Stir Fry on High!

Cooking Stir Fry in a Wok using a Propane Turkey Fryer

A few months ago, after watching Alton Brown of ‘Good Eats’ make a stir fry over a charcoal fire in his Weber grill, and then again with an outdoor turkey fryer, I did some research.  I personally don’t like fried food and I don’t like to be near boiling pots of oil, so a turkey fryer has never appealed to me.  But for stir fry?!  Tell me more …!  It turns out that my Thermador stove at home, upon which I’ve produced many a fine stir fry, puts out somewhere around 12,000 BTU on the largest burner.  I don’t know what the Weber grill can generate in terms of BTUs, but the turkey fryer I ordered from Cabela’s is rated at 45,000 BTUs.  That’s more than three times the energy of my stove!  The fryer I selected connects directly to a 20 lb tank of propane (like the tank used for a gas grill) and has a flat top so that a 16” wok will sit firmly above the heating element.  Last weekend I tested this arrangement out by making two stir fry dishes, chicken with rice noodles and shrimp with snow peas.  There is no longer any doubt in my mind, those extra 30,000 BTUs *are* doing something!  Cooking time was reduced by half, and it was much easier to get the veggies very hot, without overcooking.  And frankly, it just tasted better!  I’m sold on the concept, and I can guarantee that dinner on my next camping trip will include some rockin’ stir fry!

-Chris

* By the way, for you scientists out there, a BTU stands for British Thermal Unit and is a measure of energy.  One BTU is the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of one pound of water by one degree Fahrenheit.  Obviously, this pre-dates the metric system!

* Another by the way – an induction cooktop for a wok that can be used in the kitchen puts out about 30,000 BTUs.  Hmmm, let the negotiations with Laura begin …