wok
Enable an AI agent to recognise a wok, assess its cooking readiness and condition, and determine suitable heating, handling, cooking and care actions.
Research draft, second pass
A second pass drafted this model: the structure a model of this thing needs, and what is known about it in the world. The line under this one says how the second half was obtained - researched against sources, or recalled without web access, in which case nothing here was read anywhere and every claim is a lead to verify. Unreviewed either way.
Researched by: Codex + Grok
Purpose and description
Enable an AI agent to recognise a wok, assess its cooking readiness and condition, and determine suitable heating, handling, cooking and care actions.
A wok is a thin-walled, steeply flared East and Southeast Asian cooking pan, classically round-bottomed and of carbon steel or cast iron, whose geometry and rapid heat response are built for high-temperature tossing (especially Chinese stir-frying, chao) while remaining a general-purpose vessel for steaming, deep-frying, smoking, braising, and boiling.
It can be Select and position the wok on a compatible heat source and support.; Heat the vessel within verified constraints for its body, surface and handles.; Stir, turn and move food between the bowl centre and sloping sides.; Lift, tip or toss contents when handle integrity, load and operator capability permit.; Fit a compatible lid or insert for a supported cooking task.; Clean, dry, season where applicable, and assess damage before further use..
Distinguishing features
Inspect whether the interior forms an open bowl with sides rising and flaring from a relatively small central cooking zone; a frying pan typically has a broader flat floor and more distinct sidewalls.
Distinguish the interior bowl profile from the exterior base: a flat exterior contact patch does not by itself rule out a wok.
Check whether the shape supports moving food between the central zone and sloping sides; a deep pot with mostly vertical walls offers a different working geometry.
Use bowl geometry together with product designation and intended cooking actions to distinguish borderline stir-fry pans or shallow curved pans; handle count alone is insufficient.
Scope
+ Bowl profile, base geometry, rim and usable capacity
+ Body material, construction and cooking-surface treatment
+ Compatibility with burners, cooktops and supporting rings
+ Handle attachment, stability and handling constraints
+ Cooking readiness, deterioration and care requirements
- Burner, stove and induction-hob operation and maintenance
- Recipes, ingredient properties and food safety assessments
- Standalone lids, wok rings, spatulas and steaming inserts as independently managed objects
- Kitchen ventilation and fire-suppression systems
- Cooking technique proficiency and operator training
Characteristics
- Interior bowl profile
- Continuously curved, flat central floor with flared sides, other, unknown Supports identification and determines how food, oil and utensils move through the vessel.
- Rim diameter and bowl depth
- Millimetres, with measurement locations recorded Describes working space and helps assess fit with storage, lids and cooking stations.
- Exterior base geometry
- Round, flat, other, unknown Constrains support arrangements and contact with a cooktop.
- Flat contact diameter
- Millimetres; not applicable for a fully rounded exterior base Helps assess stability and compatibility with a particular heating zone.
- Body construction
- Recorded material or material stack, manufacturing description if known, unknown Informs interpretation of heating behaviour, weight and permitted care.
- Wall thickness
- Millimetres at specified bowl locations, or unknown Helps distinguish vessels with similar dimensions but different heating and handling behaviour.
- Cooking-surface system
- Exposed metal, seasoning over metal, manufactured coating, enamel, other, unknown Determines which preparation, utensils and cleaning actions need to be checked.
- Cooking-surface condition
- Observed combinations of clean, wet, food residue, sticky film, uneven seasoning, corrosion, scratching, flaking or unknown Supports a decision to cook, clean, investigate or withhold the vessel from use.
- Handle configuration and condition
- Handle count, long or loop form, attachment type, material and observed looseness or damage Constrains lifting, tipping and tossing, especially under load.
- Heat-source and support compatibility
- Specific cooktop, burner or support; verified compatible, incompatible, conditional or unknown, with evidence Prevents assuming that a wok suitable for one cooking station is suitable for another.
- Empty mass
- Kilograms Helps assess whether loaded lifting or tossing is practical for a particular operator.
- Current thermal condition
- Measured temperature in degrees Celsius at a stated location and time, or hot, cooling, cool or unknown Gates handling, storage and care actions.
