The Best Wok Burner (More BTUs ≠ Better Stir-Fries) | Kenji's Cooking Show 

You talked the talk and now you've woked the wok. Great video as always!

The last time I was this early I was the only one who had commented yet.

I am hoping that we get a thermal cam comparison of Shabu and Jamón

Almost got fined at my local public library for keeping your food lab book too long. I'm a librarian, I should probably feel ashamed 🙃 will be buying your book soon but these videos are giving me life till then!

I didn't even know I needed a wok burner until I started watching your stuff.

Bought the Power Flamer 160 based on this video and it is truly life-changing. Best cooking appliance I’ve ever bought by a long shot. Massive thank you to Kenji!

Kenji, the knowledge that you have provided your audience goes unchallenged. The presentation is easy for everyone to understand, but also displays a true passion and understanding of everything you do. I've heard your name for years, but only in the last year did I find your RU-vid. Thanks for all you do for us home chefs!

I've worked in restaurants in China and North America, mainly in Szechuan and Cantonese cuisine. There's definitely a gulf between what can normally be achieved in stir frying in a restaurant kitchen versus a home kitchen. Like others who desire a restaurant level stir fry outside of a restaurant kitchen, I've put together my own dedicated wok station in my home, both indoors and outdoors. It should be noted that restaurant wok station set ups are more efficient for reducing heat loss by using a combination of semi circular heat shield/deflector, which may have either straight vertical walls or a somewhat inward curved walls, and having the burner recessed within a table/counter like structure. You can't help but lose heat vertically to a degree, around the wok, but with that kind of set up, you don't need a burner as powerful as a PowerFlamer 160 EI, especially if you're not very experienced with high intensity heat cooking. A burner able to perform in the 70,000 BTU range can produce restaurant level stir frying if you use an enclosed wok station setup with a heat shield/deflector. Additionally, a common modification restaurants employ for flame/heat control is an angled arm attached to the flame adjuster, which is positioned at about knee height, instead of a knob. The reason for this is that the cook can adjust the intensity of the flame/heat by using their knee, allowing them to always have one hand on the wok handle and the other hand on the ladle. With this set up, the cook can fully control the heat without taking hand control off of their cooking.

The Big Kahuna Burner? Mmm, that IS a tasty burner!

I seriously appreciate this video. Giving a frame of reference by testing how long it takes to boil the water in a wok is EXTREMELY helpful for my analytical mind.

For anyone on a budget, turkey fryers work really well as a cheap alternative. Over a decade ago I got a $35 turkey fryer, bent the inner grill bars down so the wok rested lower and welded on some scrap pipes for legs. Been making restaurant quality stir fries ever since. Really gotta have the BTUs for stuff like phad thai. Oh, and the modifications aren’t strictly necessary, they just make it more ergonomic.

The problem is, when Kenji recommends a wok burner, it goes on back order for 6 to 12 months.

I have been using the outdoorstirfry burner. Can't wait to try it on a cool fall day. Cooking on these things in 90 degree heat is intense. Could not imagine doing this in a kitchen setting every day. Hats off to the chefs cooking with woks.

"once you get locked into a serious jet engine collection, the tendency is to push it as far as you can."

thank you for the foreword regarding the "necessity" for a high power restaurant burner to make good chinese food. I think I recall the channel "chinese cooking demystified" saying the same thing that people are way too obsessed with wok hei.

Kenji: Thank you so much for sharing your experience and knowledge. I bought the Eastman Kahuna Burner after a lot of research and finally your evaluation based on the type of cook who may use one of these. While it did take a while to find one, I have had it now for almost a year. It is far superior to what I expected. I use it about 3 times a month. Those who say it rusts, etc. I treat mine like cast iron and add oil to the three arms and now it is bulletproof. It is very well made, and while its a niche type of cooking it is something I will never be without going forward.

