unique flavor! I always wondered why my Chinese food, though good, just didn't have that same flavor as what you get in a Chinese restaurant. Now I know why!!! You need a wok! I have only used this once so far (as I just received it a few days ago), but I have to say from the moment I opened the box I could see quality. I was skeptical to buy yet another product made in China... but if the Chinese do have one thing right... it's they definitely know how to make a wok! The temperature control is absolutely amazing. You can adjust it in very small increments if needed... but most stir fry is done on the SUPER HOT "high sear" setting. Talk about quick... talk about sealing in flavor. It really does it's job and I am very happy with the purchase. I was scared to spend this much money on another kitchen "gadget"... but I can guarantee that this will be one that I will use all of the time! One more amazing feature... the non-stick coating. And I mean it is non-stick. I've had so-called "non-stick" coatings on pans before... well, this one is real! Wipe it out with a paper towel right after cooking, or use a damp cloth while the wok is still warm and anything will wipe out immediately. I highly recommend this appliance. I am salivating at buying the Breville Toaster Oven. If it is anything like this wok I can only imagine what kinds of things I can cook in it. Thanks Amazon for including such a quality product in your line up!
Customer Review: I used this one time gently, and it's scratched to heck!
Summary: 3 Stars
I used it according to the instructions with the plastic spatula provided. I made braised beef tips, first stir frying and then slow cooking, and there was nothing at all hard in the wok. It even says in the manual you can use METAL utensils! Glad I didn't do that. It probably would have removed every bit of coating from this thing.
To make a long story short, after I emptied the food into a bowl, I saw what I thought was a long hair in the bottom of the wok. To my surprise, it was a rather deep scratch. After I washed the wok, I noticed tons of tiny scratches all over the surface. Two deep ones. And it looked perfect before I used it. Now it looks like an old piece of junk.
Upon reading the reviews, I see others have had this problem. Some say theirs started to peel after the scratches showed up. Others say they have no problem, so I can only assume getting a good one is really hit or miss. I gave it 3 stars because I'm assuming mine's defective and there are good ones out there. But do I want to exchange it and risk the same thing happening, or get a refund?
Other than that, it's great for stir frying. It was fun searing the beef, and then I slow cooked it with veggies. Slow cooking, however, it's terrible for even though the manual says it can do the job. Instead of keeping a steady temperature, the heating element will come on full blast until the thing is up to the proper temp, and then go completely off. So instead of getting a steady simmer like a crock pot, you get some boiling, then nothing. Boiling, then nothing. Apparently the element itself only has one temperature, and comes on and goes off as the probe senses the heat. I'd rather it be like an electric stove top where the thing STAYS on, but gets hotter or cooler as you turn the knob. This doesn't do that. It comes on in spurts.
To sum it up, if the one I received anyway didn't scratch so easily and the heating element kept a steady temperature, I'd easily give this 5 stars. Maybe I'll have better luck with the next one.
Customer Review: Great HOT wok - with terrific instructions
Summary: 5 Stars
I've done a fair amount of stirfry over the years, and for a long time had a professional level one similar to this Breville. Once it died, I did not get another, and anytime I tried to do stirfry on the oven it was a disaster. Even a new pretty powerful $800 gas oven did NOT get the on-the-stove pan hot enough. I would end up 'stewing' the food, and it bore little resemblance to my stirfry's of the past.
I was VERY impressed with the excellent instructions that are provided in the book this comes with. I studied all their tips for an hour, and was amazed at the things I did NOT know, or had forgotten. Someone who never stirfried before could get first rate results by studying just a few pages. Little things are important - I used to just turn it on, and throw in the oil and wait for it to get hot. WRONG! You are supposed to turn it on EMPTY, let it get VERY hot, and only then put in the oil. And I realized I had started to get lazy, and was not doing smaller batches of items at a time, which does end up with better results.
If I need to get things out of the pan, I just hold a big bowl or plastic container next to it, and slide stuff up the side and out - or I just tip it up and dump it on a plate. Although it is good to know that once every few months I could actually take it apart for an old-fashioned cleaning, all you really need to do is wipe it out with a sponge. The non-stick surface is fantastic. The temperature dial is excellent, and it comes with the most heavy duty cord you ever saw!
Stir-fry is my teenaged son's favorite meal, and without a good wok, I hardly ever cooked it for him. Now when I tell him we're having stir-fry, he's thrilled. Remember this thing would be good for a lot more than just stirfry too. I was amazed that it could slow cook as well. I can make beef stew a one pot dish. Can't wait to try it out on tempura, which it will also be great for! There are also a lot of great recipes in the book.