Customer Reviews

Eastman Outdoors Big Kahuna Burner

5 star:		(43)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

My wife and I were looking for a wok burner ... she was raised in a chinese restaurant. However, simply putting a burner on the stove was not an option a) it stinks up the house without a commercial vent hood; and b) residential burners simply do not get hot enough. We looked into various outdoor burners -- sold as deep fryers, but they all seemed lightweight, and cheap, and were all too short -- standing a foot or so off the ground. Enter the BIG KAHUNA BURNER. This thing rocks. It is extremely heavy, and will withstand serious stir-frying without rocking or tipping over. It is solid metal, sits very heavy and is incredibly stable. The flame offers some professional-level BTU's -- more than you could ever get from a residential stove -- essential to create the "wok breath" required of true Chinese cooking. And since it is outside, no worries of stained cabinetry. This burner is terrific, and I absolutely recommend it.

This makes Wok cooking fun!

I've cooked ok with a (heavy flat bottomed cast iron) wok for years on my electric range and yearned for a gas source, then cooked a bit better with round bottom woks and the "ringstand" on some friends 12,000 BTU stove/range top burners too, then saw this on Amazon resembling the wok burner style I'd seen often in use at around Thailand, and bought it...

Well, the unit arrived quickly, it quickly bolted solidly together, and I found that it's built Rock Steady; a 200# person could sit supported on it's 3 sturdy legs and superwide feet and not wobble it. It comes with a safety and recipe video as well.

The heat output ranges from mild to tremendous at 55,000 + BTU's. After firing it up and cooking many meals in one fourth the time as before, I can now say this IS just like many of the sturdy roadside stand woks used in Thailand on a daily basis...read as this as: "The really right stuff for great wok cookery!"

My unit arrived with some incidental damage suffered in shipping, and the company quickly sent replacement parts and more, making me a very happy customer.

Only "problem" is... I've "mothballed" my faithful flat bottomed wok to the closet, as a round bottomed 16" carbon steel wok and the Big Kahuna burner have taken it's place!

I've cooked on it for over a year. I have had fun, and no problems with rust or repairs. I've even turned it's reversible top from its concave "wok" side" to it's flat "range or pot" side, and rapidly heated a 15" cast iron skillet and a griddle pan, when company comes over, to not smoke up my kitchen. I keep it stored inside as Florida's salt air and rains would do a number on it.

This is the best best product and service I've had in years, so I can recommend it as a "10" on any "1-10" scale, as the company goes beyond what most companies do in their superb service, and in "overengineering" this to be a safe, sturdy and POWERFUL first rate wok burner!

This is Wok Heaven!

I recently purchased a Big Kahuna burner and 22" wok. If you have ever seen a high heat wokking system in the back of a chinese restaurant, or PF Changs, you know what it is like. The key to having a good experience is to have all of your food prepared in advance. The burner gets really hot, and the food cooks in about 5 minutes. The kahuna burner comes with a dvd that explains food prep, high heat wok cooking, product care and has some great recipes. The burner has a high and low height, and the legs collapse by simply pressing a spring loaded button and turning a knob, and the top flips to either hold a wok or a turkey pot, fish pot, or crab pot. Outdoor woks are great for tail gates, parties, reunions, and are good for deep frying wings, steaming clams, cooking chili, and more. I love outdoor cooking, and the kahuna paired with a 22" outdoor wok is the most efficient and universal cooking instrument. This burner is also constructed well. I have had some burners in the past that seemed almost disposable.

We bought the Big Kahuna Burner with the gigantic 22" stainless steel wok. It is absolutely the best cooking tool we have ever bought! The burner gets incredibly hot, between 65-85,000 BTU's, making dinner easy to cook in 10 minutes. Stir fries are absolutely simple, with the meats incredibly tender without any special coating or marinades. Tonight we just made the best and lightest fried calamari ever, using the recipe from the Simply Ming cookbook. The kitchen never gets hot with this outdoor cooker, and there is never a problem with ventilation :) Highly highly recommended!

I just got one of these for wok cooking (most indoor ranges, even the expensive ones, lack enough power for "proper" wok cooking). I like the product a lot and I think it'll be very useful. But, I have one criticism and a word of caution.

First the caution - this burner can produce a -lot- of heat, way more than you probably need for most wok cooking (unless you're using a really giant wok like a 22" or something). I use a 14" cast iron wok, and found that even on a moderate burner setting I could ignite a tablespoon of hot oil. My first time out with this burner, I overheated my wok and actually burned the seasoning right off it. So if you're using this with a wok (as opposed to a turkey fryer or something that truly needs a huge amount of heat), be conservative with your settings until you really have a feel for what you need. I suggest cooking some leftover vegtables or other "throwaway" items once or twice to get the hang of it.

