Why choose a Lotus Rock Stir Wok?
1. Material. Carbon steel is the material that is used in all Lotus Rock cookware and bakeware items. Because of the nature of stir frying most experts agree that carbon steel is the most appropriate metal for a stir wok.
In the market place today other types of metal substrates are used for stir woks, however they all have drawbacks for this type of cookware item.
These include:
- Cast iron – Long pre-heat times and it is very cumbersome to lift, which is essential for proper flipping
- Stainless steel – Doesn’t conduct heat very quickly, and especially not to the centre of the pan, where it is most needed for a stir wok.
2. Thickness. Most carbon steel manufacturers for stir woks will do a thin gauge, at either 0.8mm or 1.0mm, this can make a wok light and very price competitive. However, all Lotus Rock Stir Woks are produced at a 2.0mm gauge. This ensures a strong construction, even heating and a high heating effect for all of our stir woks.
3. Induction safe. Although carbon steel is magnetic and so suitable for induction use, if the gauge is too thin then the pan or coating on it will be damaged very easily if used on this type of cooking top surface. Induction transmits heat very efficiently, however with a Lotus Rock stir wok, the thick gauge will disperse the heat much better and therefore not impair the quality of the pan.
4. Heat resistance. Lotus Rock’s surface is a specially configured design which has very high heat resistance. Most general non-stick cookware, which is organic-bonded, can easily break under a high temperature. This can, consequently, create a harmful chemical smoke which is bad on environmental and health grounds. In contrast the Lotus Rock silicon-oxide crystal coating is made up of inorganic substances: it is in the form of a thin crystal, which has no traces of carbon within it. Conversely, the type of ceramic material that the silicon-oxide crystal coating rests on can resist temperatures of up to 350 degrees centigrade, which is particularly advantageous for a high-heat cooking method such as stir frying.
5. Scratch resistance. The layer of silicon-oxide crystal that rests on top of it is extremely thin. Even with modern day utensils humans are not able to peel off the material. This makes the surface between the silicon-oxide crystal and ceramic very compact and difficult to scratch. Furthermore, it means that, unlike most cookware, the Lotus Rock is metal utensil safe, making it very convenient to use in a busy kitchen.
Summary
Lotus Rock, with its excellent PFOA/PTFE-free non-stick silicon-oxide crystal coating, is ideally suited for use with a stir wok. The heavy steel gauge and thick ceramic coating provides a Lotus Rock stir wok with amazing heat retention and dispersion, meaning the food is never steamed but instead always seared. Easy-to-clean, metal utensil safe, with 350 degree heat resistance, a Lotus Rock stir wok can be used in a kitchen for as long as a cast-iron wok.