Editing Wok (section)

==Characteristics==
[[File:wok-and-karahi-2.jpg|thumb|A wok (left) and [[karahi]] on a [[Western world|Western]]-style [[gas stove]]. Note that the karahi is sitting on an ordinary burner cover, while the round-bottomed wok is balanced on a wok-ring.]]
The wok's most distinguishing feature is its shape. Classic woks have a rounded bottom.<ref name="YOU"/> Hand-hammered woks are sometimes flipped inside out after being shaped, giving the wok a gentle flare to the edge that makes it easier to push food up onto the sides of the wok. Woks sold in Western countries are sometimes found with flat bottoms—this makes them more similar to a deep [[frying pan]]. The flat bottom allows the wok to be used on an electric [[Electric cooker|stove]], where a rounded wok would not be able to fully contact the stove's heating element. A round-bottom wok enables the traditional round spatula or ladle to pick all the food up at the bottom of the wok and toss it around easily; this is difficult with a flat bottom. With a gas hob, or traditional pit stove, the bottom of a round wok can get hotter than a flat wok and so is better for stir frying.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thaifoodandtravel.com/features/woktype.html|publisher=Thai Food and Travel|access-date=6 February 2023|title=Wok: Flat or Round Bottom? }}</ref>

Most woks range from {{convert|300|to|360|mm|in|0|abbr=on}} or more in [[diameter]]. Woks of {{convert|360|mm|in|0|abbr=on}} (suitable for a family of 3 or 4) are the most common, but home woks can be found as small as {{convert|200|mm|in|0|abbr=on}} and as large as {{convert|910|mm|in|0|abbr=on}}. Smaller woks are typically used for quick cooking techniques at high heat such as [[stir frying]] ({{zh|links=no|c=炒|p=chǎo}}). Large woks over a meter wide are mainly used by restaurants or community kitchens for cooking [[rice]] or [[soup]], or for boiling [[water]].{{Citation needed|date=March 2021}}

===Materials===
The most common materials used in making woks today are [[carbon steel]] and [[cast iron]].<ref name="YOU"/> Although the latter was the most common type used in the past, cooks tend to be divided on whether carbon steel or cast iron woks are superior.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Reed |first=Pat |date=March 29, 2006 |title=Which wok? How to choose the right pan |work=The Santa Fe New Mexican |url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/331648783|id={{ProQuest|331648783}} }}</ref>

====Carbon steel====
Currently, carbon steel is the most widely used material, being relatively inexpensive compared with other materials,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://bestwok.org/|title=Get the Best Wok for the Job|publisher=Best Wok|access-date=4 March 2012|archive-date=15 August 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180815063304/http://bestwok.org/|url-status=dead}}</ref> relatively light in weight, providing quick heat conduction as it has a low [[specific heat capacity]], and having reasonable durability. Their light weight makes them easier to lift and quicker to heat. Carbon steel woks, however, tend to be more difficult to [[Seasoning (cookware)|season]] than those made of cast-iron ('seasoning', or carbonizing the cooking surface of a wok, is required to prevent foods from sticking and to remove metallic tastes and odors).<ref name="YOU"/> Carbon steel woks vary widely in price, style, and quality, which is based on [[:wikt:ply|ply]] and [[Sheet metal forming|forming technique]]. The lowest quality steel woks tend to be stamped by machine from a single 'ply' or piece of [[Stamping (metalworking)|stamped steel]].<ref name="YOU"/> Less expensive woks have a higher tendency to deform and misshape. Cooking with lower quality woks is also more difficult and precarious since they often have a "hot spot". Higher quality, mass-produced woks are made of heavy gauge (14-gauge or thicker) steel, and are either machine-hammered or made of spun steel.<ref name="YOU"/> The best quality woks are almost always hand-made, being pounded into shape by hand ("hand hammered") from two or more sheets of carbon steel which are shaped into final form by a ring-forming or hand-forging process.<ref name="YOU"/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lovethatkimchi.com/Articles/What_Makes_A_Quality_Wok.html|title=Choose Your Wok Wisely|last=Stewart|first=Randy|date=19 July 2009|publisher=Love That Kimchi.com|access-date=4 March 2012}}</ref>

====Cast iron====
Two types of [[cast iron]] woks can be found in the market. Chinese-made cast iron woks are very thin ({{convert|3|mm|in|abbr=on}}), weighing only a little more than a carbon steel wok of similar size, while cast iron woks typically produced in the West tend to be much thicker ({{convert|9|mm|in|abbr=on}}), and very heavy.{{sfnp|Young|Richardson|2004|p=38|ps=: A typical U.S.-made cast iron wok can weigh more than twice that of a Chinese cast iron wok of the same diameter}} Because of the thickness of the cast iron, Western-style cast iron woks take much longer to bring up to cooking temperature, and their weight also makes stir-frying and {{transliteration|zh|[[stir frying#Bao technique|bao]]}} techniques difficult.<ref name="YOU"/>