Where this came from
wikidata · CC0 1.0
Drafted structure
Bundle to layer to finding to question, as the second pass will find it: 6 bundles · 11 layers · 18 findings · 28 questions.
Bowl identity and working space The geometry that identifies the vessel and defines its usable cooking space.
A wok cannot be identified or selected reliably from its name, diameter or handle arrangement alone.
Wok form boundary
Evidence that the vessel belongs to this model rather than a neighbouring pan or pot model.
Bowl profile identification
Record the interior curvature, central floor and side flare together with any documented product designation.
- Does the interior rise from a small central zone into flared sides, or does it primarily present a broad floor or vertical walls? definition
- What evidence resolves classification when the vessel is sold as a stir-fry pan or has an unusually shallow bowl? boundary
Usable bowl space
Dimensions and task-dependent space for containing and moving food.
Capacity and movement room
Separate measured dimensions and brimful capacity from the working load appropriate to a particular cooking action.
- What are the rim diameter, depth and measured capacity, and how was each measured? measurement
- For the proposed cooking action, is there enough free space to stir or toss without contents crossing the rim? action
Heat path and cooktop fit How the wok receives heat and sits on its intended cooking station.
The relationship between bowl curvature, base construction and heating equipment determines whether a particular setup is usable.
Body and heat response
Construction evidence and observed heating behaviour across the bowl.
Construction and heating evidence
Record body materials, thickness and any observed centre-to-side heating differences without deriving performance from appearance alone.
- What identifies the body material, layer construction and thickness at the centre and sides? provenance
- Under the intended heating setup, what temperature differences or heating delays have actually been measured across the bowl? measurement
Base and support interface
Compatibility of the exterior base with a specific heating zone and support.
Supported heating setup
Record the actual cooktop and any ring or stand, including contact, clearance and stability constraints.
- Is compatibility with this particular cooktop documented or tested, including induction requirements where relevant? provenance
- Does the wok sit securely in the proposed setup without rocking, sliding or interfering with the heat source? action
Cooking surface and readiness The food-contact surface system and its condition before cooking.
Exposed metal, seasoning and manufactured coatings require different decisions about preparation, utensils and deterioration.
Surface system identification
Identify the intended cooking surface and distinguish it from temporary or unwanted films.
Surface treatment evidence
Record whether the surface is exposed metal, seasoned or coated, and retain uncertainty about visually ambiguous films.
- What product information or inspection evidence identifies the cooking surface and any factory-applied treatment? provenance
- Is the observed film intended seasoning, a manufactured coating, shipping protection or accumulated residue? boundary
Surface condition assessment
Evaluate visible or documented surface changes before selecting a cooking or care action.
Surface readiness decision
Record residue, corrosion, scratching and flaking by location and extent, then connect observations to applicable care guidance.
- Where are residue, corrosion, scratches or detached surface material present, and how extensive are they? measurement
- Does the identified surface system permit cleaning or re-seasoning, or does the observed damage require further assessment before use? action
Handling and cooking actions How the wok can be manipulated and used with utensils or fitted accessories.
A wok's bowl, mass and handles jointly determine whether stirring, tipping or tossing is practical.
Loaded handling
Grip, attachment integrity and thermal constraints during manipulation.
Handle and load readiness
Assess the intended grip and movement using handle condition, current temperature and expected loaded mass.
- Are the long and loop handles, where present, secure and free of observed cracking or attachment movement? measurement
- Given the loaded mass, grip temperature and available hand protection, can the operator carry out the proposed lift, tip or toss? action
Bowl, tool and accessory fit
Functional compatibility with utensils, lids and inserts used in the proposed task.
Task interface compatibility
Record whether tools reach the curved cooking surface and whether accessories fit without unstable seating or surface damage.
- Can the selected utensil follow the centre and sloping sides, and is its contact material permitted for this surface? action
- Does the proposed lid or insert seat securely with the required clearance from handles and contents? boundary
Care and serviceability Material-specific care and decisions about continued use after deterioration.
Readiness depends on preserving the wok's surface and geometry while distinguishing recoverable conditions from unresolved damage.
Care process selection
Choose cleaning, drying, seasoning and storage actions supported by the identified construction.
