How do I cook with a wok?

A wok's advantage is a large, very hot surface with a cool upper zone to push things into. On a domestic hob you lose most of the heat advantage, so the practical choice is the one that makes best contact with your burner.

What you'll need

• Carbon steel wok, flat base
• Oil with a high smoke point
• Kitchen paper
• Wok spatula (optional)

Step by step

1. Choose carbon steel over non-stick.Carbon steel takes the heat stir-frying needs and builds a natural non-stick surface. Non-stick coatings degrade at these temperatures.
2. Buy a flat base unless you have a wok burner.A round bottom on a domestic hob touches the heat in one small spot. Flat-based woks make proper contact.
3. Scrub off the factory coating before first use.New carbon steel woks have a protective lacquer. Scour it off with hot soapy water and a scourer — this is the only time you should do that.
4. Season it.Heat until it discolours, rub a very thin layer of high-smoke-point oil over the inside with paper, and heat until it stops smoking. Repeat two or three times.
5. Always preheat before adding oil.Get it properly hot first, then add oil, then food. Hot pan, cold oil — the same rule as any pan, but more important here.
6. Use the zones.The base is hottest, the sides much cooler. Push cooked items up the sides while you cook the next thing in the base.
7. Clean it with hot water and a brush, never soap.Soap strips the seasoning you have built. Hot water, a stiff brush, dry it on the heat and wipe a trace of oil in.
8. Dry it on the hob every time.Carbon steel rusts readily. Thirty seconds on the heat after washing removes all the moisture.

Tips

• A wok that has gone patchy and black is a wok that is working. Do not try to restore it to its original silver.
• If food starts sticking, the seasoning has worn thin. Reseason it — it takes ten minutes and restores it fully.
• A wok is useful well beyond stir-frying: deep frying uses less oil in one, and it steams well with a rack.

Questions people ask