Thoughts on Wok cooking will be appreciated.

[Jay Cohen]

For the most part, I either steam, pressure cook or quickly pan fry(stir fry) my food and I do enjoy the flavor/texture of oriental food that is Wok’d via very high heat.

I can pick up a propane fueled fish/turkey cooker that heats to 145,000 BTU’s for $45.00 at Home Depot and many websites discuss how this is “only way” to get the same type of taste/food prep that is found in Oriental restaurants.

I think the high heat might be detrimental to the nutrients along with the fact that the food is "fried" in either Sesame Seed or Peanut Oil, but I'm open for all comments.

Thanks in advance.

[Scott Kustes]

I would think the high heat would be especially detrimental to the oils that are used in Asian restaurants. Damage to the oil could perhaps be mitigated by using a saturated fat like coconut oil, though you're changing the flavor using such oils. Coconut oil would certainly work for Thai cuisine.

I settle for close enough flavors. I'd rather cook at a low temperature for a longer time and rely on the spices and such to make it taste how I want. It may not be exactly like the restaurant, but the nutrition quality is higher.

FYI...I believe Asians don't like being called Oriental. ;) Then again, I could be wrong as I'm not Asian.

[Allen Yeh]

Oriental is used to describe rugs or furniture. Not people so much.

[Garrett Smith]

I personally wouldn't make wok cooking a regular part of my diet, only a treat.

Mutagens From Heated Chinese and U.S. Cooking Oils (http://jnci.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/87/11/836)

I hate to think of the rates of lung cancer in the guys who are wok cooking all day long at places like Pei Wei's...