Compatible care actions
Connect care instructions to the actual surface, handles and thermal condition rather than applying one universal wok routine.
- Which instructions establish permitted cleaning agents, abrasives, soaking, dishwasher use and seasoning procedures for this wok? provenance
- What cleaning, drying or surface-maintenance action is needed before storage or the next cooking task? action
Damage and return to use
Assess changes that affect containment, stable support or secure handling.
Serviceability after damage
Record cracks, leaks, base deformation and failed attachments, along with evidence supporting repair or return to use.
- Has the bowl developed cracks, leaks or deformation that changes containment or seating on its intended support? measurement
- What evidence is required to accept a repair or return this specific wok to use? action
Evidence and external alignment What the world already says about this thing, gathered so the model can be checked against it.
A model that cannot be lined up against existing standards, identifiers and practice cannot be adopted by anyone who already uses them.
Reported evidence
Findings from the breadth pass, kept separate from the structural claims.
Kinds and varieties
Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.
- Round-bottom carbon-steel wok (Cantonese restaurant form, used on a pit or ring burner)
- Flat-bottom carbon-steel wok (Western gas, electric, ceramic, and induction cooktops)
- Cast-iron wok (slower to heat, more thermal mass, often two loop handles)
- Hand-hammered (pow) carbon-steel wok versus machine-spun smooth-wall wok
- Two-ear / loop-handle wok versus long-handle wok (sometimes with a helper handle)
- Stainless-steel wok
- Nonstick-coated (PTFE or ceramic) wok
- Electric / self-heating wok appliance
- Which of these kinds and varieties hold for the sense of wok this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Identifiers and schemes
Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.
- English Wikipedia title - Wok - The cookware article; use this sitelink to recover the Wikidata item rather than relying on an unreverified Q-id.
- Chinese character (Cantonese source of the English loanword) - 鑊 - Jyutping wok6; traditional character for the Cantonese pan.
- Chinese name (Mandarin, stir-fry wok) - 炒锅 / 炒鍋 - Pinyin chǎoguō; 锅/鍋 (guō) is the broader pot/pan term and is not wok-specific.
- Which of these identifiers and schemes hold for the sense of wok this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Standards and regulation
Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.
- Regulation (EC) No 1935/2004 (European Union) - framework law for materials and articles intended to come into contact with food, including metal and coated cookware.
- GB 4806.9 (China, National Health Commission) - national food-safety standard for metal materials and articles in food contact; coated woks also fall under the GB 4806 coatings parts.
- FDA 21 CFR Parts 175 and 177 (United States) - food-contact coatings and polymers used on nonstick woks.
- NSF/ANSI 2 (NSF International / ANSI) - food equipment hygiene requirements applied to commercial kitchen vessels and, separately, to wok ranges as food-service equipment.
- California Proposition 65 (State of California) - warning and listing regime often triggered by chemicals in coated cookware (not a product standard, but it governs retail labelling of many consumer woks in the US).
- Which of these standards and regulation hold for the sense of wok this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Real-world use
Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.
- Stir-frying meat, vegetables, rice, and noodles in Chinese home kitchens and in Cantonese restaurant wok stations over high-output jet burners (the setting associated with wok hei).
- One-pan sequence cooking in the same vessel: deep-frying, then stir-frying, or steaming on a rack under a lid, or hot-smoking with a covered wok.
- Hawker and street-food cooking across Southeast Asia (noodles, fried rice, water spinach, and similar high-heat dishes).
- Western home use of flat-bottom carbon-steel or nonstick woks on domestic gas, electric, and induction cooktops, often sold as a set with lid and steamer insert.
- Which of these real-world use hold for the sense of wok this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Typical measurements
Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.
- Rim diameter (home) - 30-36 - cm
- Rim diameter (restaurant / banquet) - 36-60 - cm
- Carbon-steel wall thickness - 1.5-2.5 - mm
- Empty mass (typical 30-36 cm carbon-steel wok) - 1.0-3.5 - kg
- Cooking-surface temperature during stir-fry - 200-400 - °C
- Restaurant wok-burner power - 20-50 - kW
- Which of these typical measurements hold for the sense of wok this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Failure modes and hazards
Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.
