Is It Worth Buying A Portable Burner To Cook Korean Food At Home?

Communal eating is a huge part of Korean culture. This is easy to observe at a Korean barbecue restaurant, even if you make common Korean BBQ mistakes (like filling up on banchan or side dishes before the meat even hits the grill). Tabletop burners are at the heart of this social and filling Korean meal. A portable burner is a great way to make Korean BBQ and many other Korean foods at home, but is buying one worth it? We spoke to two Korean food experts about portable burners at Walmart's bettergoods launch. Danny Kim is an Instagram food content creator, and chef Jae Lee (also on Instagram) is the owner of Nowon, a Korean restaurant in New York. 

"If you like to host gatherings, and you love to eat together family-style out of a pot in the middle of the table, a portable burner is the way to go," chef Lee advises. He describes get-togethers with his parents as an example: "We'll put the portable burner [on the table], put a grill on top, and start grilling pork belly." Kim further explains that "with Korean cooking, though, a lot of it is with the family ...  You eat together. That's part of the tradition." Those interested in creating camaraderie at the table (and who love Korean food) might find that purchasing a portable burner is worth the cost.

If you're interested in buying a portable burner for Korean cooking at home, you should consider the uses (and limits) of the appliance. Danny Kim explains that 8,000 BTU (that's British thermal units) is standard for portable burners. This amount of heat is great for sautéing, frying, grilling, and everyday cooking. This covers most Korean food that you might want to make at a table. Place a grill plate on the burner and explore the different flavors of Korean barbeque such as spicy, umami, and sweet. Cook an easy bulgogi recipe or dak galbi (a spicy grilled boneless chicken dish with vegetables). Simmer down tteokbokki (chewy rice cakes in a spicy sauce), and dip seaweed and rice kimbap rolls into the saucy leftovers. 

There are only a few exceptions to 8,000 BTU. For foods that need extremely high heat, like stir-fry noodles, a portable burner is not ideal. However, Danny Kim explains, "I think the majority of cooking, for the majority of people at home, they don't need anything other than a standard portable burner." As for which burner to get, chef Jae Lee recommends, "Don't buy anything fancy." You should be able to find something inexpensive at your local Korean store or H Mart.