• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Recipes
  • Cook's Notebook
  • About
  • Subscribe

Just Maika Cooking

menu icon
go to homepage
  • Recipes
  • Cook's Notebook
  • About
  • Subscribe
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • Recipes
    • Cook's Notebook
    • About
    • Subscribe
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
  • ×
    Home

    Published: Mar 5, 2023 · Modified: Sep 12, 2023 by Maika · This post may contain affiliate links · Leave a Comment

    Wok Cooking

    Become a Better Cook! This Just Maika Cooking: Cook’s Notebook section will focus on everything related to using a wok connected to all my recipe posts, updated frequently.

    Jump to:
    • 8 Things to Know about Wok Cooking
    • 1. What is a Wok?
    • 2. Versatile Cooking Needs
    • 3. Healthy Quick Cooking
    • 4. Stir-Frying Tip
    • Recommended Literature on Wok Cooking
    • 5. Oils Used in Stir-Frying
    • 6. Like Cast-Iron Pans, Woks Add Flavor
    • 7. Wok Varieties
    • Recommended Woks
    • 8. Wok Size Matters
    • Accessories I’ve Bought for Wok Cooking
    • 9. How to Well Ventilate Your Kitchen When Using a Wok
    • Overview Video: Cooking a Recipe with a Wok
    • Recipes for the Wok
    • Cook's Notebook: Become a Better Cook!

    8 Things to Know about Wok Cooking

    A Bielmeier carbon steel wok billed with shrimp shishito eggplant stir-fry with a wok spatula

    Shrimp Shishito Eggplant Stir-Fry using the Bielmeier Carbon Steel Wok

    1. What is a Wok?

    Woks are versatile cookware that has been essential to Chinese open-flame cooking for centuries. For one thing, they have a dome shape with the bottom either curved or flat. The rounded bottom and curved sides also help retain flavor and enable even heat distribution around the entire pan.

    2. Versatile Cooking Needs

    Chefs to home cooks are still finding new ways to incorporate them into recipes. For example, they are a favorite for stir-frying vegetables and deep-frying battered meats and fish. In addition, woks offer the versatility needed in a busy lifestyle and are great for home cooks.

    Woks are used to stir fry and steam, boil, deep fry, and pan fry foods. Furthermore, because a wok is multifunctional, it means less cleanup since there's no need for multiple containers and utensils.

    3. Healthy Quick Cooking

    Because woks use high heat and little oil for stir-frying, vegetables are cooked to their optimum level quickly, keeping them crisp with their bright colors. This cooking style also relies heavily on fresh ingredients and bold flavors, so having the right equipment is vital to achieving perfectly balanced dishes. Thus helping create healthy cooking habits involving cooking more vegetables with less oil.

    4. Stir-Frying Tip

    When stir-frying, it is essential to:

    • Uniform cut your vegetables and meat to ensure even cooking.
    • Some vegetables may require blanching before stir-frying. Blanching is when steamed or boiled vegetables are placed in an ice bath (bowl of ice with water) to stop cooking and preserve their bright colors.
    • Meats should be sliced thin for quick cooking.
    • Have all of your ingredients prepped and ready to go in addition to being close by; since it is a speedy process on high heat, you don't want your sauce to dry out or your ingredients to burn.
    • Ingredients for the sauce should be made ahead of time by combing the ingredients in a bowl or measuring cup and whisking with/without the cornstarch. This way, the sauce doesn’t dry out at the end when added, and the vegetables don’t overcook. For example, some Chinese dishes have cornstarch in the sauce; this sauce is added at the end, which will bubble up and thicken quickly.
      • However, some Asian dishes, such as some Thai meals, do not use cornstarch. Psst…and that’s why you need a spoon and fork and don’t use chopsticks to eat Thai dishes!
    • Use an oil with a high smoke point; I use avocado oil since it has an excellent high smoke point.

    Try the popular Chicken Stir-Fry with Mushrooms, Peppers, and Green Beans in Hoisin Sauce.

