• Use the correct pan. Grace Young recommends a 14-inch flat-bottomed carbon-steel wok. Second choice is a 12-inch stainless-steel skillet (which will be a little small if greens, such as spinach, are used). Avoid nonstick pans -- including woks -- which should not be brought to as high a temperature as needed for stir-frying.
• Invest in a good knife for prepping the ingredients -- a chef's knife or cleaver. And then maintain it (within five uses, it will be dull, Young says). If you don't know how to sharpen a knife with a stone or steel, try a knife sharpener (she recommends Chef'sChoice, for under $40).
• Have all your ingredients prepped before starting to stir-fry, lining them up in order of use, if possible. The cooking process itself goes quickly.
• Cut the ingredients to uniform size -- or some will be overcooked.
• Cut beef against the grain or it will be tough; it's often better to do so with chicken, too.
• Add dry ingredients to the wok, not wet. Pat protein and vegetables with a paper towel, or use a salad spinner for greens.
• Preheat wok before you add ingredients. When it's hot enough, you should be able to sprinkle some droplets of water on the wok, which will instantly evaporate.
• Use oil with a high smoking point (so you can heat it to a high level) -- never olive or sesame oil. Peanut, canola or other vegetable oils work well.
