Customer Reviews

Presto 5900 1500-Watt Stainless-Steel Electric Wok

5 star:		(48)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

I was considering buying the Breville EW30XL wok but balked at the non-stick surface scratching issues that I'd read other consumers were experiencing. In all fairness to Breville this is what they wrote me about the non-stick scratching issue people are experiencing:

The coating used in our EW30XL is a very high quality coating called Quantanium, made by Whitford. We recommend using wooden utensils and avoiding the use of excessive oil. This product has less than a 1% defective rate currently.

I pondered buying the Breville EW30XL but ended up buying the Presto 5900 Stainless Steel Wok. I figured no matter how careful I'd be with the EW30XL it'd eventually become scratched due to my negligence just like the rest of my other non-scratch surface type kitchen pans.
I'm sure you wouldn't go wrong with the Breville EW30XL wok given the proper care and attention.
A few days after I purchased the Presto 5900 Stainless Steel Wok I tried out one of the recipes that came with the instructions and it came out great (Chicken with Snow Peas, Carrots and Bean Sprouts). The vegetables came out nice and crisp and the chicken wasn't tough or dried out. It was a big improvement over the way I used to cook stir fry which was cooking with a traditional wok, the kind with the ring that the wok sits on while it's cooking on the range. I cooked over a natural gas range that wasn't calorific enough to provide the satisfactory results needed for a good stir fry. This resulted in everything I stir fried coming out lukewarm and mushy.
One thing you'll have to pay attention to when you're cooking with the Presto 5900 Stainless Steel Wok, is that you'll have to have all of your "ducks in a row". In other words, you can't be reading the recipe trying to figure out what happens next in the recipe or cutting ingredients while the Presto wok is sizzling away at 375 degrees temp ... you might over-stir fry whatever you're cooking at the time.
The Presto 5900 Stainless Steel Wok is a nice unit and I can't wait to try other recipes with it. After so many years I've finally been able to enjoy a hot stir fried meal instead of my usual lukewarm and mushy stir fry. I really enjoyed that.
I almost forgot ... the short cord wasn't a problem for me, in fact, if it was any longer I'd have a conflict with all of the other cooking things I have cluttered on my counter top. I'd end up with a tangled, coiled up mess if the cable was any longer. In fact, the length was perfect. That doesn't mean the short cable length will work for everyone as we've read in the other reviews, so, you'd have to see for yourself to make the final decision. A small extension cord will fix any cable length issue so it shouldn't be a problem.
Good luck, everyone, regardless of what you end up buying.

I bought this wok because it was stainless steel as a non-stick version would have to be replaced much sooner because of the interior. This wok is very nice looking. It heats quickly with much of the outside area remaining cool to the touch. Clean-up is a breeze. The electrical cord is short but I use an extention cord to get it away from my cupboards. I am very happy with my purchase and would recommend it to others.

I was reluctant to spend so much money on this wok, but after scratching my way through two inexpensive, non-scratch, I decided to take the chance. I'm very happy that I did. It heats quickly and evenly, and is surprisingly easy to clean. The only thing keeping this from having a five-star rating is the short cord. I understand that it must be short for safety reasons, but a just few more inches would be nice for placing the wok a bit farther from the wall.

If you found this review using a search engine, you are probably VERY interested
in how many quarts this thing holds. I was, when I researched woks, and NOWHERE
on the net was this listed. Sure, the dimensions are there but that includes handles, etc. I was trying to replace a 7 quart wok and might have settled for 6, but 5 would have been unacceptable. Someone at Presto really screwed up not providing this critical piece of information in their marketing write ups which are parroted all over the net, including at Amazon. I'm sure it is costing them sales.

Drumroll please......IT HOLDS JUST OVER 7 QUARTS. I almost did not buy this because of the aforementioned mystery but relented since it seemed to fit, in every other way, what I was looking for. I got lucky.

