soups, dumplings, or rice. In the latter case, guoba often forms. Braising: Braised dishes are commonly made using woks. Braising is useful when reducing sauces. Deep frying: This is usually accomplished with larger woks to reduce splashing, but for deep frying of less food or small food items, small woks are also used. Pan frying: Food that is fried using a small amount of oil in the bottom of a pan Roasting: Food may be cooked with dry heat in an enclosed pan with lid. Whole chestnuts are dry roasted by tossing them in a dry wok with several pounds of small stones. Searing: Food is browned on its outer surfaces through the application of high heat Smoking: Food can be hot smoked by putting the smoking material in the bottom of the wok while food is placed on a rack above. Steaming: Done using a dedicated wok for boiling water in combination with steaming baskets Stewing: Woks are sometimes used for stewing though it is more common in Chinese cuisines to use either stoneware or porcelain for such purposes, especially when longer stewing times are required. Small woks are for hot pot, particularly in Hainan cuisine. These are served at the table over a sterno flame. Stir frying: Frying food quickly in a small amount of oil over high heat while stirring continuously. The Cantonese phrase () literally, the "air of the wok", refers to the distinct charred, smoky flavor resulting from stir-frying foods over an open flame in Cantonese cuisine. The second character () is transliterated as () according to its Standard Chinese pronunciation, so is sometimes rendered as in Western cookbooks. refers to the flavor, taste, and "essence" imparted by a hot wok on food during stir frying. It is particularly important for Cantonese dishes requiring high heat for fragrance such as and beef . Out of the Eight Culinary Traditions of China, the concept is only encountered in Cantonese cuisine, and may not even be an accepted underlying principle in most other Chinese cuisines. To impart the traditional way, the food is cooked in a seasoned wok over a high flame while being stirred and tossed quickly. Constant contact with the heat source is crucial as the addition of new ingredients and each toss of the wok inevitably cools the wok down; therefore, cooking over flame is preferred. Consequently, many chefs (especially those with less-than-ideal cookers)