Customer Reviews

14 inch Iron Pow Wok

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is a fantastic Wok once properly seasoned. I initially seasoned mine 4 times (as suggested by the seller), but with lard instead of oil. The patine is now perfectly non-stick and almost bullet-proof.

Takes a bit of initial work, but this is now truely my most prized piece of cookware; even better than my stainless/copper italian pots.

The flavor that the pan contributes to the food is absolutely unbelievable. Furthermore, although the pan is quite "rough" looking, it's incredibly durable. My impression is that it's almost impossible to permanently damage this pan... You may have to re-season it, but it'll withstand just about anything. I'd honestly pay upwards of one (or two) hundred dollars for a pan as functional as this wok.

I use a 16 inch version of this wok that I purchased from a shop in Chinatown. And while this wok will certainly not win any beauty contests, the functionality when properly seasoned is beyond compare. It is far more versatile than just stir frying, I even use it for corned beef hash. Once your wok arrives, put it on high heat and wait until you've scorched it and all of the smoke disapates. Then scour the pan thoroughly, as it was most likely coated in machine oil to prevent rust while in storage. Dry the pan and place it back on high heat. There should be no smoke this time. Once the pan is hot, pour some high heat cooking oil on a cloth (or use a brush) and coat the inside of the hot pan (you can also use lard with good results). Turn the heat off, dry up the excess oil, and let the pan cool before reheating the pan and coating it again. Do this at least four times and then you're ready to cook. Never use soap or any other cleaner once you're wok is seasoned, hot water and a sponge (or a bamboo wok cleaner if you'd like) will be all you'll need to keep your wok clean. Be sure to dry, heat, and put a thin coating of oil on the heated wok after each cleaning before storing your wok.

In 2004 I was in the San Francisco Bay area on military orders. During a weekend pass a group of us did the tourist thing and visited China Town. I stopped at the Wok Shop and browsed for a few minutes and looked at these thin and light woks but was skeptical. Last fall I ordered the 14 inch cast iron wok from Amazon. It was shipped from the Wok Shop and to my surprise it was the same thin and light wok. Well, I followed the instructions to season it and have been using it since. I used the carbon steel, hand hammered woks; the carbon steel, machine pressed woks and have used the non-stick variety. None compare to this wok.
When you think cast iron you normally think "heavy." This wok is not heavy. In fact it's lighter than both my carbon steel woks. Now that it's seasoned nothing sticks and it adds a certain decorative element to the cook top when not being used. But, it is cast iron so you need to take care of it. Keep it oiled. Don't use soap on it and don't put it in the dishwasher. If something sticks just boil water in it or let it set awhile after you oil it heavy with cooking oil then scrap off the particles. This wok has a round bottom so you will need to order a fire ring. And, a wok chuan (wok spatula) is recommended (I use two).
A note on the Wok Shop: this business has great service. When I visited the shop I was greeted by a friendly sales person and they try their best to match a wok to what your cooking style and experience is. When I ordered this online I received an email from the Wok Shop about a week before I received the item which thanked me for the order and gave me instructions on how to season the wok. When I received the wok it also included a bamboo chuan and recipe book (both bonuses). I recommend both this 14 inch wok and the Wok Shop. If in San Francisco, give them a visit. If not, order from them through Amazon.

I've had this wok for years already. Works better than it did when I got it because it is now seasoned after a bit of abuse and burnt on oils and aromatics. The wok is easy to use, including flipping and shaking, but is still heavy enough to hold heat better than my stainless wok. Also, because the handle is hollow, you never burn yourself like you might with a solid skillet (and which I do regularly). And cleanup? Forget about it, just heat it up and pour in some cold water, then dump it out and you're practically done! No more scouring, just deglazing for me!

Here's one of my favorite parts - because it's fully seasoned at this point, it is basically nonstick. But more importantly, I really cut down on the amount of oil needed to cook food. For example, I remember using a few tablespoons of oil to cook a dish that now requires only teaspoons. That's a lot of artery-clogging badness removed from your system for the same reward, with better flavor to boot because of the wok hei (seasoning). I've done Chinese, Japanese, Thai, and Cambodian in this thing, and they all come out great. Many of the dishes are virtually impossible in a stainless wok.

By the way, this size wok is plenty large for stir-frying. For a kitchen stovetop, this will load up to fill 4 easily. If it were bigger, you wouldn't be able to dump enough heat in at home, though maybe in a restaurant it would be different. I wouldn't go any smaller, but that's me. I also like the single handle, so I can shake and toss with one hand and use the other to stir or add things.

I purchased two woks, one for my future needs and one for my current needs. This flat bottomed wok is for my current needs, as I have a ceramic top stove. I also purchased a cast iron round bottom wok for the gas stove I'll own down the road. Don't even consider using anything but a flat bottomed wok with an electric or glass stovetop, round bottomed ones WILL NOT get hot enough.

