A wok is really not the best thing for use on most home stoves -- especially electric ones since there just isn't enough BTU's to heat up the sides. Per Cooks Illustrated (America's Test Kitchen) the best stir fried results for the home cook are when using a regular nonstick large skillet since there is more of a surface for the food to be seared on -- this prevents the food from steaming. As others have suggested, you also need to cook in small batches, have the food not right out of the fridge and let the pan reheat as you add a batch. I have used this method and produced the best stir fries ever -- no more steamed soggy Chinese food -- it was always tasty but it wasn't stir fried :) I know that the wok is a sacrosanct piece of equipment among many on these board -- the bottom line is that the small flat surface of the wok provides no advantage for home cooks since the entire style is meant to be used on a source of heat in which the wok including the sides is heated to a high temperature and used as part of the cooking process.

"Toss, stir, seems to me that's just semantics. Of course we're not talking about a motion like stirring oatmeal. " Actually not exactly. Stirring is moving ingredients around a pan for a better mixing of ingredients and to even out cooking, while tossing is to flip all ingredients upside-down to brown the opposite side. "Your first quote could be read as being inconsistent as well. First it says the wok will "allow heat to distribute evenly and prevent the formation of hot spots" and "the sloping sides distribute heat evenly among the food being cooked", That explanation is not a thorough explanation. If you look at the cut-away photo I posted of a wok on a stove, you will understand better what is going on. The quote should have said the design of the wok allows GRADUATED temperature evenly spread out from the hot center to the colder edge of the wok. This is an important feature of the wok. It allows the following: a. It allows the chef to perfectly control temperature for each of the ingredients. b. The round shape of the bottom also allows the wok to be tilted to shift the hot center to other areas. "---So if we can agree on the latter, it would seem we need a lot of movement to get even results. And if the home range isn't powerful enough to give a proper sear with this method, then a wok is a poor choice for the home, wouldn't you say? ----" Based on the above and the Chinese style of cooking, uniform heat distribution is not required or desired. "----Wouldn't you be better off spreading out the food on an evenly heated flat pan? And now we can call it sauteing. Is that term used in Chinese? ;-)" I saw on TV sometime ago Jacques Pippin was cooking something. He mentioned that sauteing actually came from stir frying. I have not tried to verify that information. In a wok, you can fry food in oil and then push the food to the side to drain off most of the oil. Great for making crispy bacon, something you cannot do with a flat pan. You will be soaking you food in oil, fat or butter. The shape allows cooking very small quantity to very large quantity. There is a round grill attachment that goes on the wok for deep frying. It drains the oil right into the wok. This works much better than draining oil on paper towels because oil flow much easier when hot on top of a wok. A wok's unique geometry lends itself to many other interesting uses. The Chinese use it for steaming, boiling, deep frying, smoking, etc. dcarch

Teryaki keeps well in the refrigerator. I do something very similar but my method is diefferent. When I prepare the veggies, I keep them separate on a big stainless pizza pan I have. Then drain the chicken, saving the marinade, heat the wok, add the oil and when hot stir fry the chicken and when no longer pink, remove into a clean pie dish, wipe the wok, add a little wine...rice wine or sherry or just plain white wine, to the reserved marinade, add about 1 1/2 T cornstarch and stir. Then heat the wok, add the oil and begin to fry the veggies, I start with the broccoli and carrot buttons( I don't grate) and celery sliced on the diagonal as they take longest, then add the onions and the green peppers and soon after the peas. When all had browned a little, I add the cornstarch marinade stuff.....and toss to coat all and bring to a boil, put the lid on and cook for a minute. I am a little goosey about reusing a chicken marinade without cooking it well, so I often dump the marinade and get some fresh terayaki to mix with the wine and cornstarch. BUT...LOL...with my method you don't have that extra fry pan to wash !! Now I am hungry for a nice chicken ( or shrimp!) stir fry! Linda C

Ruthanna, your sauces sound sooooo good! I tend to do mine simply like Ginger...I'm usually in a hurry but, they taste good! 2 chicken breast halves; cut into thin strips Salt & pepper 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional) 1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger 1 medium onion; sliced 2-inch pieces 1 medium red or yellow bell pepper; sliced 1 large carrot julienne cut 1 cup cut asparagus or broccoli 3 tablespoon canola oil 1/2 cup chicken broth 2 tablespoons light soy sauce 1 tablespoon cornstarch 2 red or green onions (scallions); sliced 2 tablespoons toasted peanuts (or cashews) Garnish with chopped parsley (optional) 2 cups cooked rice or rice stick noodles Slice chicken into bite-size pieces; season with salt, cayenne and ginger; refrigerate until ready to use. Clean and cut all vegetables and grate ginger. Stir together broth, soy sauce and cornstarch and set aside. This will be quick so begin cooking 5 to 10 minutes before serving. Heat a wok or a large skillet over medium-high heat; add oil and stir the ginger into the chicken and stir-fry for 2 to 3 minutes until done. Remove the chicken and add onion, bell pepper, carrot and asparagus for 2 or 3 minutes until tender-crisp. Add the chicken back to the pan along with the stock mixture and continue until sauce thickens. Sprinkle with sliced onions and toasted nuts along with chopped parsley. Serve immediately with or without cooked rice or noodles Marilyn