KITCHEN PRACTICE 3 — Smoking Wok vs. Merely Warm Wok
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Chapter: Chinese Cookery 5 — Stir-Frying & Wok Hei

TASK
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Preheat an empty wok until genuinely smoking before adding oil and
food, then compare against adding oil to a merely warm, non-smoking
wok. Note any real difference in aroma or char.

WHAT TO DO
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1. Heat the empty wok on your highest burner setting until it's
   visibly smoking. Add oil, let it heat a few seconds, then add a
   small portion of a quick-cooking ingredient (thin-sliced meat or
   a hardy vegetable) and stir-fry briefly.
2. Remove and set this batch aside. Smell it directly.
3. Let the wok cool down, then reheat it only until it feels
   genuinely hot to the touch but not yet smoking — a much gentler,
   "warm pan" standard.
4. Add oil and a fresh, equal portion of the same ingredient, and
   stir-fry it for the same amount of time.
5. Remove and compare both batches directly — smell, appearance, and
   taste.

WHAT TO EXPECT
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- The batch cooked in the properly smoking wok should show real,
  visible char in spots and carry a genuine, if subtle, smoky aroma
  once plated.
- The batch cooked in the merely warm wok should look and smell
  noticeably more plain — likely well-cooked, but without the same
  charred spots or smoky character.
- The difference may be modest rather than dramatic on a home stove,
  which is itself a useful, honest confirmation of the chapter's own
  point about a home range's real heat limits.

WHY THIS WORKS AS AN ANSWER
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This exercise tests the chapter's own central, most important habit
directly — that genuinely preheating the wok until smoking, before
oil ever goes in, is the single biggest lever a home cook has for
getting closer to real wok hei. Even a modest, honestly-observed
difference between the two batches confirms the habit is worth
keeping, without overselling what a home stove can realistically
achieve.