No—not as a universal rule. For the meal covered by the cited guide, The Woks of Life recommends having ingredients washed, chopped or sliced, and ready before turning on the stove. That supports an organized prep sequence, but it does not prove that every ingredient in every wok recipe must be prepared in advance.
What the recommendation covers
The cited guidance completes washing and knife-prep tasks before the wok is heated. “Ready” means the ingredients are prepared sufficiently for the meal’s cooking sequence, not that every item must be cut in the same way or prepared identically.
The recommendation does not provide an ingredient-by-ingredient exception list, prescribed cut sizes, or exact preparation times. It therefore should not be treated as a rule for all wok cooking.
How to check a recipe
Before heating the wok, a cook can:
- Read the full ingredient list and identify any washing, chopping, or slicing instructions.
- Check the cooking method for ingredients that are prepared or added at a later stage.
- Compare those instructions with the recipe’s proposed prep sequence.
- Leave any uncertain item out of the “must prep first” category until the recipe or another reliable cooking source resolves it.
If a recipe explicitly calls for an ingredient to remain uncut, be cut later, or be prepared another way, those instructions should guide the sequence.
What the reader must still confirm
The broader question—whether an individual ingredient must be prepared before cooking begins—remains recipe-specific. The cited recommendation does not establish that advance preparation is mandatory for every dish or that delaying it will necessarily affect the result. Readers should confirm the full recipe, especially any instructions that differ from the general prep-first workflow.