Breville EW30XL Electric Gourmet Wok
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Kitchen and Housewares Reviews of Breville EW30XL Electric Gourmet Wok
Customer Review: Best electric wok
Summary: 5 Stars
I bought this wok for my mom two years ago to replace our old wok that was in bad shape. Now I use it more than her.
The quality is excellent, which is evident just by the weight. It's heavy. This thing doesn't budge when you're doing some vigorous stirring thanks to the rubber feet. The detachable base is a great idea which makes cleaning the bowl much less awkward, and takes seconds to detach/attach. If I recall correctly, the whole unit is dishwasher safe, but I handwash everything anyway. The heat controller lets you make quick and precise temperature changes in small increments, and the quick-release feature is a nice touch. Speaking of heat, this wok makes a lot of it. The initial heat-up is very quick, and I have only used the high sear setting on very rare occasions. I don't think I'm quick enough to cook on high sear.
The lid is heavy glass, has a vent, and makes it easy to keep an eye on your food, but can be a pain to clean over time. Mine seems to have built up some sort of stuck-on greasy residue on it that is extremely difficult to get off. The teflon coating in the bowl is tough and very thick, which makes cooking so much easier, and cleanup just as easy. After two years the coating shows no signs of wear.
The only bad things I can say are about the residue on the lid, as mentioned above, and that the weight does have a downside. The weight of the wok and the handle design make it difficult to pick up and tilt the wok to pour your food into a serving dish or bowl. It is possible to do with two hands, but you really should be able to use one hand to tilt and the other to assist the food out with a bamboo spoon. It's not a deal breaker for me. I usually just let everyone dish out what they want directly from the wok.
I'd recommend this to anyone who wants the highest quality electric wok. It is well worth the price. I love mine and expect it to last a very long time.
Customer Review: Go Ahead and Buy (and see if it works for you!)
Summary: 1 Stars
I bought this wok because 1. I desperately need to cut down calories. 2. It got great reviews! 3. I tried Amazon Prime for one month (free).
This is my experience: I used the wok for less than 10 times. I ONLY used the plastic spatula it came with it. I bought a warranty (SqaureTrade) to go with this wok. I cooked blue crab once using this wok. Yet, after so little use, the wok's teflan surface was scratched beyond belief. I NEVER used any sharp or metal cooking tools with it!!
I debated and debated and finally bit the bullet and returned to Amazon.com with 30 days (with the explanation above.) I was so worried about packing the wok right (I forgot the spatula and had to ship it back using USPS first class mail.) Amazon.com was amazing: the next day after I put in my return request, the UPS guy (same guy who delivered the wok) picked up my carefully packaged and labeled wok.
Amazon.com gave me a FULL refund. I was so worried. (I hate returning things.)(BTW, I also returned the SquareTrade Warranty. I got a full refund as well. FYI.)
If you are wondering whether you should try this wok, have no fears. Go ahead and try it.
Maybe I just got a lemon (look at the great reviews!)
I went ahead and bought an Analon Wok (less than $40.00) My experience with it is COMPLETELY different from this electric wok. The Analon wok (I've used it less than 10 times) still looks BRAND NEW. I don't know if Analon just used more durable material to make the teflon surface or not.
Also Amazon Prime is EXCELLENT. $79 a year is a "steal." I didn't get it because my business has been really slow recently. Getting Amazon Prime will only encourage my buying on impulse.
Customer Review: Love to Stir Fry
Summary: 5 Stars
As you know you can't use a regular wok with electric stove top, I have been using a 12-inch nonstick pan on my smooth glass top stove. I needed 2 hands, one for stirring the other holding the pan from spinning around, which was a pain. Now, I just plug this baby in and have a ball. This appliance is so well made and a pleasure to use. So far, I have only used it for stir frying, however you can use it for other recipes according to its booklet and sample recipes, like soups and curries. Its big and if you don't have room to store it, you may have to lease space somewhere ;-) This is the next best thing to cooking with gas. It gets very hot, you need to preheat it empty, then have your ingredients ready and in a matter of a few minutes you have dinner ready. Easy to clean. You can put it in the dishwasher, not the base it comes apart, but the bowl is so large, it would take up most of the space in the dishwasher, but why bother its so easy to clean up by hand. It is heavy and very sturdy, so you can stir fry using one hand and the other you can pour your ingredients into it. Even the plug design is impressive, they design it with a hole in it making it convenient to pull the plug from the outlet, and they included a handy level that you squeeze to release it from the base without having a tug-of-war with the thing. Well made product. Fun and easy to use. It came with a plastic paddle but I recommend using a wooden one so it won't scratch the nonstick surface. If you love stir fry, you will love this wok. Also, I recommend Chinese Rice and Noodles by Su-Huei Huang and Mu-Tsun Lee, great book, your family will say its better than take-out!"
Customer Review: This is a quality electric wok
Summary: 5 Stars
I had originally purchased a Rival stainless W73 wok about 11 months ago. The legs loosened and the plastic BB bumps that sit in holes broke off. Those plastic bumps prevent the legs from turning. My wife was last stir frying with it sitting on a measuring cup. I love strir fry and knew that if that continued she would not want to use it so I called the company and their customer service responded by emailing me only one sentence. We have no more legs. To simply state that I was ticked is an understatement. I then read the above reviews on the Breville so I ordered one. I was impressed by the weight and the well thought about design and quality. It is not a light weight by no means. I used the Braise setting tonight and it seared the chicken immediately. I like the selector on the lid for the vent so I can steam vegetables and then after serving I can open the vent and put the lid back on to keep them warm and prevent further steaming. I liked the temp selector how it locks in when you plug it into the wok and then you grasp the side lever on the selector when you go to pull it out and it releases. The big knob on the bottom turns to remove the fry bowl to wash it. To put it back you simply set the temp plug housing into a cradle and then reach underneath to lock it. I also noted that because of the bowl shape I can put my serving plate against the outside of the wok and then drag the stir fry up the inside until it lands on the server plate. No spills and no picking up and tipping. I used very little peanut oil and it cleaned up great with a sponge. I'm already planning the next dish from my Madame Wong's Long-Life cookbook.Customer Review: Very High Quality: Here's How to Care for It
Summary: 5 Stars
We have used this Wok in an office to make lunches for the employees for the last 14 months. I posted the photo of the empty wok (click "view all customer images" to see it - it's the 3rd image). You can see that the teflon has discolored, but it is in absolutely perfect working order. We just turn it to high and leave it there and stir fry away. We use it 4 days a week, every week.
Some others have said that the teflon is scratched or flakes off, but I can't imagine more abuse than we've given this one in an office and our teflon has had no problems at all. BUT, we do three things: 1) we only use wooden or silicon utensils, 2) we let it cool down before we clean it, and 3) we clean it by A) wiping with a paper towel, B)wiping with a soapy sponge, then wringing the sponge out and C) wiping with a damp, not soapy sponge. Most people make the mistake of cleaning it when it's hot, or overcleaning teflon. You want to just barely clean teflon: it will last a lot longer that way. Just a quick couple of wipes - maybe 20 seconds in all. Ours has never been in the sink. And it still performs like the day we bought it: nothing sticks to it at all.
This is one of the highest quality products I have ever bought. I have nothing but All-Clad pans so my standards are the highest. Don't abuse this thing when you clean it and it will last a long time. 4 times a week for about 60 weeks means we've used this thing about 240 times. It still performs like the day we bought it.