We’ve all dealt with terrible messes from food sticking to a pan or wok. Maybe it’s a pan-fried fish that ends up skinless, a crusty coating of rice or noodles that’s impossible to scrub off, a fried egg that gets unceremoniously scrambled because it just wouldn’t come off the pan, or bits of meat that just won’t come loose, blackening as you watch, helpless.
The frustration is REAL!
I promise to keep this post short and sweet by telling you the ONLY kitchen technique you need to keep food from sticking to your pan or wok. No special equipment or ingredients necessary!
So, what’s the secret?
Simply PREHEAT your pan or wok BEFORE adding oil.
Let me dive in a little further and explain myself.
Why This Trick Works
I wish I were smart enough to explain this technique in more scientific detail, but I can only tell you what I know. All pots, pans, and woks have grooves––tiny peaks and valleys on the metal surface that aren’t always visible to the naked eye. These grooves trap moisture each time you wash your wok or pan.
When you preheat pans adequately—in this case, we recommend heating until they just start to smoke—it eliminates any moisture in the metal.
There may be other reasons, but I’m not a scientist who can explain it down to the molecules. (If you happen to be one, please sound off in the comments!) But I do know that this trick works, and it works every time.
How to Properly Preheat Your Wok To Keep Food from Sticking
Needless to say, always start with a clean wok or pan! It also helps to have a high-quality durable carbon steel wok, cast-iron skillet, or stainless steel pan (note: this method does NOT work with non-stick pans, which cannot be safely heated above certain temperatures). If you are using a seasoned wok, your chances for successful non-stick cooking using this method is even better!
So, when you set it over the heat, how do you know when a pan or wok is hot enough? Simply heat until the wok starts to smoke. You don’t want to start a fire or anything, but once you see light tendrils of smoke rising up, it’s hot enough, and you can proceed with adding your choice of oil (choose one that is good for high heat cooking, like avocado oil or canola oil).
In the case of stainless steel pans or woks, it’s actually very difficult to see smoke even when they are really hot. What you can do is to flick in a couple of drops of water in your heated stainless steel pan/wok. When it’s hot enough, the water drops will roll / jump around the pan like little pearls.
You can see what this looks like in the photo below (this is a carbon steel wok, but you get the idea. We poured in quite a bit of water, so that you could see the effect more clearly in the photo):
This method also applies to carbon steel woks and cast iron pans. Just make sure to cook off the water drops before adding oil, or the oil will splatter.
It is important to remember that raw proteins typically don’t want to be flipped or moved around before they’re adequately seared or browned. It doesn’t matter how you preheat your pan if you try to flip an egg before a light crust forms!
Is This Cooking Technique Safe?
Some of you might be concerned about oil temperatures being too high, which can render certain cooking oils unhealthy. Or maybe your recipe calls for low or medium heat to start. Not to worry! Once you preheat your wok or pan to the smoke point, you can reduce the heat, letting the wok or pan cool a little before adding the oil, then heat it to the desired temperature.
But if you are cooking proteins like egg, fish, or a pork chop, heat up the oil a bit after preheating the pan/wok before adding them in.
Also, remember that this trick to keeping food from sticking does not apply to non-stick woks or pans! Heating non-stick cookware to the smoking point can damage the non-stick coating and become unhealthy. All the more reason to switch to a more durable carbon steel wok, cast-iron skillet, or thick-bottomed stainless steel pan!
A Non-Stick Cooking Method that Really Works!
Trust me, apply this method when cooking eggs…
Fried rice…
Noodle stir-fries…
Pan-fried fish…
Or when searing meats for stir-fries.
No more food getting stuck to your pan and ruined or wasted!
Here’s a review of our tips to prevent food from sticking to your wok or pan:
- Always start with a clean pan or wok.
- Use a well seasoned wok or cast iron pan. It really makes a difference. See our post on how to season a wok.
- Preheat your pan/wok to the point at which it starts to smoke before adding a high smoke point oil. If using a stainless steel pan (which won’t have much visible smoke), add a couple drops of water. The drops should dance around like pearls when it’s hot enough.
- Spread the oil evenly to completely coat the cooking surface.
- Let food, especially meats, come up to room temperature for best results.
- When frying fish, steak, or any other large piece of protein, be sure to pat it dry with a paper towel before placing it in the pan.
Thank you for that that Gem….Heat the Wok before adding oil !
Im always learning when it comes to Chinese cooking.
You are so welcome, Peter.
Can you please suggest a brand of carbon wok that WoksofLife uses? It’s fine if Woksof Life gets percentage of sale. It is just too confusing. There are so many brands out there, it is mind boggling. I believe I got a stainless steeel one from a major vendor, but I am not happy with it. I want as much as possible the most authentic. I’ve been trying to get my friend from Hong Kong to sell me his mother’s wok that is probably 40 yeras old and works beautifully! :-) But he won’t. I definitely do not want Non-Stick I’ve tried that too! Thank you!