- Flash rust on carbon steel or cast iron if the pan is washed and left wet, or if seasoning is stripped.
- Loss of seasoning and sticking; aggressive detergents, dishwashers, and long acidic cooks all strip the polymerized-oil film.
- Thermal warping, especially of thin flat-bottom woks on electric coil or poorly matched induction zones.
- Handle or rivet loosening under repeated tossing and thermal cycling.
- Oil-fire and severe burns: the thin, uninsulated body and restaurant-level heat make overheated oil and accidental contact common hazards.
- PTFE-coated woks can degrade at stir-fry temperatures; overheating risks coating breakdown and polymer-fume fever, and such coatings are a poor match for true high-heat wok cooking.
- On domestic electric or low-BTU gas ranges the vessel does not fail, but the intended technique does: food steams instead of searing because the burner cannot recover heat.
- Which of these failure modes and hazards hold for the sense of wok this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Regional variation
Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.
- Cantonese 鑊 (wok) names the round-bottom restaurant pan; Mandarin speakers more often say 炒锅 (chǎoguō) and northern home pans may have a flatter bottom than the Cantonese pit-burner form.
- Round-bottom woks remain standard where pit burners or wok rings are common (southern China, Hong Kong, much of Southeast Asia); flat-bottom woks dominate Western retail for glass-ceramic and induction cooktops.
- Related local names and shapes: Malay/Indonesian kuali, Thai krata, Vietnamese chảo, Japanese chūka nabe (中華鍋). These overlap the wok category but are not always the same object in trade.
- US and European consumer 'woks' are frequently nonstick, lidded, and sold with a steamer rack; that retail object is only loosely the same tool as a carbon-steel restaurant wok.
- Which of these regional variation hold for the sense of wok this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Neighbouring kinds and how to tell them apart
Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.
- Frying pan / skillet - Shallower flare and a large flat floor built for contact searing and flipping, not continuous tossing up the wall; a wok's usable cooking surface is the curved side as much as the bottom.
- Kadhai / karahi - Indian/Pakistani hemispherical pan, typically two loop handles and often thicker; used for deep-frying and wet curries. It is routinely marketed as an 'Indian wok' but is a separate vessel with a different handle and heat tradition.
- Sauté pan - Straight (or nearly straight) sides and a lid-oriented design for deglazing and reduction; it does not present a steep curved wall for tossing.
- Paella pan (paellera) - Wide, very shallow, two opposed handles, built for a thin rice layer and socarrat, not for high-wall tossing.
- Dutch oven / casserole - Thick, lidded, high-mass pot for oven and long braise; opposite thermal behaviour to a thin carbon-steel wok.
- Chinese claypot (sand pot) - Porous earthenware for slow braise and claypot rice; not a high-heat tossing pan.
- Which of these neighbouring kinds and how to tell them apart hold for the sense of wok this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Sources
- Wok - Form, materials, Chinese and regional names, cooking techniques (stir-fry, steam, deep-fry, smoke), and distinction from related pans.
- The Breath of a Wok: Unlocking the Spirit of Chinese Wok Cooking Through Recipes and Lore - Cantonese restaurant practice, wok hei, carbon-steel seasoning and care, round-bottom versus Western adaptations; Grace Young and Alan Richardson, Simon & Schuster, 2004.
- The Wok: Recipes and Techniques - Home-kitchen heat limits, carbon-steel versus other materials, flat-bottom use on Western ranges, and technique-driven measurements of heat and size; J. Kenji López-Alt, W. W. Norton, 2022.
- wok - Concise specialist description of the vessel as a Chinese cooking pan and of its principal uses.
What the second pass must settle
- Where should the registry boundary fall between a wok and a flat-bottomed stir-fry pan when designation and bowl geometry disagree?
- Should an integrated electrically heated wok remain within this model with a linked appliance model, or belong primarily to an appliance entry?
- Which source-backed criteria reliably distinguish seasoning, removable residue and damaged manufactured coating when product records are absent?
- What evidence is sufficient to establish compatibility for round-bottomed woks used with rings on particular cooktops?
- Which task-specific methods can establish usable load and return-to-use criteria without implying universal limits across wok materials and constructions?