Woks are rising in popularity, they are great for stir frys, steaming and even deep frying. However, not everyone have access to a stove. Luckily, manufacturer have thought of a solution, a electric wok! However, the thing is, most electric wok dont really work that well. They’re not durable and do not get hot enough. Cooking doesnt actually mimic actual wok cooking as well. The good thing is that you can now get induction electric wok. They get screaming hot and can even rival home stove wok. They are some of the Best Electric Wok that I have ever seen.

Best Electric Wok List

Below, you will find a list of some of the Best Electric Wok on the Market. There are many options available with varying quality. I recommend you find one that best suits you.

NUWAVE MOSAIC Induction Wok with 14-inch carbon steel wok (Best Overall)

For the Best Electric Wok then look for Nuwave. Unlike other manufacturer, their product actually use induction heating to to heat up the pan. As a result, you can reach temperature of over 500 degree, exactly what you need for Wok Cooking. The sear and the flavor that you get is much better than the rest. I would argue that it can even work better than a Home Stove Top Wok. I am really impressed that they came out with something like this. Most other companies uses a copy of a very old design. Get nuwave if you truly want the best.

Breville BEW600XL Hot Wok, Brushed Stainless Steel (Best Traditional Electric Wok)

Breville wok is one of the most well built traditional electric wok. The exterior is a beautiful stainless steel with stay cool plastic handle. The Wok itself uses thick aluminum for maximum heat capacity. This model holds a total of 6 qt in volume, perfect for most stir fry. Best of all, the heating element uses 1500 watts of power. This means it can reach temperature of 425 degree Fahrenheit.

Aroma Housewares Professional AEW-306 Electric Wok (Best Buy)

If Breville is a little expensive, then Aroma makes a good alternative. Their design are very similar and should work well enough. Temperature is controlled via a knob much like the breville model. The top wok is also detachable for easy cleaning. Whats great about this model is the extra accessories that you get. Things like a chopstick and cooling rack is included.

What is a Electric Wok?

A Electric Wok is a Wok that is powered via electricity. The oldest form of Electric Wok works via a heating element. A rod is placed at the base and that powers the heating coils. As the heating coils heat up, so does the pan. Most waffle maker and other heating appliance work under the same principle. The problem with this is that they often do not generate enough heat. Compare to a traditional gas stove, it is considerably weaker.

More modern Electric Wok uses induction heating. Induction heating is a great alternative to the older style of electric wok. As long as you have enough power, it should be able to rapidly heat and cool a wok much like how a professional wok works. It wasnt until recently that there was a induction stove that follows the contour of the wok. This contour gives it more contact point and as a result, better heat performance.

Woks on a Electric Stove?

Woks on Electric Stoves are worse than Electric Wok. Since Electric stove works like a heating coil, you have even less contact surface. With gas, you do not need direct heat for it to work. However, for electric stove, you want as much contact as possible. There are some Woks with a flat bottom. They work to a certain degree. But the top rim of the Wok will basically be cold. The induction stove top will only perform marginally better. Since it still has the issue with surface contact.

How Does an Electric Wok Work?

A Electric Wok works much like how other electric skillet work. At the base, there is a probe and that heats up the Wok. Using the Dial, you will change the temperature output of the Wok. Since the Wok is detachable, most of them are dishwasher safe. Instead of Carbon Steel, most of these Wok uses aluminum with a nonstick coating.

Does it Work?

Yes, they do get hot and you can sear food. But not nearly hot enough as a traditional wok. Even traditional wok arent really that great in a home setting. Our home stove simply arent designed to use Woks. True Wok uses intense heat for rapid heat and fast cooling. Then are made thin and light so that chef can toss and stir food. With a Electric Wok, the most you can do is stir food.

Having said that, stirring food is what most people need. They do have a large capacity and electric models can be used anywhere with electricity. That makes them great for the dorm room or the RV. In that sense, it does work.

Durability

The Biggest issues with these Electric Wok is simply durability. A lot of these Wok have issues with the heating element. They either get fried out or just output little heat. You cant really do much when that happens. And the Wok itself cant be used on a traditional stove.

Other issues including the nonstick coating. Since this is a wear item, overtime, you need to replace it regardless of other factors. If you use metal utensils or just got careless, it will wear it down even faster. With daily usage, you can expect these wok to last 2 or 3 years. The good thing is that most dont get daily usage.

Induction Electric Wok

Induction Wok works very differently from traditional Electric Wok. They use magnet to rapidly heat up the Wok. These wok actually uses carbon steel much like traditional wok and they can get to a screaming hot temperature. This lets you get a better sear and better result than your traditional electric Wok. It also does not have the downfall of nonstick coating. The only bad thing is that I only know of one company that makes a induction wok, Nuwave.

How to Use Electric Wok

To use a Electric Wok, place the wok on the heating element. Insert the heat probe and set the desired temperature. I recommend that you set it on high and put some oil in. By doing this, you temper the nonstick coating so that it doesn’t overheat.

Once hot enough, add your desired item. I recommend doing it in small batches. Overloading the wok will draw out too much heat and you will not get any meaningful sear on it. Once one batched is browned properly, remove it then brown the other stuff. When everything is done, combine everything together to mix and stir.

Using this method, you can get pretty decent result even with a Electric Heating Element.

Thoughts

While most traditional Electric Wok are terrible, newer technology has changed that. Using induction heating, your home electric wok can let you sear like the pros. The carbon steel construction also means that it wont wear down like nonstick will. As of now, I only see nuwave with this product. However, if you want a more traditional Electric Wok, then breville is the best choice. For a cheaper alternative, then aroma makes a comparable product.

Looking for some Wok tool? Check out our article on the Best Wok Utensils.