Editing Wok (section)

==Cooking==
{{More citations needed section|date=February 2021}}
The wok can be used in a large number of cooking methods. Before the introduction of Western cookware, it was often used for all cooking techniques including:<ref name="YOU"/><ref name=grigson>{{citation|title=World Atlas of Food |first=Jane |last=Grigson|publisher=Bookthrift Company |date=January 1985 |isbn=978-0-671-07211-7}}</ref>
*[[Boiling]]: For boiling water, soups, dumplings, or rice. In the latter case, [[guoba]] often forms.
*[[Braising]]: Braised dishes are commonly made using woks.  Braising is useful when reducing sauces.
*[[Deep frying]]: This is usually accomplished with larger woks to reduce splashing, but for deep frying of less food or small food items, small woks are also used.
*[[Pan frying]]: Food that is fried using a small amount of oil in the bottom of a pan
*[[Roasting]]: Food may be cooked with dry heat in an enclosed pan with lid. Whole chestnuts are dry roasted by tossing them in a dry wok with several pounds of small stones.
*[[Searing]]: Food is [[Maillard reaction|browned]] on its outer surfaces through the application of high heat
*[[Smoking (cooking)|Smoking]]: Food can be hot smoked by putting the smoking material in the bottom of the wok while food is placed on a rack above.
*[[Steaming]]: Done using a dedicated wok for boiling water in combination with steaming baskets
*[[Stew]]ing: Woks are sometimes used for stewing though it is more common in Chinese cuisines to use either stoneware or porcelain for such purposes, especially when longer stewing times are required. Small woks are for [[hot pot]], particularly in [[Hainan cuisine]]. These are served at the table over a [[sterno]] flame.
*[[Stir frying]]: Frying food quickly in a small amount of oil over high heat while stirring continuously.

=== Wok hei ===
{{transliteration|zh|"Wok hei"}} ({{zh|j=wok<sup>6</sup> hei<sup>3</sup>|s=镬气|t=鑊氣|hp=huò qì}}) literally, the "breath of the wok", is the distinct charred, smoky flavor resulting from stir-frying foods over an open flame in [[Cantonese cuisine]].<ref name="whatis">{{cite web |title=What is...wok hei? |url=https://guide.michelin.com/en/article/dining-out/what-is-wok-hei |website=Michelin |date=12 October 2016 }}</ref> The second character ({{zh|s=气|t=氣|links=no}}) is transliterated as {{transliteration|zh|[[qi]]}} ({{transliteration|zh|chi}}) according to its [[Mandarin Chinese|Standard Chinese]] pronunciation, so {{transliteration|zh|wok hei}} is sometimes rendered as {{transliteration|zh|wok chi}} in Western cookbooks. {{transliteration|zh|Wok hei}} refers to the flavor, taste, and "essence" imparted by a hot wok on food during [[stir frying]].<ref name="YOU" /><ref>{{cite book |author=Harpham, Zoė |title=Essential Wok Cookbook |year=2002 |publisher=Murdoch Books |isbn=978-1-74045-413-1 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/essentialwokcook0000unse }}</ref> It is particularly important for Cantonese dishes requiring high heat for fragrance such as {{transliteration|zh|[[char kuay teow]]}} and [[beef chow fun|beef {{transliteration|zh|chao fen}}]]. Out of the Eight Culinary Traditions of China, the {{transliteration|zh|wok hei}} concept is only encountered in [[Cantonese cuisine]], and may not even be an accepted underlying principle in most other [[Chinese cuisine]]s.<ref name="whatis" />

To impart {{transliteration|zh|wok hei}} the traditional way, the food is cooked in a seasoned wok over a high flame while being stirred and tossed quickly.<ref name="YOU" /> Constant contact with the heat source is crucial as the addition of new ingredients and each toss of the wok inevitably cools the wok down; therefore, cooking over flame is preferred. Consequently, many chefs (especially those with less-than-ideal cookers) may cook in small batches to overcome this problem so that the wok is still as hot as it can be, and to avoid "stewing" the food, instead. When cooking over gas stoves or open flame, it additionally allows for the splattering of fine oil particles to catch the flame into the wok; this is easily achieved when experienced chefs toss the wok and can be a demonstration of experience. For these reasons, cooking over an open flame is preferable to other types of stoves. Cooking with coated woks (e.g. nonstick) notably will not give the distinct taste of {{transliteration|zh|wok hei}}, which is partially imbued from previous cooking sessions. In practical terms, the flavor imparted by chemical compounds results from [[caramelization]], [[Maillard reaction]]s, and the partial combustion of oil that come from charring and searing of the food at very high heat in excess of {{convert|200|C}}.<ref name="WOKH" /> Aside from flavor, the texture of the cooked items and smell involved also describe {{transliteration|zh|wok hei}}.{{Citation needed|date=March 2021}}

In [[Hong Kong]], ''wok hei'' is traditionally street food, cooked in open-air ''dai pai dongs'' ("big license stalls") over a very hot kerosene flame. Due to government regulations, the number of such stalls has been reduced from hundreds to about 20 in 2024.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Lau |first=Alex |date=2024-09-26 |title=Wok Hei Is Vanishing From Hong Kong. My Mom Wanted to Taste It Again. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2024/09/26/magazine/hong-kong-dai-pai-dong.html |access-date=2024-09-27 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>