This one works quite well. A little effort, smoke, and smell to season it but no big deal. Works really, really well ... was non-stick after seasoning and a few stir-fries and is breeze to clean up. Handles don't get to hot to handle with bare hands.

Final thought ... get a real workhorse wok - avoid stainless steel, non-stick, and above all else don't expect the same from a skillet! I've been plowing through Fuschia Dunlap recipes and have loved it. Stir-frying, steaming, braising away with one new kitched tool under $20.

Read an article in Saveur Magazine about stir fry. It said a 14" cast iron wok was one of the keys. So I found this one and it looked like the ones in the article. Seemed too cheap but thought what the heck the reviews are great. So I bought one. I set it upside down on my barbeque for a couple hours to burn off the oil from the casting process. Then I rubbed the inside down with oil and heated it up to smoking hot, let it cool and repeated that 2 more times. Then I cooked. This thing is great. It is virtually nonstick, I couldn't believe a piece of cast iron would season that easily as I have several pieces of the traditional thick black cast iron and they can take months to season properly. Not so with this.
The descriptions of this here and at the Wok Shop say it is round bottom but in reality it has a flat surface on the bottom that is adequate to hold it upright on the stove top. Set on it's own it lays slightly off perfectly flat due to the weight of the handle but it doesn't flop over. Put anything in it and it sets up perfectly. The handle is hollow and doesn't get hot, which surprised me. I thought I would have to use an oven glove but not so.
I have been making stir fry with this that comes out exactly as I want it too. I have never really been able to do this before. The article was right and this wok is exactly what I needed. It looks sort of rough and rustic and that makes me like it even more. It is a contrast to my stainless "gourmet" cookware and will outcook all of it when it comes to stirfry. It has opened a whole nuther world of cooking for me.
To sum it up this is a steal at the price and it works perfect. I think I will by another one just because they are so cheap. Why not have two. Or three, or .....

The wok was ordered on August 22, and it arrived Sept 24. The company, M.V.Trading, first sent an incorrect item and by the time they acknowledged their error, it took the company 3 additional weeks to ship the correct item. The wok arrived partially damaged in a torn box with barely any tape to keep the box closed. One of the worst companies I have ever encountered with exceptionally poor customer service practices. Order with caution from this company.

This wok is so beautiful that my best friend wanted to order one the minute he saw it. Customer service is a dream. It must be what it was like back in the old days when people actually knew each other and treated each other as family. That is how Tane treated me. And I deeply appreciate that. She has made a life long loyal customer in me. I honestly feel like I can trust her. Now how many vendors can you say that about? I know. I bought this for me, am buying a flat bottom for my friend, and a steamer and all the accessories and later on, maybe a hot pot. Tane has inspired me to learn how to cook my veggies perfectly and quickly to retain their vitamins. And this way is every bit as quick as packaged food but SO much healthier. Thanks Tane. :)

I love Asian cooking and have done quite a few stir-fries over the years, and have dreaded it due to the length of time from start to finish. I watched a few videos on [...] regarding stir-fries and saw how quick and easy (not to mention how delicious) it could be, and decided to give it another try. So Wok shopping I went.

I visited every possible web-site out there in search of the "perfect" wok. Price ranges vary as does the quality. I read the reviews on this Pow Wok and was immediately very impressed, but was leery due to the low price of it; so I kept looking. Each place site I visited, I kept coming back to amazon.com for this Pow Wok. I went ahead and ordered it with the thought of "for less than $20 for the wok, if it doesn't work out, dump it/save and buy another one."

Before I got the wok I got an e-mail from the seller giving me step by step instructions on how to season the wok (time consuming but worth every minute of it). I was impressed that for less than $20, the seller sends me an e-mail telling me how to handle the merchandise and hoping that I will be satisfied with my purchase. I have spent hundreds of dollars on a single item and never received an e-mail from the seller, let alone receive an e-mail or call back due to dissatisfaction with a product or even caring if I liked their product at all.

Word of warning: Give yourself several hours to scrub/wash/season your wok. It's time consuming, and yes, ventilate your house when doing this. My wok is gorgeous!! I used it to make sesame chicken the first night I received it and it earned the highest rating I can possibly give it.

I checked the seller's web-site and they offer some good stuff for reasonable prices and I will be purchasing from them in the future.

Happy Woking!

The owner of this shop is very kind and helpful. This Wok finish is a bit rough, but if you're not attached to looks and only performance you will really like it. The welds and lack of finish quality are worse than my first welding job in middle school metal shop, literally, I'm not exaggerating. I'm not totally attached to the looks of things, more about the performance, so I can live with it, but I was quite surprised by the rough finish. You get what you pay for, it's so cheap! I found it for half the price at a non-amazon shop after buying it here, hunt around. The cleaning and seasoning process takes some work/time, give yourself several hours! I love cooking with this thing!