Recently I got a Wokmon and have been using it every day since. This product delivers on every claim and more. It is a true game changer ... the results are amazing. The flame concentrator works perfectly, the ring also installed perfectly. My cooktop has a single 17,000 BTU burner and with the Wokmon installed stir fry results are vastly improved. Granted, there is no way to match a 150,000 BTU restaurant burner at home but this is as close as you can get and it makes a huge difference.

I was always wondering how I could cook like a restaurant at home without having to get something that needs water cooling. Thanks for this video -- I still of course would get a sink as well to wash out the wok outside as well as to add water -- but this gives me lots of ideas -- I noticed a table top version of your favorite is also for sale. Seems like I may be cooking outside in the future!

I’ve been waiting for this video my whole life

I owned a bakery in Hawaii where we would do parties on site making malassadas (a Portuguese deep fried dumpling similar to French beignets). We would use the flame master burner (the burner in the middle), with great success. Easily transported and assembled; able to handle a 30 inch wok filled with frying oil.and providing an even heat. I recommend it heartily!

As much as appreciate the green power we have here in Iceland, I often wish that we had the option of cooking with gas, cheaply. I'll have to see if I can find one of these that doesn't cost an arm and an leg to ship here.

I don't even have a Wok, but Kenji's knowledge and reasoning is what keeps me in the video.

Hey Kenji, love from Brazil! Your passion is contagious and your book is amazing. Thanks for giving us so many projects during quarantine. Your insights on what made you decide one over the other are great, since it allows all of the non usa based people like myself to look for similar products. I'll try to wok down your road and get myself a brazilian version of those.

I just used your link and bought an Eastman Kahuna. Thanks for the review. I’ll make a nice stand to set it up on. I have a great place for this on my porch. My wife doesn’t know. I’ll surprise her. She will really love this burner. She has talked for a year about wanting one. I just never did the research. Now I see an expert doing my research for me! Thanks so much.

I like how you just casually mention having to put on welders gloves for the Gas One burner. Like if it was the best burner you wouldn't bat an eye at having to suit up in protective gear in search of great food.

Fun tidbit with that beer burner (I used to own it) - it rips through fuel so quickly that it will actually freeze the propane tank and it will stop working on high heat. I solved this by submerging the tank in a tub of water and in the hour it took to brew a batch of beer the tank would have developed a solid inch thick shell of ice around the tank. It's a beast of a burner but a total pain to keep the gas flowing on with how easily it freezes up.

The middle one is the type that I see most Southeast Asian street vendors use. If you live in SoCal, I see some sellers on Craigslists selling the middle one without a stand for $90.

Thanks for giving some attention to outdoor stirfry. Reading the about section you realize it was a passion project that someone put a lot of thought and care into. They always got crushed by search engine algorithms and it took me hours and hours to find them. They also appear to be the only natural gas option which is beautiful.

I would LOVE to see you test out a >3kw induction wok burner and see how they stack up!

Whenever I try out a new chinese restaurant I order beef chow fun (dry) and if I don't taste the wok hei I most likely won't be going back. Chances are the chef doesn't know how to work the wok for other dishes as well. Wok hei is the quintessence of stir fry.

Great video. I was excited and ready to order the Powerflamer only to learn it's always sold out and can take weeks and sometimes months to arrive. I guess I'll go with the runner up option.

I got a PowerFlamer in the mid 1980's; after doing Chinese cooking class. Bought it at an Asian restaurant supply house in Seattle. Got my wok at the same time. Still using both, to this day

Hey Kenji, I hope you could cover some of the more advanced wok techniques. I think one of the more important aspects of the Power-flamer is that lip in the front that none of the other burners have. Wok chefs who have to cook all day don't actually pick up the wok that often and actually use that lip as a pivot for flipping, like a see-saw. It reduces the amount of effort while wok cooking immensely.

Great use of a thermal cam. You're killing it Kenji!

Thank you for this video! Been looking for a wok station for my outdoor kitchen. Yes, I was also one of the guy that believed the higher the BTU, the better. Learnt something today. Greatly appreciated.

