Commercial wok burners

A wok burner, also known as a wok range, is a high-powered commercial cooking appliance used for stir-frying and other wok-based cooking.

Typically powered by gas, a commercial wok burner has bigger flames and can reach much higher temperatures than a regular range burner, making it ideal for sauteing meat and veggies.

Wok burners are specifically designed to accommodate woks, which have either a flat or round bottom and high sides and so require a broader flame to cook food efficiently.

Most models come with one or more raised burner rings or chambers that cradle the wok; the chamber typically slopes forwards, enabling the chef to easily flip and toss food within the wok with minimal spillage.

Most commercial wok burners are gas-powered — they rely on either liquefied
petroleum gas (LPG) or natural gas, both of which generate significantly more heat than electric burners.

The main differences between the two gases relate to energy efficiency, cost, portability, and reliability.

LPG has a higher BTU rating than natural gas, so it tends to heat faster and use less fuel for the same cooking tasks.

Natural gas is cheaper than LPG for the gas itself, however it’s less energy-efficient and also attracts a daily ‘supply charge’ (LPG customers pay a ‘service charge’, however it’s significantly lower).

Because LPG is stored in portable tanks, LPG wok burners can be used on the go and in remote locations. In contrast, natural gas wok burners are connected directly to a gas line that supplies gas 24/7, making it a more reliable fuel source (i.e. it won’t eventually run out and have to be reordered).

A wok burner chamber, often referred to as a ‘burner ring’ or ‘burner cap’, shapes and directs the flow of gas and flames from the burners to the cooking vessel, typically a wok.

The size of wok chamber you’ll need will depend on the style of wok cooking you’ll be doing and, in turn, the size of the wok you’ll be using.

For Cantonese-style wok cooking, which involves quick stir-frying over high heat, a 508mm-wide (or thereabouts) chamber is required to accommodate the wide, flat-bottom woks commonly used in Cantonese cuisine.

This width ensures the wok receives even heat across its bottom surface — essential for achieving the characteristic wok hei (breath of the wok) flavour.

Mandarin-style wok cooking, which involves slower braising and stewing techniques, typically uses round-bottom woks.

A smaller 330mm-wide (or thereabouts) chamber is more suitable for these woks, as their round bottom sits well within the chamber, which distributes the heat efficiently.

Many models come with two or more chambers of varying widths, to accommodate various wok sizes and cooking techniques.

British Thermals Units (BTUs) is the measure of the power or heat output of a gas burner; the more BTUs a burner has, the more heat it can generate.

So how many BTUs do you need for professional wok cooking?

Generally, commercial wok burners range from around 50,000 BTUs to over 100,000 BTUs each (compared to 500 BTUs to 12,000 BTUs for most household gas ranges).

One of the main reasons commercial wok burners have a high BTU rating is to minimise recovery time — the amount of time it takes for the wok to heat back up each time you add fresh ingredients to it.

This prevents food from sticking to the wok or ingredients steaming instead of frying.

High-BTU burners also allow you to fry larger batches of food at a time (though you should avoid filling the wok more than 1/3 of the way full).

While all wok cooking requires some water, a ‘waterless’ wok range does not need to be water-cooled, so uses significantly less water than a conventional wok range

In a conventional wok range, the burner chimney and ring are affixed to the top of the range, trapping heat underneath it.

To keep the range cool and stop it from buckling, water jets spray cooling water across it, at a rate of several litres per burner per minute.

Detailed studies have shown that the average daily water use of a conventional wok range is 5,500 litres per day.

In contrast, waterless wok ranges have an air gap that insulates the range from the burner chimney and ring and also allows hot air to escape.

These air-cooled woks can reduce the operator’s water bill by thousands of dollars of water per year.

Yes — grease- and smoke-producing equipment such as indoor commercial wok burners must be installed under a vent hood to maintain air quality, keep the room temperature comfortable, and prevent fire hazards.

The hood, including grease filters or baffles, is custom-built to the operator’s specifications to ensure proper coverage of all their cooking equipment.

Installation must be carried out by a commercial gas fitter, as per Australian standard AS/NZS 5601.1:2022.