    Recommended Literature on Wok Cooking

    5. Oils Used in Stir-Frying

    I usually use avocado oil for stirfrying due to its high smoke point and neutral taste; it won’t change the dish's flavor. Or you can use canola oil or peanut oil. Why is sesame not a stir-frying oil? Because toasted sesame oil is added at the end of a cooked dish to add a finishing taste.

    Additionally, don’t use olive oil, especially extra virgin olive oil, due to its low smoke point. For example, it cannot tolerate high-heat cooking, eventually causing smoking, and it has a distinct flavor that can overpower your dish.

    hot honey sesame chicken with sliced vegetables in a wok with a wok spatula

    Hot Honey Sesame Chicken with Nappa Cabbage Stir-Fry

    6. Like Cast-Iron Pans, Woks Add Flavor

    In Cantonese cooking, woks give a specific flavor to food, termed “Wok Hei,” translating to “air of the wok,” where the open flame interacts with the food, like grilled or broiled dishes. Even when I use it on my electric stove top, I still get the wok flavor compared to a non-stick frying pan because of the high heat, searing, and quick cooking process. When making stir-fries as well, I especially use my wok or cast-iron pan to give it that unique flavor.

    7. Wok Varieties

    I use a carbon steel wok, but I also own a cast iron wok. For instance, the cast iron wok is much heavier, providing better induction and an even distribution of heat, which is favorable. But the carbon steel wok is light in weight, great for stir-frying and deep pan frying, and doesn’t rust. You might see non-stick-coated woks, which are okay but can’t be used on high heat.

    All woks can be non-stick; you have to season your wok for this to happen. Each type of wok also has instructions, usually with the pan you buy. The procedure usually involves heating your pan on high heat and adding oil in a repeated process called seasoning, similar to cast iron pans. Some change color when seasoned, which is expected.

    Recommended Woks

    8. Wok Size Matters

    I have a large, heavy cast iron wok, which is excellent when making big serving-size recipes and a great show for guests on my grill stove. But I use a smaller, more personal 12-inch carbon steel wok on my stove top since it’s lightweight and small enough to store without worrying about rusting.

    So it depends on what you plan to use your wok for. Some woks can also be used for braised meats, roasts, etc. Additionally, I suggest using a cast iron wok if you plan to make recipes involving these techniques.

    Also, remember not to overcrowd your wok, whatever size you have when stir-frying; you will notice that I usually stir-fry one to two items at a time because you don’t want to end up steaming your ingredients.

    How does Sweet and Spicy Gochujang Chicken and Broccoli Stir-Fry sound?

    Accessories I’ve Bought for Wok Cooking

    9. How to Well Ventilate Your Kitchen When Using a Wok

    • High temperatures with oils may create some smoke:
    • Open kitchen windows and turn on the stove or ceiling fan.
    • Prepare the rest of the house by closing other rooms’ doors to prevent smoky or intense food smells from resinating.
    • If the recipe calls for certain chili peppers, the pepper oils may be released into the air; an open window can help that air escape.
    • Take it outside: Woks are perfect for open-flame cooking. If you have a grill with a burner, you can try making my recipes that use a wok outside using your wok or cast-iron pan.

    Overview Video: Cooking a Recipe with a Wok

    Subscribe!

    Recipes for the Wok

    • Hoisin mushrooms on top of vegetables in peanut dressing, sliced scallions and vermicelli noodles in a white and blue bowl
      Fresh Hoisin Mushrooms Noodle Bowl with Spicy Peanut Sauce
    • chicken, green beans, onions, red bell peppers and mushrooms in a pan with hoisin sauce
      Chicken Stir-Fry with Mushrooms, Peppers, and Green Beans in Hoisin Sauce
    • Stir-fried shrimp, shishito peppers, japanese eggplant, green beans, red bell pepper and scallions in a sauce in a black carbon steel wok
      Shishito Eggplant Shrimp Stir-Fry
    • Sweet and spicy sauce coated breaded chicken with multigrain rice, vegetable onion garnish on a white plate.
      Sweet and Spicy Gochujang Chicken and Broccoli Stir-fry with Scallions Radish Salad
    See more Wok →

    Cook's Notebook: Become a Better Cook!