Nice to know I made the right call buying my outdoor burner. Mine was a Thunder Group burner and a bit less expensive than the “Outdoor” brand although it did not have a tripod stand. To me the fact it sits on a table gave me a better sense of security and stability.

Just wanted to say thanks for the recommendation for the Eastman Kahuna. I would never have considered a "portable" burner for this, but it works fantastic and was pretty affordable!

I was shopping for an outdoor wok burner and these three burners keep popping up in the internet and did know which to get. This video is super helpful and informative Saved me lots of time and money. Thx for for making ithis video.

With the Big Kahuna burner (one on far left), if you reverse the wok holder things backwards, you can then bend them inward a little bit and fit a wok ring perfectly on it. Much more stable. My only complaint about this unit is that it's not powerful enough if it gets even just a little windy/slight breeze. You will need to construct a windscreen for it. I like it for its portability for camping Etc. But because of the wind issue (and the desire to cook outside in cold weather in the winter) I got the middle unit (different brand on Amazon, but almost same design except no stand and listed at 100,000 BTU's.) I absolutely love it and it was worth the $140 I paid.

Hi Kenji, you don’t know me, but I live just up north of you in Bellingham WA. Long story short, we’re having a Hatch Green Chile roasting party in our backyard on September 7th 2024, and we’d like to invite you. It’s also my wife’s birthday and she used to live in NM so she’s kind of obsessed with Hatch Green Chiles. This year I’m building her a Chile Roaster that goes over our fire pit (instead of using gas burners) and at the beginning of the party we’ll be roasting a bunch of Chiles. After that we’ll be serving NM Green Chile Stew and Chocolate Destruction Cake and other guests are bringing sides/snacks. We’ll also have live music. Anyway, you’re probably wondering “WTF is this guy thinking?”, but I figure nothing ventured nothing gained. Besides, we’ve enjoyed enough of your recipes and cookbooks that it would be nice to give something back. Also, Bellingham is a cool town and only an hour and a half from Seattle. If you do come up, we can suggest any number of things you can do to make a bigger trip out of it. Anway, if you’re interested, reach out, and if not, have a great day. On a related note, we have an outdoor wok burner that you didn’t try in your test. (www.thewonderwok.com/) not sure how powerful it is, but if you’re not careful you can easily set the oil on fire and get the bottom glowing red, so I’m pretty sure it’s sufficient. Looks pretty similar to the PowerFlamer 160 that you recommend. Anyway, if you come to the party you’re welcome to try it out.

I have been testing wok and burning too!! My mom gave me that burner but without the stand. We are trying to build a stand before we get to use it. Thank you for sharing!!! It is helpful!!🤗

Came here after watching Sheldon Simeon make some amazing looking pancit on a wok burner and now I'm all fired up to get one... thanks so much for such an informative video! Hope your burned fingers healed quickly! I think I'm gonna go with the Eastman Kahuna!!!

Since these are pretty much not available in Europe excluding ~545€ (!) Roaring Dragon, after some research I ended up ordering Bulin BL100 B18 from China. The brand has AFAIK good reputation in Korea, their previous weaker models have very high ratings on Amazon and Aliexpress. The B18 model is very recent, without reviews but is supposed to produce 18kW / ~61 5000 BTU flame, so pretty close to Eastman Kahuna's 65 000 BTU. Finally I paid ~86$ / 70€ with shipping and it is already in my country. I am looking forward to trying that one and perhaps reviewing / recommending it if it turns out satisfactory. I guess the water boiling test will be the best way to determine its thermal efficiency.

Have been waiting for this! Thanks Kenji!

Great Info!!! I've been needing one for years lol. Home ranges give you the low, but not the high that you need. High btus are also necessary for Indian qormas/caramelizing onions!! For any meat or vegetable you want browned/caramelized/seared rather than steamed/boiled. Taste is very comforting.

I think for my needs, the Kahuna seems like the best option.

