WOK Cooking in a Class B - Yes or No

[themexicandoctor]

Have a 2005 Roadtrek 190 & waiting for the new DC Fridge to arrive - suddenly after years of owning & living with the vagaries of a 3 way Absorption Fridge I having starting to salivate on being able to keep an abundance of fresh vegetables, protein, etc in a reliable environment.

Starting dreaming about Wok Cooking.

Has anyone tried it before?

Is it even possible?

Too much smoke?

Not enough space?

A fire risk?

Too much clean up?

Or is it too much of a compromise?

I am a Bachelor from 200 years ago so my cooking skills are described as Minimal at best.

Very interested in your learned opinions?

[rvsprinterguy]

I hate having to clean the small kitchen and hate the inside of the van smelling like whatever we just cooked.

All our real cooking is done outside on either a propane fired stove, or now I'm starting to experiment with a small induction "hob" when we're connected to shore power. It would be fun to try a steel wok on that.

The only time I'd make an exception is if weather made setting up the outdoor kitchen impossible. We're such fair weather campers, that's not likely to happen.

[GallenH]

Agree with rvsg. Good wok cooking ends up with a lot of oil atomized. Even in our home with dual fan hood I can still smell it in the morning after. There are portable butane burners that are capable of the high heat necessary and can be used outside in the campsite.

[themexicandoctor]

GALLEN & RVSPRINTER GUY,

Thank you.

Boy I would love to cook on a Propane Hookup outside but it would look more than bizarre in a city like Los Angeles.

Outside I wouldn't have any of those issues & I could cook up a storm which when I have seen others around a Wok, that is what I imagine it would resemble inside our RVs.

I went through two BBQ connections on my Roadtrek without ever using them so I paid to have it removed.

[<<B-Guy>>]

I would avoid it. Way too much mess and lingering smells in the small space.

Whenever possible we do that sort of thing - also curries(!) outside using an induction hotplate. One of the advantages of having lithium batteries and 2000 watt inverter.

Even searing steaks (cooked in a sous vide) is done outside the van to eliminate all the oil or butter sputtering everywhere!

[GallenH]

There are several out there that work off of butane cylinders.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00522F2R2..._it&th=1&psc=1

Here's one that works off of both

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N1RO9WG...v_ov_lig_dp_it

For wok cooking you'd want high heat capability. I'd look for the btu output and read the reviews. The 2 above have high output.

[MsNomer]

I don’t even fry anything in my van.

[GallenH]

Originally Posted by MsNomer

I don’t even fry anything in my van.

We're pretty much the same. We mostly reheat premade main courses and cook vegs/pasta in boiling water. Bacon and breakfast sausages are cooked at home and in the fridge. We do cook eggs and french toast/pancakes in the camper as well. But nothing that splatters fat.

[InterBlog]

Nope. No matter how careful you are, aerosolized grease will get into

E V E R Y T H I N G.

And then dirt will stick to the grease. And then the resulting residue will react unto itself chemically, creating something akin to a thin coat of tar.

I haven't found a way around this. A van is just too small for that kind of thing.

[themexicandoctor]

THANK YOU!

You saved me a lot of time & money.

The couple of times I cooked Steak, I regretted it ...

[GallenH]

Note: The burners that I linked in Amazon you would presumably use OUTSIDE. On that picnic table at the campsite. I might buy one. You're in CA but I'm in AZ. Wok cooking even at home outside might be nice. I'm buying a pizza stone/metal for my grill so I don't have to start the oven in the summer. Projected upcoming highs in PHX: 115.

[themexicandoctor]

Gallen,

115?

Hallelujah for the DC Fridge!

[JohnnyFry]

I use a wok of both my small induction hob I carry in the RT and on my full sized induction range at home. It works fine except that the sides of the wok do not heat as much as they do with a gas flame licking up the sides.

[themexicandoctor]

Thank you!

Does that limitation take away from Wok Cooking?

I have a Gas Burner.

And what about the cooling odors?

[rvsprinterguy]

"It works fine except that the sides of the wok do not heat as much as they do with a gas flame licking up the sides."

My old steel wok had a ring it fit on to transition its round bottom to a burner grate. An induction hob requires direct contact with the pot or pan to heat it. This seems like a real shortcoming of induction stoves.

[themexicandoctor]

For many people after making the transition to Lithium it appears from my limited perspective they feel compelled to go to a Induction System for cooking & discard the cooking qualities of propane.

As I mentioned, my knowledge of everything involved in the switch is limited so maybe there are far more reasons to ditch the gas cooking in favour of an induction system.

Any perspectives from induction owners?

I have an open mind.

[themexicandoctor]

And has anyone found a way to modify the incompetent fan & filter system above the Roadtrek cooktop?

[GallenH]

Originally Posted by themexicandoctor

For many people after making the transition to Lithium it appears from my limited perspective they feel compelled to go to a Induction System for cooking & discard the cooking qualities of propane.

As I mentioned, my knowledge of everything involved in the switch is limited so maybe there are far more reasons to ditch the gas cooking in favour of an induction system.

Any perspectives from induction owners?

I have an open mind.

I'm just guessing from what I've read on the forum but if you have a compressor fridge and a hybrid/nonpropane heat and water heater system, going with an induction cooktop would enable an owner to ditch propane all together.

[JohnnyFry]

You need, of course, a flat bottomed Wok which, although not traditional, does work well if you get it throughly heated prior to cooking. I do have the 2 burner gas cooktop, but usually
like to cook outside when possible.

[themexicandoctor]

Yes, I use high quality, organic Essential Oils everyday in my Practice so I like the Rig to smell like a Spa - somewhat impossible when I cook, albeit temporarily.

Gallen, I can see the benefit of removing the Propane Tank from underneath in terms of not just safety but weight & extra available space, its a Man Option.

But I also know that many of you who travel do so in traditional pairs & without being sexist, I see the possibility of whoever is doing the cooking to at least demand that the Gas cooking stays. It used to be a Woman Option.

Now increasingly both sexes love to cook.

As for cooking outside, because I live & work in suburban & urban areas, I can see the Stealth Aspect evaporate.