iron wok with lid 14 inch woks stir-fry pans nonstick chinese traditional pans for open fire large cookwares

This wok is absolutely beautiful. I love the blue color of it right out of the box, although, of course, that doesn’t last beyond the first seasoning. The hammer marks will be there forever, though, and I love them. It comes with an informational pamphlet on how to season and care for a carbon steel wok. They incorrectly call it a cast-iron wok in the title, as well as carbon steel. It’s definitely carbon steel, not cast iron. You can tell from their photos and video showing how it’s made. I tried the stovetop method of seasoning they recommended in the pamphlet, but I ended up sticking with my usual way of seasoning cast iron and carbon steel in the oven because it’s easier and faster. I just took the handle cover off first, then coated it with oil and baked it in the oven at 550°F for a few hours. I came out beautifully and evenly black. It has a rounded bottom, so it won’t work on every stovetop, but it sits well on my gas oven’s grate. It is wonderfully heavy and thick, and is an absolute joy to cook in. I get it nice and hot before adding anything, and nothing sticks. It’s lovely. The wooden lid is also excellent. It’s simply constructed and appears to have been charred to finish. The handle is easy to grip and lift, and the wood is about 1/2 inch thick. It fits perfectly inside the top of the wok and looks great. Read more

This is a very traditional wok--you can see from the packaging that it isn't really designed for sale in the US and while there is a short introduction in english inside the package, you are kind of left to your own on how to use and care for this pot. It is hemispherical--no flat spot on the bottom to allow it to rest on a stovetop easily. The weight of the handle pulls this pot off level when on a flat stove top (though this effect is minimized when the wok is full of food.) Arrives with the interior coated with cooking oil (I hope it is cooking oil!) and a bamboo lid. Tis type of steel pan is easy to season and once seasoned is fairly easy to clean. You need to be aware that it can rust easily and become discolored if not looked after with gentle cleaning, avid drying and simple maintenance. The seasoning makes this a nonstick pan for most purposes and unless you are intending to burn sugar onto the seasoned surface, cleaning it should be as simple as a quick wipe with some soapy water. Things which are sticky will not stick to this. If you happen to have a gas stove or will use this over a fire or grill, this is a large and easy to use traditional wok which would be great fun to cook with. But I think this is really not designed for electric or induction style stoves and would be frustrating to get up to temperature on anything which does not have direct fire. While the pot looks cool and traditional, it does not have a luxe feel commensurate with the price. It is more of a daily pan that seems pretty durable and might make a nice gift. Read more

We here are impressed with this amazing looking wok; we can see that a lot of care was taken in the forging of it. It's solid, weighing 6 lbs. It has a thick rubber handle which offers a good grip. Its lid is the same type of wooden lid that I've seen with other woks. I realize that I'll need to get a wok ring to cook with. The round bottom of the wok wobbles on my gas stove. Posting pictures of wok rings for several types of stove tops, plus an induction wok burner for the counter top. Posting a picture of the wok on my gas stove top, showing how it tips; it needs a ring for security. This wok will be amazing for deep frying if I so choose. The wok starts off blue, but will turn black once it's well seasoned and used. Just know that these round bottom woks need a wok ring for cooking, however you can work that out in your situation. Read more

I'm not much of a cook myself but I couldn't wait to own this iron wok to awaken my Asian cuisine craving! With a solid build that is quite the value for its low cost, here are the things to know: - Seasoning the wok is very simple and only requires the removal of the handle-cover before putting it in the oven. - A rounded, weighty bottom ensures that the wok won't topple over (with or without food) and stays securely in its place atop of the stove. - Most woks of this weight and rust-resistant component would cost 3x's as much but you get quite the bang for your back here. Quality over quantity manifests itself with this expertly-crafted wok that is bound to cook food your taste-buds will palpitate to! More than 5-stars in my opinion! Read more

The media could not be loaded. Unpacking this wok, I see beautiful indentations on the steel from hand-hammering, and a blued surface. Gorgeous. The steel was heated at a high temperature which creates an oxidized layer that appears blue. This helps with the non-stick properties while cooking. You do need to use oil to build up the non-stick layer. The wok is heavy but you don't need to lift while cooking, just use the chuan (wok spatula). The steel is thick enough to really hold the heat for great cooking. And the hammered indentations actually helped hold the food up a bit, away from the bottom, while making a sauce or while cooking off liquids in the bottom. The handle is very comfortable with the padded rubber around it. The lid fits well and trapped in some steam when I needed that. The lid handle never got hot of course, because it is also wood. This well-made wok is heavy duty and will last a very long time. To clean, I used a small brass brush on a couple of pieces of stuck food but all it really needed was a rinse and a wipe of oil on a paper towel. Prior to this, we had been using a department-store level wok and had no idea how much better a quality wok could be. Very happy with this and so glad we have upgraded to something well-crafted. We really appreciate the work that went into constructing this quality piece and it was such a pleasure to cook with. Really worth the money. Read more