Editing Wok (section)

===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}}