I've been contemplating buying a wok burner for a while, and this is exactly the info I needed. Thank you!

looks like the Big Kahuna suffers the same problem as the mega burner I first tried - a lot of heat beyond the actual base of the wok. Great review! Thanks for sharing this.

Thanks for all your help and your great book. Did my first wok cook on our Weber grill. Not ideal, but fantastic. Followed your Kung Palo chicken in your book. FANTASTIC!!! Love your book and totally pumped.

Burnt Egg Cam! Better grab your Barkeeper's Friend for the rust. Excellent tutorial. Clear and expansive

Thanks for taking the time to do this! Got to get me one of these asap

You need a 10 inch thick force steal ring wielded on a slight angle 📐 3/4 inch above the burner, so you can wok easily while flipping your food . Those burners are just the center heart of the wok stove . It’s a steal ring bracket for the wok pan

There is something major missed on the BTU output of these burners. A 20lb propane tank cannot provide the gas output to get to 160k BTU/hr, so even turned all the way up you’re limited by the vaporization rate of the propane and not the stove output. You need something like a 60lb tank in mild weather (50+ degrees) to get close to the 160k BTU/hr and 80lb tank to get close to 200k BTU/hr. A 20lb tank can provide maybe 70k BTU/hr @ 50 degrees.

Thank you for answering my questions. A chefs heart is complete!!!

Hey thanks for the *hot* tip Kenji!

Ordered a Powerflamer 160EI last night because I was too excited to wait for your review video, glad I ended up choosing the right one!

Dude OMG I had this question floating all up and down my head all day,,, and after watching your vids today for first time ,,,,and really happy I found this and all ur vids buddy,,,,,so helpful,,,thank god u explained this really nicely,,,wow dude,,, I just got a super boost from your vids and I haven’t made much Chinese but I started like 10 years and kinda mastered the Gen tow,,,dish,,only made about dozen times,,,but back when I started and since wanted to get this,,,,funny before watching ur vids or I mean after a couple of ur vids,,I called up Chinatown Chitown (Chicago) ,,,,wanted to go to these shops and find a real wok,,,and I called up a shop this morning,,,awesome Lady told me they got the woks,,,I’m going down tmrw and getting burners also,,,,From Chitown buddy thanks

When's that seasoning video coming?

For those looking for kenjis favorite wok, and the eastman outdoors one that are having a hard time finding them, the high btu, gas one burner can be a good wok burner if you couple it with a wok ring. The taller the better

Love this video yes I wear fire proof gloves when Woking the wok We home brew so I completely understand

I have a 150,000 btu shop heater I use in my boat shop. I have a hunch I could turn it straight up and put a wok on top, with minimal rigging. Gonna have to give that a try.

Excellent review! Just bought the Powerburner based on your discussion. Thank you.

Looks like a great burner. The only thing keeping me from ordering is outdoorstirfry requires full payment up front with an expected lead time of 6-12 months, possibly longer. That leaves no room to dispute the charge if there are problems or they go out of business and end up never shipping the product.

Looks like the Power Flamer got the KenjiBro hug of death. The website says delivery in 6-12 months! Damn you Kenji nerds, you bought all of them!

Love your BBQ sauce recipe from coupl'a yrs ago on the Serious Eats website.... And, how your bi-line here, "BTU's doesn't equal better results," dove-tails into my research to find a gas burner that won't scorch all-grain homebrew worts. Thank you! and, Thank you!

Solid advice. I bought a 80k btu years ago that has the same features as the one he recommends. Plenty hot for me. Now if he could just post a video on how to not burn the seasoning off the wok, I'd be all set.

🙏 just got a brand new restaurant quality Wok, but I have a electric stove.. Gonna get your number 2 pick. Thanks.

Powerflamer 160 is pretty good with the pilot! Thanks for reviews!

I am now convinced that Kenji has a major wok fetish.