Try asking your favourite Chinese restaurant what WOKS they are using, they probably bought them from the local Chinese supermarket. This is a specialist shop for Chinese stuff, anyone can buy there.
I finally got a Joyce Chen carbon steel wok (yay!). It’s a flat bottomed wok, as sadly, I have an electric stove with coils. I haven’t seasoned it yet, but the instructions say:
“Special Precautions: Never heat the pan empty.”
…which is what you’re suggesting for preventing food from sticking. (Boo!) Is that instruction just an abundance of caution by the manufacturer, do you think? Or are there some woks you’re not supposed to heat empty?
Hi Julie, I don’t understand their “Special Precautions.” It does not make much sense to me. :-)
I’m going to agree. I think they are just sort of covering their bases. Starting my seasoning today and can’t wait to actually USE it. lol. Thanks!
Happy wokking, Julie :-)
Thanks for the great tips Judy! Now I will avoid getting a non stick wok not only because of its hazards at high heat but also carbon steel or stainless can achieve much higher temps to get the wok hei that we crave for in Chinese cooking.
You are very welcome, Michael.
I can confirm this method works 100%! I’ve always had bad luck stir-frying noodles – they’d stick to the pan like glue at every opportunity. I never understood what I was doing wrong, so I sought help from the internet and found this. I just made some stir fried shrimp & pre-cooked noodles, and not a speck of noodle (or anything else, for that matter) stuck. The pan may be a little tougher to clean due to some caramelized oil on the sides, but it’s a small price to pay for a meal done right!
Wow, that’s so awesome, Jason :-)
Excellent summary of how to avoid food sticking in a wok. We use this approach, and find it just as you describe.
That’s great, Ellis. I am glad this post helped you.
Because you asked. I was a chef (American classic and Midwest). I changed careers 15 years ago but the knowledge I have about cast iron from my training and expierence is the same thing you are covering here, I would be honored to offer this:
A layer of carbon is produced by the oil when it is heated very fast (the preheating you are calling for) because very slight amounts of it as indicated by the smoke point burn (the reason it smokes) causing carbon bonding to the metal. This bonding fills in the structure of the metal and makes a non porous surface which is impervious to long chain proteins (most of the protein in food) from carbon bonding to the same points while also bonding almost entirely to the carbon available in the burnt oil. This means that there is nothing left for other carbon to bond to. The surface of a seasoned and pre-polished pan is smooth even at 1000x magnification and unless the substance being cooked dissolves that bond or corrodes the metal then it remains non stick entirely. It can be washed with soap as most detergents specifically do not have corrosive components and because it is carbon bonded (a strong bond) detergents don’t strip it as it is the carbon left behind from oil and not actual oil.
I cook in cast iron everyday and I make omelets, Asian American cuisine, and southwestern food with just a spritz of oil. Eggs slide off of it without resistance and I can literally fry cheese on this surface without adding oil and them peel it up once crispy.
The method offered here on this site is perfect for pans which may have wooden handles. If the pan does not it is also proper to use a very hot over to get an even coat on the metal (and because residential burners have a hard time keeping up with the amount of heat (BTU’s) needed to really do 100% of a 14 inch wok.)
I love this site, and I hope that this information and it’s presentation provides some additional information for those who wish to know a few more of the details about this process!.
Thank you so much for all of the amazing culinary information and access to traditional techniques, ingredients and flavor profiles with all of your wonderful notations regarding flavor balance. The insight has brought my favorite restaurant style dishes up a level when I prepare them at home. I may have stopped being a chef many years ago as a career, but my love of wonderful food has only grown and my heart stays home in the kitchen when I go to work. Your many efforts have brightened my pallet and brought joy. Thank you.
Thank you SO MUCH for the scientific and technical details. It’s the missing piece of this post :-) And it’s a great honor to receive such praise from a professional chef :-) Much appreciated!!!
I have not been a professional for many years. But I appreciate your wonderful post and enjoy your site and insight very much!
Glad we can (together) share our limited insights with the world :-)
Judy, thank you so much for this post!!! I have found this helps alot ! my food just slides right off my wok! Also, one helpful tip I have learned through trial and error is when cooking aromatics like garlic and ginger, I lightly let my wok smoke then immediately add them in and keep everything moving! Many times I will take the aromatics out when I have to add my meat, since I have to turn the temperature way up, then add them back in towards the end. This keeps them from burning. Thank you for the helpful tips. Your website is a lifesaver!
You are very welcome, Jessica. There is so much wisdom in the kitchen :-)