Anyone who enjoys a good stir-fry knows there’s something about cooking in a wok that just can’t compare to a regular old pan. “Woks are a great kitchen tool for making fast and flavorful meals,” says Mia Syn , RD. “Using a wok results in tender-crisp vegetables, which allow […]
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Anyone who enjoys a good stir-fry knows there's something about cooking in a wok that just can't compare to a regular old pan.
“Woks are a great kitchen tool for making fast and flavorful meals,” says Mia Syn, RD. “Using a wok results in tender-crisp vegetables, which allow them to retain more nutrients than if they were boiled." So in case you needed yet another reason to invest in a wok (if you don't already have one), there you go.
It's also a total myth that woks require you to use a ton of oil. “Keep in mind that we do need a good amount of fat in our diets and many oils provide heart healthy fats," says Maxine Yeung, RD. "But if you’re worried about the amount of oil in a recipe, [you can] always think about using less.”
Yeung also suggests using a high smoke point oil, like avocado oil, to cook with, as opposed to refined oils like canola. If you cook with an oil that's been heated past its smoke point, you can destroy the food's beneficial nutrients. Cooking with oils with a higher smoke point can prevent this.
Aside from prepping super tasty meals, Syn also says that woks are designed to help cook food faster, thanks to their high sloping walls that allow you to easily move food around without spilling it out. "Constantly stirring food helps it cook faster because it brings new surfaces of food into contact with the hot parts of the pan while also releasing steam, both of which speed up the cooking process.” A quick and tasty meal? That's a win-win.
Ready to eat? The base of any wok meal is pretty simple. Grab your fave protein, like shrimp or chicken, add some veggies, and you're good. But if you want to get a little fancier here's a list of delicious wok recipes you'll need to make ASAP.