Cast iron woks form a more stable carbonized layer of [[Seasoning (cookware)|seasoning]] which makes it less prone to food sticking on the pan. While cast iron woks are superior to carbon steel woks in heat retention and uniform heat distribution, they respond slowly to heat adjustments and are slow to cool once taken off the fire.<ref name="YOU"/> Because of this, food cooked in a cast-iron wok must be promptly removed from the wok as soon as it is done to prevent overcooking.<ref name="YOU"/> Chinese-style cast iron woks, although relatively light, are fragile and are prone to shattering if dropped or mishandled.<ref name="YOU"/>

====Non-stick====
Steel woks coated with [[non-stick]] coatings such as [[Fluorocarbon|PFA]] and [[polytetrafluoroethylene|Teflon]], a development originated in Western countries, are now popular in Asia as well.<ref name="YOU"/> These woks cannot be used with metal utensils, and foods cooked in non-stick woks tend to retain juices instead of browning in the pan.<ref name="YOU"/> As they necessarily lack the carbonizing or seasoning of the classic steel or iron wok, non-stick woks do not impart the distinctive taste or sensation of {{transliteration|zh|wok hei}}.<ref name="YOU"/> The newest nonstick coatings will withstand temperatures of up to {{convert|260|°C|°F|0|abbr=on}}, sufficient for stir-frying.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://industrialcoatingsworld.com/non-stick-coatings/pfa-non-stick-coating|title=PFA Non Stick Coating|publisher=Industrial Coatings World|access-date=4 March 2012}}</ref><ref name="WOKH">{{cite web|url=http://www.wokhei.com/about.html#whatWokhei|title=What does Wokhei mean?|publisher=Wokhei|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111021043753/http://www.wokhei.com/about.html#whatWokhei|archive-date=2011-10-21|url-status=dead|access-date=4 March 2012}}</ref> Woks are also now being introduced with [[Clad (metallurgy)|clad]] or five-layer construction, which sandwich a thick layer of aluminum or copper between two sheets of stainless steel.<ref name="YOU"/> Clad woks can cost five to ten times the price of a traditional carbon steel or cast-iron wok, yet cook no better; for this reason they are not used in most professional restaurant kitchens.<ref name="YOU"/> Clad woks are also slower to heat than traditional woks and not nearly as efficient for stir-frying.<ref name="YOU"/>

====Aluminium====
Woks can also be made from [[aluminium]]. Although an excellent [[heat conduction|conductor of heat]], it has somewhat inferior [[thermal capacity]] to cast iron or carbon steel, it loses heat to [[convection]] much faster than carbon steel, and it may be constructed much thinner than cast iron. Although [[anodized aluminium]] [[alloy]]s can stand up to constant use, plain aluminium woks are too soft and damage easily. Aluminium is mostly used for wok lids.{{Citation needed|date=March 2021}}

===Handles===
[[File:stickhandle-pekingpan.jpg|thumb|A stick-handled flat-bottomed "[[Peking]] pan". While the surface looks like [[Teflon]], it is actually well-seasoned [[carbon steel]]]]

The handles for woks come in two styles: loops and stick.<ref name="YOU"/> Loop handles mounted on opposite sides of the wok are typical in southern China.<ref name="YOU"/> The twin small loop handles are the most common handle type for woks of all types and materials, and are usually made of bare metal. Cooks needing to hold the wok to toss the food in cooking do so by holding a loop handle with a thick [[towel]] (though some woks have spool-shaped wooden or plastic covers over the metal of the handle). Cooking with the tossing action in loop-handled woks requires a large amount of hand, arm and wrist strength. Loop handles typically come in pairs on the wok and are riveted, welded or extended from the wok basin.{{Citation needed|date=March 2021}}

Stick handles are long, made of steel, and are usually welded or riveted to the wok basin, or are an actual direct extension of the metal of the basin. Stick handles are popular in northern China, where food in the wok is frequently turned with a tossing motion of the arm and wrist when stir-frying food.<ref name="YOU"/> The classic stick handle is made of hollow hammered steel, but other materials may be used, including wood or plastic-covered hand grips.<ref name="YOU"/> Because of their popularity in northern China, stick-handled woks are often referred to as "pao woks" or "Peking pans". Stick handles are normally not found on cast-iron woks since the wok is either too heavy for the handle or the metal is too thin to handle the [[tensile stress]] exerted by the handle.<ref name="YOU"/> Larger-diameter woks with stick-type handles frequently incorporate a "helper" handle consisting of a loop on the opposite side of the wok, which aids in handling.{{Citation needed|date=March 2021}}