5 Things You Shouldn’t Cook in a Wok

Widely used in Chinese cooking, woks are bowl-shaped frying pans with high, sloping sides. Although woks are famously employed for stir-frying, they can be helpful with all sorts of kitchen tasks, including deep-frying, braising, and steaming. A few benefits of woks are that they’re lightweight and maneuverable, with good heat retention and high sides that allow for vigorous tossing without making a mess. For everyday stir-fries and sautés, there’s no better vessel than a wok.

However, you should know that some foods aren’t as well-suited to cooking in a wok as others. To preserve your woks and make sure your food tastes as delicious as possible, we’re sharing five things you shouldn’t cook in a wok and why you should opt for different pans to cook them in instead.

Whole Steaks

For a nice crust and controlled internal temperature, whole steaks require even contact and steady heat. Woks are better suited to fast, high-heat cooking with constant movement, so in order to cook a perfect steak, try a grill or a heavy-bottomed cast-iron skillet. Cooking a whole steak in a wok would likely result in an unevenly cooked piece of meat.

Acidic Foods

Woks are typically made with carbon steel or cast iron, both of which can react with acidic foods and result in a metallic taste. This reaction can also negatively impact the wok’s seasoning. Some examples of highly acidic foods are tomatoes, citrus fruits, and vinegars. When you’re making tomato sauce, set your wok aside and opt for non-reactive cookware, like stainless steel, ceramic, and non-stick.

Dairy-Based Sauces

Dairy-based sauces, like Alfredo or hollandaise, need to be cooked over low, gentle heat, and can curdle easily if exposed to high heat. Since woks are designed to get very hot, they’re not ideal for dairy-based sauces. Instead, use a stainless steel saucepan or even a double-boiler when preparing a dairy-based sauce.

Pasta

The wok is an inefficient choice for cooking pasta for several reasons, including the fact that it wouldn’t be able to fit much water, and the water would heat unevenly due to the wok’s shape. Additionally, using a wok would make the pasta difficult to stir and, later, drain. Moral of the story: Traditional pasta pots are tall and sturdy for a reason, and are better suited for cooking pasta. 

Soft-Scrambled Eggs

You can definitely use a wok to cook eggs if you prefer a fried egg or quick high-heat scramble, but you should reach for another vessel if you’re a fan of tender soft-scrambled eggs. To master soft-scrambled eggs, try this recipe for Parmesan Scrambled Eggs, which calls for a large nonstick skillet.