Cook Authentic Dishes With a Wok
Woks work with very high heat and cook all pieces of food simultaneously. High sides make it easy to toss and flip food. Flared sides encourage steam to rise and escape, creating dishes that brown instead of soften. Cooking a stir fry in a frying pan or sauté pan won’t yield the same result. Sauté pans steam food. Frying pans aren’t constructed to let you flip and stir food high. If you’re going to stir fry — a great idea for a fast, tasty weeknight meal — use a wok to get the right result.
Consider Your Type of Stove
Both a curved-bottomed wok and a flat-bottomed wok will work with a gas stove. Use a flat-bottomed wok if you’ve got an electric stove. Curved-bottom woks may reflect heat and damage an electric stove. Electric woks have an internal heating element and will cook wherever they're plugged in, so they're great for dorms and campers.
Wok rings — round collars that support the wok — make meal prep much easier. If you’ve got a gas stove, you’ll want one to hold a curved-bottomed wok over a burner while you flip the food inside. Wok rings will also keep a wok stable in your oven.
Traditional Surface Versus Nonstick
Woks are available with and without nonstick coating. Nonstick coating makes cleanup simple. It also helps food glide easily inside the wok as you cook and can handle up to medium heat.
But nonstick woks have disadvantages too. They can’t handle the very high temperatures often necessary for stir-frying and may release fumes as the temperature rises. The Teflon coating breaks down over time. And nonstick coating is less effective on carbon steel woks.
Woks without nonstick coating lack the easy glide that nonstick will provide. But carbon steel and iron woks will retain enough oil to become naturally nonstick over time.
Material
Carbon steel woks are the most popular type of wok and are used most often by chefs. They're durable, heat up quickly and conduct heat evenly. That’s key to good flavor. Most stir-fry recipes need high heat for that restaurant taste, called wok hay. Look for a carbon steel wok that's at least 14 gauge and about 2 mm thick so it won’t bend as you use it.
Heavy cast iron woks are also highly durable. They allow cooks to move food around easily to achieve good browning. Be aware that cast iron takes a while to heat up and cool down.
Stainless steel woks are good for prolonged steaming and ideal for acidic recipes and dishes using vinegar because they're non-reactive. You may need to oil your steel wok, as food has a tendency to stick as you cook.
Aluminum woks are lightweight and easy to handle.
Construction
Wok construction affects performance. Lathe-produced spun woks, with their concentric circles, will keep food to the side of the well. Stamped woks tend to develop hot and cold spots, resulting in uneven cooking.
Parts
Consider the parts of a wok, too, as you make your selection. Long handles are useful when you want to tilt the wok and toss food. Wooden handles eliminate the need for a potholder. Small helper handles on the side make it easier to lift the wok, and lids allow you to simmer food.
Size
Most professional woks are 13 to 14 inches, although some are several feet across. Home woks typically range from 10 to 20 inches across. Choose wok size based on the size of the meals you'll be preparing and the size of your range.
Cleanup
Manufacturers will coat a carbon steel wok with oil before it’s shipped in order to prevent rust. You’ll need to clean it with soapy water before using it. If you have a cast-iron wok, rinse and then season it by coating it with vegetable oil. Then, heat it over a flame or in the oven.
If your wok becomes greasy after you cook, clean it by hand with a little dish soap. If it’s not greasy, you can simply scrub it lightly and rinse.
Frying pans and sauté pans aren’t constructed to create the sizzle that a stir fry needs. If you want the authentic taste that your stir fry recipe is intended to create, you need a wok.