    • Scoville Scale and Peppers
    • halved mangos on a plastic hard cutting board with a knife
      Prepping Mangoes
    • mixed mushrooms on a round tray
      Tips on How to Prepare and Cook Mushrooms
    • lamb chops on a cutting board with a boning knife
      Prepping Lamb
    See more cooks-notebook →

    Reader Interactions

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    Author profile picture

    Welcome. I’m Maika, a former professional culinarian for over a decade. I’ve worked for major hotels such as the PGA National Resort, The Ritz-Carlon Hotel Company, Conrad Hilton, and W Hotel. And as a lifetime passionate cook, my blog is about exploring a world of flavors and experimenting with recipes to create restaurant-quality quick and easy dishes that will excite the taste buds.

    More about me →

    popular

    • Strawberries, Banana, Angle Food Cake and Whipped Cream Layered in a Glass Cup
      Strawberry and Banana Shortcake
    • Air Fryer Branzino with Lemon Potatoes and Vegetables
    • Ramen with seafood and shrimp in a decorative blue bowl with a fried egg with black sesame seeds
      Sweet and Spicy Seafood Neoguri with Mushrooms, Spinach, and Fried Egg
    • instant ramen noodles with sliced vegetable and an egg
      Quick and Easy Veggie Ramyeon
    See more popular →

    Pollotarian

    • italian chicken sausage stuffed portobello mushroom wtih spaghetti smothered in tomato sauce and melted burrata cheese
      Italian Chicken Sausage Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms with Burrata & Sauce
    • Spicy Pesto Chicken Pasta in a round pasta bowl garnished with grated cheese and pistachios
      Spicy Pesto Chicken Pasta Homemade One-Pot-Meal
    • spicy basil pesto in glass bowl with a spoon and fresh basil in the background
      Homemade Easy Spicy Basil Pesto
    • Whipped Cottage Cheese stuffed French Omelet on a round white plate with sliced strawberries and toasted sourdough bread
      French Omelet with Whipped Garlic Herbed Cottage Cheese
    See more Pollotarian →

    Vegetarian

    • Whipped garlic herbed cottage cheese in a small round glass bowl
      Healthy Whipped Garlic Herbed Cottage Cheese Spread
    • Peanut butter and caramel swirled chocolate ice cream with chocolate chips in a blue and white designed bowl
      Easy Peanut Chocolate Caramel Candy Bar No-Churn Ice Cream
    • 3 scoops of Mango cookies and cream ice cream in a small bowl with floral decorations.
      Mango Cookies and Cream No-Churn Ice Cream
    • Two birria tacos stuffed with mushrooms and soy chorizo with two wedges of lime, a spoonful of pico de gallo and a white square ramekin of birria sauce all on a round white plate.
      Cheesy Chipotle Mushroom Vegetarian Birria Style Tacos
    See more Vegetarian →

    Summer

    • tuna avocado salad topped with a poached egg that's split open with yolk dripping out surrounded by diced tomatoes, shredded red cabbage, sliced cucumbers, sliced radishes, sliced celery on a bed of mixed greens.
      Healthy Poached Egg Avocado Rainbow Tuna Salad
    • Chicken sweet potato zucchini stew in a tomato base sauce with couscous in a round white pasta bowl on a wooden board
      Spicy Chicken Vegetable Stew with Harissa Tomato Sauce
    • chicken pita with arugula tomato feta cheese salad on top on a round white plate
      Spicy Chicken Pitas with Arugula Feta Pomegranate Salad
    • red borscht soup in a black bowl with sour cream in the shape of a heart on top sprinkled with aleppo pepper flakes and topped with a dill leaf.
      Aleppo Pepper Spiced Vegetarian Borscht
    See more Summer →

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    Helpful Links

    • About
    • Recipes
    • Privacy Policy
    • Cookie Policy
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Disclaimer

    Stay Connected

    • Contact
    • Subscribe

    Affiliates

    As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

    I earn a commission from Instacart from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2022 Just Maika Cooking, a Growth Culinary LLC Company. All Rights Reserved.