Have you noticed that most woks on the market are made of iron and rarely of stainless steel? This is mainly due to the differences between the two in terms of material properties, cooking effects, health benefits and costs. Especially in commercial kitchens, almost all kitchens use iron woks. The following is a detailed analysis by SHINELONG editor. Advantages of iron woks Thermal conductivity: Iron pans have good thermal conductivity, which can heat food quickly and evenly, making the cooking process more efficient. In contrast, the thermal conductivity of stainless steel pots is relatively poor, the heating speed is slow, and it takes longer to reach the appropriate cooking temperature. At the same time, because the thermal conductivity of iron is more uniform than that of stainless steel, it is more suitable for chefs to cook and can effectively improve the quality of dishes. In commercial kitchens, stainless steel pots are only used when they are forced to do so, and generally composite bottom stainless steel pots are used to try to improve the uniformity of heating. Temperature control: Due to the physical property of uniform heating, the iron pot has relatively accurate temperature control, which can better control the cooking temperature and cook more delicious dishes. The thermal conductivity of stainless steel woks is poor, and the temperature control is not as accurate as that of iron woks. It is easy for different parts of the wok to have different temperatures, causing the food to be overcooked or undercooked. Nutritional retention: When cooking with an iron wok, the nutrients lost by the ingredients during the frying process are less, and the nutrients of the ingredients themselves can be better retained. Studies have shown that the nutritional retention of food made with an iron wok is higher than that of a stainless steel wok. Health benefits: Iron is an indispensable metal element for the human body. During the cooking process, the iron wok can dissolve trace amounts of iron into the dishes, replenish the iron required by the human body, and help prevent health problems such as anemia. Physical non-stick: After proper boiling treatment, a natural protective film can be formed on the surface of the iron wok, which has a physical non-stick effect and reduces the phenomenon of food sticking to the wok. Magnetic conductivity: The iron wok has magnetic conductivity. Today's commercial kitchens are gradually moving towards all-electric kitchens. The country also strongly supports the use of electromagnetic electric heating to replace traditional gas kitchens. Electromagnetic equipment mainly generates heat through magnetism, and the iron wok has excellent magnetic conductivity and excellent self-heating effect. Most stainless steel does not have magnetic conductivity and cannot be used directly in all-electric kitchens. The material of the iron pan in the commercial kitchen is mainly sus430 ferritic stainless steel, also known as food-grade stainless iron. Compared with the all-iron pan, it is more corrosion-resistant while taking into account the advantages of the iron pan. Disadvantages of stainless steel pans: Poor thermal conductivity: As mentioned earlier, the thermal conductivity of stainless steel pans is relatively poor, and the pan body will be heated unevenly and the temperature is different. This limits its application in cooking methods such as high-temperature stir-frying to a certain extent, which is not user-friendly for chefs. Inaccurate temperature control: The temperature control of stainless steel woks is not as accurate as that of iron pans, which may lead to cooking results that are not as ideal as those of iron pans. Cost considerations: Generally speaking, the manufacturing cost of stainless steel pans may be higher than that of iron pans, which to a certain extent affects its market penetration. Poor compatibility of all-electric commercial kitchens: Since stainless steel woks do not have magnetic conductivity, they cannot be used directly on commercial induction cookers. At the same time, because stainless steel has poor thermal conductivity, commercial kitchens generally use stainless steel only when they have to, and when using stainless steel pans, they are usually wrapped with a layer of iron on the outside and a layer of aluminum in the middle to produce magnetic conductivity and improve thermal conductivity. Comprehensive consideration: Although stainless steel pots have advantages in corrosion resistance, beauty and easy cleaning, in the specific application scenario of woks, iron pots are more prominent in terms of thermal conductivity, temperature control, nutrient retention and health benefits. Therefore, iron pots are often a better choice in cooking situations where high temperature, rapid heating and precise control of heat are required. At the same time, due to the lack of magnetic conductivity, poor thermal conductivity and high cost, they are not suitable for commercial kitchens. In addition, as one of my country's traditional kitchen utensils, iron pots have a long history and are widely used, which also lays the foundation for their dominant position in the wok market. The above is why most of the woks on the market are still iron woks. If you are interested in or have needs for commercial kitchens, you may wish to pay attention to our SHINELONG commercial kitchen.