Woks are used in a range of Chinese cooking techniques, including stir frying, steaming, pan frying, deep frying, poaching, boiling, braising, searing, stewing, making soup, smoking and roasting nuts. A wok spreads heat more evenly because of the concave shape and requires less oil than a typical frying pan. Woks are one of the most versatile cooking pans in the world: they can be used for deep-frying, steaming, and smoking.
