Customer Reviews

Joyce Chen Pro-Chef 14-Inch Round Bottom Wok with Wood Handles

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This is really the best wok if you are cooking on a gas stove. Flat bottom woks are really not going to give you the best flavor, and many woks readily available in the US are too heavy to lift and shake the food while cooking - which is the way a wok should be used. This wok is round-bottomed and light, and costs much less than almost all of the other woks on offer.

I bought this wok because I have a gas range and I wanted to try a good carbon steel wok. I was not disappointed. I was able to season the wok very easily as detailed in the instructions. This wok is light and heats up very well. The food tasted great too. You will have to purchase a ring separately as well as a cover, but for this price it's a great deal.

This is heavy, solid, and BIG. Lightly ridged sides keep food out of the oil. It's sturdy, well-made, generously sized -- this is a real treat to cook with.

This is a rounded bottom wok. It's best used for cooking on a gas range. If you cook on electric, you'll want the flat-bottomed wok. It also needs to be "seasoned" they way you would season cast iron. If you do that, you will end up with a cook surface that cleans up beautifully. However, you do have to be aware of this when you scrub it clean - don't use anything too abrasive or you'll have to re-season it.

I have been nothing but pleased with the performance of this pan. It heats up well, cooks beautifully, and the seasoning has made it lightly non-stick (just like with cast iron) and so cleaning up isn't a major chore. I heartily recommend this wok for anyone cooking over gas. I love mine, and I think you will love it, too.

Juat a "heads-up" for those of you looking for a nice Round Bottom Wok. This wok is listed as "round bottom", so I ordered one for use on my gas top stove. I specifically wanted a round bottom wok as I not only believe they cook more evenly, but I have a wok ring to use with it. Amazon suggested I buy a wok ring to go with this wok. When it came, it was FLAT BOTTOM! I was so disappointed, but ordered another (which shipped very quickly, thank you Amazon) and the second one was ALSO FLAT BOTTOM! I returned it, too. I am taking a break from the order-and-return cycle, but hope to shop again here with Amazon. I just won't order the Joyce Chen Round Bottom Wok...although the quality looks superb.

I purchased this round bottom wok years ago and fell into disatisfaction after using it a few times, having problems with sticking food and minor rust problems I put it in storage. More recently after seeing a video on wok seasoning and care I brought my wok back into service. I learned that proper seasoning and maintenance is actually easy when you incorporate it into your cooking experience. While I wish I had a gas cooktop I still prefer the round bottom because the wok ring allows you to set the height and gimble the heat to where you want it. I've been making some of the tastiest meals I've ever cooked in this wok, and rust is a thing of the past. Do all your food prep before heating the wok because you will be cooking fast. The cleanup is simple. Just run some hot water into it and a quick scrub with a stiff bristle brush and dry.
If you really want to see the round bottom wok cook the way it was invented for, you can lay it in the bed of a wood or charcoal fire. It makes backyard parties and camping trips really taste good.
Proper seasoning is going to make lots of smoke the first time, so be ready for that. Also be aware that the hot oil vapors can flash fire, so be careful. My wok is now a primary cooking implement and I've purchased the ladle and spatula to make it easier and faster to cook with. I rarely buy chinese takeout anymore because I cook it my way now. The wok is also great for reheating stir fried leftovers. The wok now has a nice blackened color to it and is frequently a conversation starter.
Wok cooking is an art form and needs to be practiced to make perfect, but "perfect" comes in many levels and stages. So begin with proper seasoning and be adventurous and experience foods in a beautifully delicious way.

Prior to buying this wok, I had been interested in buying a wok for some time. I did a significant amount of research and decided this one would be the best one for my money since a seasoned wok appeared to work better than a teflon wok and a round bottom also cooked better than a flat bottomed. I was a little worried that the handle might be loose according to other reviews, but I figured it would be something I could fix if it was an issue.

After I received the wok, I set out to season it. Make sure you don't use vegetable oil, since it will cause a lot of smoke. Canola or peanut oil works better. Also, it works best to heat up the wok to a really high temperature before applying the oil to a small spot with something like a paper towel and then repeating for each area. Using this method, no oil is ever sitting in the pot and it seems to work better for me.

While seasoning a wok was a new and challenging experience for me, I was able to do it without much trouble. The handle also proved to be fastened to the wok firmly without any issues.

So far I love it and have had no issues with it. Great product, especially for the price.

The handle fits loosely over the metal connector attached to the wok. No matter how hard I try to thread the handle on, it still spins freely making the wok useless. Other reviewers have experienced the same thing. One reviewer recommends this wok after being forced to *glue* the handle on! Absolutely not. I'm returning this one, and heading to Chinatown to get a better one, which I should have done in the first place. Don't buy this wok!

After doing a bunch of research I've found that carbon-steel, round bottom is the way to go and I was not disappointed. The carbon-steel heats up very quickly and although it may not hold the heat like that of a cast iron, isn't the point to have the nice hot center for cooking anyways? There have been some issues with others about the handle and here is whats going on:
When you receive the wok it comes in three parts: the bowl, the handle, and a threaded rod for attaching the handle to the bowl. If you look on the bowl where the handle attaches you will see two little "wings", if you will, that look like a stop block to keep the handle from going all the way down to the bowl when screwing down the threaded rod. That is only partially right. If you stop there the handle will indeed rotate freely. I however continued on and as I kept tightening it down the wings embeded themselves into the wood of the handle thus preventing the handle from turning. The wood is fairly soft so no more than hand turning should be needed. However I discovered this when trying to season it and the heat very potentially softened it some.

In short if you attach the handle correctly you should have yourself a really great cookware which will serve for many years.

Lastly others haven't mentioned sesame oil for seasoning but I used it to add a little bit more to my seasoning and it worked great. Just don't let it pool and cook on that way. Otherwise while cooking it will come off leaving an unseasoned spot on your wok.

I had an ordering problem with the flat bottom vs the round bottom version of this wok several years ago (see other reviews and comments). We ordered two ROUND bottom, and one came flat and one came round. UGH. After TWO returns, including several customer service contacts, one remains an unused and unwanted flat bottom wok. I don't care if you use electric or gas, USE THE ROUND bottom wok. Use a flat bottom ONLY if you have one of those smooth glass top ranges. If you have gas or electric, just put this wok right on the burner without any stabilizer ring (fire ring) or anything. It may not sit exactly straight, but so be it. You want the round bottom so your chuan (metal spatula) will fit the rounded bottom contour of the wok. Try to get a round bottom one if you can. I hope you don't get a flat bottom like we did several times, unless of course you are stuck with a flat glass top range so you have no choice. That alone is enough for me to never buy a flat glass top range. When properly seasoned and used on a gas or electric burner, this wok gets 4.5 stars from me, after studying Chinese cuisine for about 25 years now. The one I bought a few years ago is heavy and durable, and if you keep it seasoned and oiled, it will last a lifetime. I am back here writing this review because I just recommended this wok to a friend.

I seasoned it as suggested. It took forever, but I think it will be worth it.