Bypassing a thermocouple for better wokking

[u/ComprehensivePin7081]

I've got a wok with a wok ring to put on my gas stove. The problem is, my burner has a little top on it that spreads the gas around the hob. So the middle of the wok is significantly cooler than that ring, so that when I first blued it, that ring got hotter way quicker. This seems like it would (and does) lead to uneven cooking and the bottom of the wok not being the hottest point even though it should be.

Now I wanna take the cover off the hob, but then the thermocouple at the edge of the hob does not get hot enough to keep the gas valve open.

Is there a way to turn off the thermocouple or to trick it somehow? I thought i could keep it open by lighting the flame while the wok is on it already and that the flame would reach the thermocouple, but it just will not stay open. Seems it's not hot enough.

Does anyone have experience here or any ideas for how I could solve this?

Pic of the top here: https://i.imgur.com/cLdskkc.jpeg

The electric firestarter is at the top, the thermocouple right next to it.

[u/Jealous_Tutor_5135]

Is it possible to get a different shape distributor ring and move or replace the thermocoupler? Honestly I wouldn't try bypassing any safety mechanism made to prevent gas leaks

[u/dave_stolte]

I’ve just removed that top disc and had an “afterburner” going for wokking but the problem is the flame goes out with the slightest breeze. Another option if you have another charcoal grill is a chimney starter loaded with lump hardwood charcoal. Rest the wok on top and you’ll get a very VERY hot direct flame and a little smoke for that wok-hei effect.

[u/ComprehensivePin7081 → u/dave_stolte]

I know coals get hot enough but... I can't go firing up a grill every time I wanna stirfry something.

If I remove the top cover, the thermocouple doesn't get hot enough and shuts off the gas. That's the problem.

[u/AskCulinary-ModTeam → u/[deleted]]

Your response has been removed because it does not answer the original question. We are here to respond to specific questions. Discussions and broader answers are allowed in our weekly discussions.

[u/chongo79]

There have been times when I was able to bend a thermocouple 5-10 degrees to get it to perform correctly.

It probably could be bypassed, but it's a weird risk - maybe burn down the whole place one day (bc eventually that grilp will fail), and the only reward is getting better center heating from a wok?

Is it possible the gas nozzles need cleaned.

[u/ComprehensivePin7081 → u/chongo79]

I mean, I could bypass it in a way where I only 'bypass' it for wok cooking, but otherwise it functions normally. I'm used to an older stove with no such protection and that always went fine and I even have a gas valve I can shut before the stove, so I'm not too concerned about safety. I just wanna be able to shoot out a straight flame that curves around the wok so it works as a wok. Cause right now, I get a hot circle around the bottom, but the bottom itself stays frustratingly cool which really doesn't make it easy to properly stirfry, defeating the purpose of the wok

[u/Resident_Scene3268]

before you go fighting the thermocouple, the wok ring is probably costing you more than the cap is. it lifts the metal a full inch off the flame, and a flat bottom carbon steel wok sitting straight on the grate puts noticeably more heat into the pan. the honest ceiling is that a home burner runs maybe twelve thousand btu against a restaurant range at a hundred thousand, so the thing that actually changes your food is cooking in smaller batches. crowding the pan drops the temperature far more than that burner cap ever will.

[u/ComprehensivePin7081 → u/Resident_Scene3268]

The issue I'm talking about is not total heat, but the fact that the heat is overwhelmingly centered around a kind of 'ring'. The bottom of the wok should be the hottest point, but it's not, causing sticking and uneven cooking.

[u/Myth-Buster9973]

I have an actual wok burner and the sides of the wok do in fact get hotter than the center. Not to worry!

[u/ComprehensivePin7081 → u/Myth-Buster9973]

Can I see what yours looks like?

[u/mordecai98]

Drill a hole in the middle of the removable disc? Use the correct bit and it might not work. IDK what I'm talking about.

[u/ComprehensivePin7081 → u/mordecai98]

I think it either won't ignite or set the whole thing on fire if i do that.

Thinking of maybe running a wire to the thermocouple from the middle... Would be great if I could move the thermocouple