Topic: On the importance of pre-heating the wok

[Peripatetic Phil]

To summarise : it does not take two minutes to heat 15 grammes of oil to the optimal temperature for frying noodles, but it /does/ take two minutes to heat a wok to that temperature.  Since heating oil for two minutes is (a) unnecessary, and (b) quite possibly detrimental, it is better to heat the wok dry and then to add the oil at the last second.

** Phil.

[Peripatetic Phil]

Deleted, duplicate.

[chewytikka]

Well posted Geezah  -  Wok - ing 101 ;D

[loveasiancooking]

Hi Gents, I'm a newbie to your forum regarding Indian food I'm trying to home teach myself my favourite dishes.

My Wife was a chef in Chinese restaurants in Scotland a while back and I hope to add a little input to anything other than Indian food.
I asked Her about the hot Wok and she says Chinese always heat the wok up and add the oil once the Wok is smoking. I can't go into the
science of it but a Chinese cooking range has a tap with running water to cool it down during high burn cooking. The Woks are cleaned with the tap water
and a stiff brush on the cooking range. Sometimes there can be water left in the wok and they heat the wok up to remove any liquid so once the oil is added there is no oil water mix and sparking fat coming out at the cook.

Sorry I don't know the science behind it but the oil is always introduced to a smoking hot dry wok.

Cheers...Robert.     

[ScottyM]

Noone's yet managed to answer my question of why you can't add the oil to the wok cold and then heat it to the required temperature. I've been told chefs 'do it like that' but I can't see the science behind it.

I only stopped pre-heating my pan or wok because it's not recommended for induction.

Preheating the wok to smoking and then adding oil burns a thin layer onto the surface (patina) and essentially seals the woks material from contact with whatever your cooking.. It wont create a patina if you add oil to a cold pan and heat it up. The reaction between the two is not the same.

It is explained in simple turns at catering college as
Heat a pan to warm and splash in some water and watch it sit in the pan and boil...thats your food sticking.
Now heat the fuck out of it and splash some water and watch it dance over the surfsce as if it is hovering and not making contact...thats your food frying

[Les]

A rather good explanation there Scott, Like it