Flame cooking distributes an even temperature over the frying pan, so it holds the heat better and the pan cools slower after putting in ingredients. Thus stir frying food over a high flame in a traditional wok with its ergonomically curved concave shape brings out the best flavours of the food.

Non-flame cooking limits heat to the bottom, so stir frying requires repeated cooling and heating leading to the loss of water and flavour. It is harder to stir and flip ingredients with flat-bottomed pan.