Demeyere makes a Wok that is for use on flat induction cooktops. Before you buy a special wok hob that is only good for that wok, check this out.

Here is a link that might be useful: Demeyere Induction Wok - for flat base

Do you need a special wok? What happens if your wok has a different slope than the hob?

I have the flat CookTek burner (3500 watt model). It is fast and hot, real hot.

I believe the wok version comes with a wok.

klaa2 - Do you happen to own this wok? Looks interesting!

If you get a flat induction hob, you can use a flat bottom wok plus use the unit for fast boiling water or any other burner use.

We chose the Gaggenau induction burner for power & for its looks with other appliances in our kitchen. There are equally powerful but less expensive built in units available. We love induction but do not like the noise that the Gaggenau unit makes, however it is masked when we use the hood, required for wok cooking.

cpcovey - is your cooktek unit built-in? How much noise does the fan make?

I believe the indented wok hob will get hotter since more surface area of the wok will be closer to the induction surface giving a more efficient and hotter wok. We really want a "round inside" wok so that the spatula doesn't get stopped at the edge where the flat and curved surfaces meet. It's hard to move the food quickly and efficiently at that spot and sometimes food gets stuck there.

We're concerned about two things: the looks, the noise (though we think the fan noise will cover the induction element noise), and the performance. We're looking at the 3500 watt version.

It looks to me like most woks will work with the curved surface. I don't think it has to be an exact fit to work well. However, would like some feedback on this if anyone has used one before.

We've never had an induction unit of any kind before.

Gaggenau offers a wok holder & wok as an (expensive) option to its induction unit so you can use a curved wok on it. I don't know if it works as effectively as a dedicated wok induction hob.

fenworth, no, I don't own the wok..yet. I do have their conical sauteuse which heats to the top edge and can be used in a pinch as a small wok.
Demeyere also makes a flat based wok which I'm sure distributes heat as well as the conical sauteuse and it can be used for just about any type of cooking.

But I've got my eye on that round based wok.

Trader Deb,

Is there anywhere you can test it? Sometimes a single use, overpriced, toy is exactly what it takes to warm the cockles of our hearts and add to our happiness when we use it. And sometimes it's a big boondoggle and waste. You use a wok a lot! So you if you have the money and space for it, the single use cooktop could even be practical. But I'd think the only way to know if you like it yourself is to take it for a test drive.

I'd suggest checking the measurements, however. The symmetry of putting the wok in the middle makes sense, but is it a good layout for other pots you might be using at the same time? Will your cooking (wokking?) hands be over hot pots? (Not just for quick dinner, but for holidays, etc.) I'd think it might be so, especially if you cook with chopsticks. Personally, if there's room, I'd put the wok hob to one side and a couple inches from the others.

I've been wondering about the difference between using a round bottomed wok on a dimpled surface as opposed to on a stand over a flat one. Is there really a heat difference? Has anyone tested it? Not a potential one, but a real one, since generally the top temp in a wok is less than 450 degrees F, since that's the smoke point for high heat oils. And since the whole pot heats if the whole pot is ferrous, there's nothing to be gained by tilting over induction, right? Or am I missing something?

Trader Deb,
I second the idea to test it out just for your knowledge. I am sure there is a dealer somewhere near you that has one of these on display. I live in Maryland and there is a showroom here that has the Knupperbusch Induction Wok burner in one of their kitchen displays. I spoke to the showroom manager and he was really surprised as to how often the unit is used. He felt it would be a toy too but the workers and chefs that entertain in the showroom gravitate towards this unit. They have sold quite a few from what I understand even at the $3500 price tag.

Good luck!

Thanks for all your suggestions! Your responses have been very helpful. I looked at all the suggestions.

We took our well-seasoned wok to a showroom and asked if we could try out our wok on their flat induction cooktop.
Since we didn't want to get oil all over their beautiful cooktops, we decided to do a boiling-water test.

On a flat 3.3KW induction hob, the round-bottomed wok heated water very quickly, but the wok was unstable. We had to hold the handle to keep it from rolling. We tried the test again with the wok on a thick 8" paperplate which improved the stability quite a bit and the water boiled fairly quickly, just a tad bit slower than w/o the paper plate. Really fascinating was that while the water was rapidly boiling, the top edge of the wok was still cool enough to touch!

On a 13K BTU gas range, the time to boil water was about twice as long. (I hate this gas range... but we have to put up with it until the remodel is done).

Another interesting observation: On the induction hob, the water was boiling from the center bottom of the wok. On the gas range the water was boiling from the edge of the wok because the flames come out and around the wok, and are not actually hitting the bottom center of the wok.

Our conclusion is that while the wok would work on the flat induction hob.

However, we really like the stability and idea of the indented 3.5KW induction wok hob, the wok would sit low into the countertop and the lower level makes stir-frying that much more enjoyable. Easier to really go at it, and you can see better into the wok as well.

So it's going to be a center indented induction wok hob with two Diva De Provence 2-Hob cooktops on either side of it. The reason to center the wok hob is to center it under the hood for best capture of grease/steam/aroma.

Another comment on woks. We like the thin, light-weight asian cast-iron woks sold in asian stores. These are easy to work with, and when the dish is done you just lift the wok with one hand and slide/pour the food out quickly into the waiting serving dish. Very key feature. Many of the expensive woks are simply too heavy! You want a light-weight wok also for better temperature control.

Thanks for the update! I don't use a wok enough to justify a special wok element (even with the great feature you pointed out about the height), but I'm thrilled to know that it works so well on flat induction. Surely I can find an aluminum or copper wok ring :)

2nd the Wok ring.

I have a CookTek flat unit. I've seen the wok units, and if you can get the built-in model it should work well.

And don't worry about 'induction noise'. The sizzling of the stuff in the wok is MUCH louder than the 'induction noise'.

However, the fan might be loud unless it is a built-in model where the fan noise would be under the counter. The countertop unit I have requires you to raise your voice (almost).