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Wok cooking requires oil with a high smoke point, such as peanut, safflower, or grape seed oil. Traditional woks are made from cast iron or carbon steel and require oil to prevent sticking. Specialty wok oils are available for added flavor. Olive oil is not recommended due to its low smoke point.
There is no single type of oil that should be used in a wok. Because wok cooking typically involves very high heat, however, the best type of wok oil should be one that can withstand high temperatures without breaking down and smoking. Oils with high smoke points include peanut oil, safflower oil, and grape seed oil, among others. Specialty wok oils are also usually found in the Asian food section of most supermarkets, and these are often flavoured.
A wok is a bowl-shaped Asian cooking vessel, and some classic wok dishes include stir-fries and fried rice. Traditional woks are made from cast iron, while more modern woks can be made from carbon steel. Both of these types of woks can withstand the high heat of wok cooking, but they also require oil to keep the food from sticking.
When many oils are exposed to high temperatures, they begin to degrade. This is what causes the oil to smoke. Different oils break down and smoke at different temperatures, and the temperature at which an oil begins to smoke is referred to as its smoke point.
Because high heat is usually required when using a wok, wok oil should have a very high smoke point. Peanut oil is traditionally used as a wok oil, as it can handle high cooking temperatures. This type of oil also adds a slightly nutty flavor to some dishes, and is often used to cook dishes such as peanut chicken.
Peanut oil, however, isn’t the only type of oil that can be used in wok cooking. Refined safflower oil, for example, has an even higher smoke point than peanut oil, making it an excellent wok oil. Refined corn oil and refined sesame oil are also acceptable oils to use when cooking in a wok. While their smoke points are slightly lower than the previously mentioned types of cooking oil, cottonseed, almond, and grapeseed oils can also be used.
Although it is a very popular oil, most Asian cooks generally discourage the use of olive oil as a wok oil. This is especially true for extra virgin olive oil, which has a very low smoke point. Extra light olive oil, however, is generally acceptable to use, as it has a higher smoke point than other types of olive oil.
Special wok oils are also available. These are basically just a type of oil that has been flavored. While it’s not absolutely necessary when cooking in a wok, the added flavor is appealing to many people.
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