Andrew Zimmern Shared His Secret Ingredient For Elevating Wok-Fried Dishes

If you love making stir-fry dishes, it might be worth investing in a wok. This large pan can have a round or a flat bottom and is high-walled, with the ability to be used on most stove-tops (via WebstaurantStore).

There are a few things you should know when buying a wok, and it's important to make sure the one you choose is made out of carbon steel. Once you've decided on the perfect one, you can work on seasoning your wok and take time to learn the best oil to use in it. While olive oil is commonly used in cooking, it has a low smoke point, and choosing an oil with a high smoke point is best for this special pan (per Foodsguy).

If you're not sure which oil to choose, Andrew Zimmern has an answer for you. The TV personality shared a photo on Instagram of a secret ingredient he uses to make his stir-fry and wok dishes really shine. The photo displays a bottle filled with golden liquid, but he didn't reveal the answer in his Instagram post. Instead, commenters had a few guesses for the ingredient, including peanut and sesame oil. Zimmern saves the big reveal for his newsletter, "Andrew Zimmern's Spilled Milk."

Andrew Zimmern's newsletter on Substack is where he shares recipes and answers questions. In one edition, the celebrity chef says that he uses toasted rapeseed oil most often to wok-fry, and in the video included, he mentions that he also uses peanut oil from time to time. He writes that he uses toasted rapeseed oil because it gives dishes "the most incredible toasty aroma" and that this one ingredient can "take a so-so dish to symphonic levels."

According to Healthline, rapeseed oil's health benefits include Vitamin E, and this oil doesn't have a high content of saturated fat. In Zimmern's video, he says rapeseed oil is basically the same as canola oil, but Zimmern points out the difference in color between the two oils, so if you're in the market to buy some toasted rapeseed oil and give this technique a try, look for a darker color.

While this oil may not be one of the "Bizarre Foods" the chef is known for tasting, he declares it a winner when it comes to wok cooking.