Thank you so much for this; I only just learned about outdoor wok burners and needed precisely this guide. Now I can go back to really spicy stir frying! (My roommates for some reason didn’t like being regularly maced… weirdos!)

Kenji makes me want things I never even knew existed before

After watching your earlier videos, I tried using my propane deep fryer burner with my wok and was pleased with the results. It lacks the burner adjustment valve and the standing pilot, but the burner puts the flame right in the center and the regulator lets me adjust the flame from very low to inferno. I had been using my wok with a single burner propane stove of probably 20,000 BTU per hour and wasn't having very good results. Frozen chicken sweats a lot and would end up boiling in its water with my small burner. My deep fryer burner puts out enough heat that it rapidly boils off the water and gets me to the point where I'm browning the meat instead of boiling it. I'm not that good with a wok and hesitate to really turn up the burner, but I already had the deep fryer and it's far better than what I had. I've made egg fried rice your way a couple of times and it worked really well.

I wish I had a backyard setup like a Chinese restaurant in NYC. I need more power. I think they had a pedal on the floor they stomped on for full power.

sorry my mistake the power flamer has the controls , thanks grahame

Nice, please review the EZ-Wok Wonder Wok!

Thank you for sharing I was looking to buy something small but didn’t even know where to start

i"ve been so excited for this video!

I feel like all these Kenji vids are making me want to buy things I never knew I needed in my life, and my wallet is terrified.

I use the Kahuna burner in all my tutorials but eventually i had modify it because after constant use it started to rust and basically fell apart.. The only thing i kept was the burner ring which i think is excellent but the rest is poorly designed. It creates wok hei evetime..If i had have looked after it properly it probably wouldn't have happened..I'm from Glasgow and the weather most of the time is not that great so kinda got caught out a few times..All my cooking now is done in a greenhouse. Sounds weird but it allows me to cook all year round...Need to get myself a proper outhouse..Great tutorial by the way some really interesting facts and loved the science behind it..Clever stuff

Hey Kenji, any recommendations for a light wok?

hehehe Powerflamer... Thunder Group IRFS001 5B Fast Stove is the one i have my eye one. Very similar design to the Powerflamer

awesome review. I’m on the waitlist for the powerflamer 160.

Thank you for solving one of my big questions! Great timing

I have several turkey fryer burners and the big homebrew burner. I guess now I need a Powerburner as well!

Kenji, I love that outro!!!

Of course videos like this make me think I have to have the product; at least for a few minutes! Great information and presentation! Thanks!

this is an amazing video - nice work brother

Been really looking forward to this, thank you!

Kenji, I'm not in to home brewing, and at this time I can't justify $100+ for a unitasker. Are there any deep fried turkey rigs which you feel could work to achieve some wok hey?

What I've always thought I was told that a real wok burner burns mostly into the middle of the wok and that this makes the rounded bottom of the wok have the magic. Comments?

I bought the Eastman from Kenji’s recomendation about 8 mo ago. My stove has never been so clean 😂. Well worth the cash. And great for cast irons, steaks, smash burgs with some cast.. iron… hay?… 🤣. So good though

I am always wondering where did you learn all those knowledge of Chinese cuisine

Can you do a video on making Beijing style eggs and tomatoes?

I'm gonna go with the eastman it's only $100 on amazon and I need portability because I live in an apartment, all my cooking gear is portable 😂 my pizza oven, my smoker, my BBQ, my paella gas cooker so yeah the smaller and lighter easier to store the better for me.

What’s the size of your wok in the demo? What is the ideal side you would recommend?

I used to have a strong portable gas stove, its a shame i cant find it anymore

*loved* the burnt egg cam

This was a great demo and break down, thanks for making it. I was wondering if the Eastman had a pilot light or if the flame control had to be near the propane tank. The first choice burner website was a bit difficult to navigate with unclear set-up choices, but the equipment looks restaurant serious.

Yes that’s what I need ! The high heat is essential

Thank you so much ! I asked a few videos ago about this. Glad you uploaded.