Customer Reviews

16 inch Carbon Steel Hand Hammered Wok (incl. wok ring)

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Many (or only a few) years from now people will figure out that there is nothing healthy about eating stir fried food out of a non-stick coated Wok. How can it be? Non-Stick was not made for high heat and it is not good for using lots of utensils in.
I tried them all, Stainless (horrible), aluminum (not so bad!), non-stick (cancerous), Cast Iron (wonderful) and Carbon (wonderful). The trick really is in the seasoning. If you have that down and you treat it the way it should be treated (I.e. no soap, no standing liquids, heat dry, rub in oil after use) then this wok will become your cheapest as well as favorite kitchen tool. Almost non-stick without chemicals!

The have several sizes from the Wok Shop (THE BEST!!!) and this one has not disappointed. My most used size. I have mostly single handle (wood) but this larger size is best with the double hancle. I like the all steel as I sometimes reseason under the broiler and that is not so good with wood handles lest you cover them up.

Pros:
- Great size
- Durable
- Natural non-stick

Cons:
- You need to get familiar with how to season and properly maintain (not alot of work, just a good Google search or read the Wok SHop instructions.

I bought this wok as a Christmas gift for my DH. He previously lived in Japan and cooks all the fun and exciting Japanese dishes that I would never think of or even try.

He loves this wok! I got the 16 inch even though there are just two of us in case we decided to have company and make some extra.

He spent the afternoon seasoning it first as the instructions explained and from my understanding this will continue to season itself over time with you.

Then he made my favorite seafood stir fry with noodles and some tempura veggies. I know he would have loved to make something more challenging but made my favorite first :-)

The Wok Shop (who is the company selling this) sent the wok super quickly, I think I had it within a week of ordering and used standard shipping. They were nice enough to include a little "gift pack" that included some utensils to use with it and a little booklet with some receipe ideas.

My husband wanted only a hand hammered wok, and this one is beautifully done. You have to look close to see where it was even hammered. The craftsmanship is just perfect. Since I don't know anything about Woks...or cooking with them I was glad it included the ring since I wouldn't have known to order one. Turns out that this is what keeps it upright on the stove burner...makes sense now that I think of it...This wok is very sturdy and I can see us having this for years! Who knows by that point I might actually learn to cook something in it. In the meantime I'll stick to my Calaphalon pans, but this wok is perfect for those who know what to cook in it.


~Good Cooking, Good Times, Good Friends

The wok arrived today and am very pleased with the quality. As this is my first wok, I researched /shopped local Asian markets in the Austin, TX area but could only find machine made woks in the 16" size. The machine made woks were thinner wall and didn't look to be of a robust assembly. I make those statements after comparison to the wok I purchased in which the higher quality was immediately evident after opening the package. I highly recommend this wok. The vendor also added some basic wok cooking utensils in the package and they were forthcoming with email information on shipment tracking and how to maintain the product, an A+ vendor.

I've never had luck seasoning things until a friend at work enlightened me. I FIRST used the enclosed book instructions for seasoning the wok, then added my friend's method: season in oven at 400 several hours: rubbed a thin layer of grapeseed oil all over wok, "baked" (inverted) about 2 hours (aluminum foil covering bottom of oven to catch dripping oil) at 400. Wok has the most beautiful color all over - a deep reddish dark bronze and perfectly seasoned. Gets more black on bottom with use which is what you want. No ring needed on electric stove - seems like a gas stove would be ideal for wok cooking. Regardless, this is a wonderful addition to the kitchen and gets better with age.

If you season this wok, it will last you a long time. It's sturdy and I've never had a problem with it bending, even when I fill it with water.

Make sure to be sensitive to the type of utensils you use against the seasoned finish, it can flake off if you use metal. Then, because I use this on high heat, some plastic spoons and spatulas have melted. Be sure that your spoons can withstand high heat.

This will heat evenly if you have a gas flame under it, but that is a property of the flame and not the wok. It's not bad at distributing the heat, though I have yet to look at it under infrared to be truly sure.

From this, the quality of your stir-fry will be up to you. You can make a rather poor job of cooking, but if you learn the techniques of cooking order and learn how to make sauces, this is the perfect tool for you.

Terry

The instructions from the seller helped me season my new wok perfectly. It's just the right size to do a nice big meal for 2 with leftovers. The ring isn't big enough to go around my burner, so I just use it without it and it's surprisingly stable. Great workmanship and great price. I couldn't be happier.

Didn't think this wok would make it to MN by Xmas but it did. Very happy with the wok and special instructions that the Wok Shop sent to my email. Very happy with product, prompt delivery!

This is a very nice, quality wok that is very reasonably priced. It comes with some cooking utensils and a cool cookbook. I highly recommend this wok!

This WOK is a marvelous item. Delivery was timely. It is of the highest quality and it produces excellent cooking results. Seasoning is easy and the instructions to do so are clear. This is the real deal. The best WOK and the last WOK you will ever need!

You can tell the care that went into this. Little gifts on the side, it make s me proud to own this wok. Amazing!