Now, the complaint. I find that if you want to use a relatively low amount of heat relative to what the Big Kahuna can deliver, it's hard to get it precisely set where you want it. At the lower settings, the valve tends to "creep" open a little once you set it. So, you can dial in a low setting, but a few seconds after you let go of the valve it will open up to a slightly higher setting. Now, this may just be my unit, and it may be a break-in issue that will go away over time. But it necessitates extra caution, and a little more work than I think should be necessary to get it set up to where you want it. If it weren't for this I'd give this product 5 stars. With this glitch, it's a solid 4 and I'd still recommend it for anyone wanting a truly powerful outdoor burner.

One other note - I agree with the other reviews that criticize Eastman's suggestion that this is a "go anywhere" product. It's easy enough to move the Big Kahuna around once it's assembled, but if you actually wanted to take it with you to the beach or something, you'd either need a hatchback or you'd need to disassemble the legs, which would be a big nuisance.

I grew tired of using my wok on my 12,000 BTU stove burner, there was simply not enough power to prevent the stir fry from stewing. I picked up the Big Kahuna since it had 65,000 BTUs of power. This thing uses so much gas it almost sounds like an Jet plane starting up, just the thing I needed to power through at least a pound of chicken at a time.

One caveat, this burner heats up FAST! Make sure you're paying attention or you'll burn stuff into the pan. It was hot enough to flash boil an ounce of water in less than 30 seconds. So have everything ready to go just like the pros do and you'll be fine. Also don't even consider using this with a non-stick pan, it will burn off ruining the pan and creating toxic fumes. My hard anodized Calphalon held up like a champ once I dialed in the burner setting. I'd imagine cast iron would be an awesome match for this burner.
One last suggestion, get an aim & flame or big matches. This doesn't feature a electronic ignition so you'll need to get up close and personal with the burner unless you have something with reach.

Features I liked
The dual sided burner grate, it lets you use curved or flat surfaced pots & pans. You could deep fry a turkey in a large pot if you felt so inclined.
Big burner that keeps the ripping hot.
Ease of operation, turn on the valves then light a match
Adjustable height

Features I didn't like
No electronic ignition
Uses quite a bit of gas, not a big deal since LP is less than $15 for 20 pounds.

This is a great tool. I vaporized peanut oil, this thing is so hot.

I was disapointed that I had to read the instructions to put the thing together, but it didn't take too long. I have had it set up next to the Weber Grill, and now do a lot of cooking outside.

Make your life easy, and purchase the following accessories: A decent steel wok, a cover, a tray to haul ingredients in and out, and one of those butane matches to light. In addition, buy a wok ring because if there is a slight wind, the flame flickers.

It takes a few tries to get a handle on temperature control, and I don't recommend anything with a high sugar content (terriaki sauce) as it will carbonize.

This is a great tool and if you're cooking aromatic ingredients, it's wonderful to keep it outside AND impress your neighbors. I have used it to stir fry, deep fry, fish stocks and boiling large amounts of water quickly for pasta. water quickly I highly recommend.

If you want to be able to cook authentic chinese food, especially stir fry, you must have a very hot wok. Even with a good quality 15,000 btu burner on your stovetop, it's still not enough to get and keep a wok nice and hot. If you ever look in the kitchen of a chinese restaurant, they have a huge industrial wok stove with huge burners. The Big Kahuna is like having an industrial burner at your fingertips. No more liquid buildup when cooking meat because it evaporates with the Big Kahuna. No more runny sauces because the high heat carmelizes the sauce to the food. Even deep frying is easy, because the oil never cools down. I did a batch of won tons twice as fast as normal, because I had a bigger wok and didn't have to wait around for the oil to heat back up. Eastman Outdoors also has great customer service. When I originally got the kahuna, the burner wasn't igniting completely. I called the company, and they shipped a new burner to me fast, and I put in on in a snap. I didn't even have to prove the purchase or anything. They just took my name and address and shipped it to me. I'm very pleased with the Big Kahuna, and even with the defect, the company made right on it and fast. If you want a quality burner designed for a wok, this is it, and what a great price!!!

the functionality is excellent, unfortunatly after one year you have a very unsightly rusted stand. i don't mind the wok pan holder rusting but the tri-pod legs very bad. wish htey made it from non rusting material.

Very, very happy with this appliance. I was a bit sceptical before ordering when I read about `stamped metal' but when it arrived, yes it's stamped metal (not every component is, though), but very heavy gauge metal and very well engineered. I used it immediately after I received it and WOW! Talk about the `dragon`s breath!' Very high BTU's and the food cooked like I never have experienced. Finally, authentic oriental cooking at home. Highly recommended.
UPDATE: Well, I've been using this for quite a long time now and I am even more pleased than ever. I remember asking a Chinese chef in China town how come I can't make food like this at home. He stated (in a heavy Oriental dialect), "You gotta use hot wok. Wok gotta be very, very hot!" Yep, that's the secret. You will never replicate authentic Oriental cooking on an ordinary gas or electric stove. "You gotta use hot wok!!" and this devise puts out the BTUs for a very "hot wok" indeed.