As for other aspects: The cover is real nice. The body is a bit lighter weight than I thought it might be but is acceptable. There are a couple of manufacturing flaws in the body which I will live with (a small deformation bump in the base and a small pit in the side) so don't expect a perfect product. The legs are screwed into the aluminum base and it would be real easy to strip the threads if you are not careful. The instructions warn about that. Two of the legs required tightening right out of the box, not a big deal. The legs smartly have rubber pads on the bottom to prevent slipping on the counter. I will confirm the control cord is short, but that is fine with me. Longer would actually be inconvenient. It seems to heat well, though I don't have a lot of experience with it yet. My needs are not heavy in that area.

Overall I am happy with it and, since it luckily meets my capacity requirements, I am giving it 4 stars. It would have been 5 if I did not have to guess at what I was buying and did not have the very minor flaws in the body.

The day this arrived I gave it the obligatory washing/drying and put it to use. We FINALLY were able to have some very good stir fry that very night. I want to thank other reviewers for accurately reporting that it heats up quickly and does a terrific job of holding heat for stir fry cooking. I especially want to thank those who said this performed as well if not better than non-electric stove top woks.

I've never been a fan of "non-stick" surfaces. They tend to break down. I've been down the "hammered steel" road with woks before and was never satisfied with their performance. The stainless steel finish on this cleans up easily and if you follow the instructions for adding water to the dirty wok and placing the lid on to remove food residue easily, you will not harm the finish.

To the reviewer who didn't like the shortness of the cord: Blame your federal government for that.

This stainless wok heats well, seemed to hold its temperature very well during long term use as we did in two hours of cooking tempura for eighteen..our only use at this point. It cleaned up well, too. I bought it BECAUSE it is stainless and not the nonstick kind.
Rating by stars is problematic. I'd have given it five stars as so far so good, works as I expected. But...one star removed and almost two from the five because the plug-in control 'pod' fits so closely under the wok body that it is hot, hard to adjust during use without burning yourself on the hot stainless steel wok part. The control clearly needed to sit out about two more inches. The cord length seemed to be a good length, not too long and in the way, not too short.

I purchased a Presto stainless steel wok to get away from coated surfaces. Overall, the product was a pleasant surprise. First, a warning to those who are leaving older, coated, electric woks; the temperature control on this wok is very quick to respond after preheating. It's almost as quick to heat and cool as a steel wok on a gas stove. Very impressive! If you were used to preheating your teflon wok to 375 degrees for stir-frying, you probably noticed that after you began adding ingredients, the temperature declined and never returned fully to the desired temp. The Presto wok hits the temperature you set and stays there. The company recommends some lower temperatures for such things as seafood and vegetables. Take them seriously. Use the lower recommended settings and reserve 375 for searing beef, pork, and chicken. Be prepared to turn the heat down after that. It will respond quickly. In fact, everything will stir-fry faster than most coated woks, so be prepared to step lively while cooking!

One drawback to the Presto wok is a lack of racks for steaming or draining tempura. Presto and its call center are both still located in Wisconsin, and a call to them revealed that the company never gave much thought to these other wok functions. A tempura rack and steaming insert (the simple, perforated aluminum type for 14" wok) are inexpensive and easily obtained online. I recommend The Wok Shop out of New York. The glass cover of the Presto wok is heavy and unvented, a slight drawback to steaming. I simply left the lid slightly ajar to vent, set the temp to just under 225, and used 2 to 3 cups of water. It works like a charm, and I can even steam tamales with the wok.

If capacity is a question, I would estimate this wok at 6.5 qts. I don't know of many who have ever tried to stir-fry that much volume in a single recipe, but it can be done. The flat bottom of the wok is the hot zone cooking surface. If you move things up the sides, they are not likely to burn or overcook.

Cleanup is usually easy following the company directions. My wife and I love stir-frying. The Presto wok is a great addition to our kitchen.

This is an excellent wok that I have ever used. Before I purchased this wok that I have bought an expensive "B" brand wok......especially that I have check all the reviews from Amazon but it wasn't as good as all the review said. I felt bad that I waste my $99 on a wok which coating got rid off just right after 3 months since I received it. So, be smart....I don't work for this wok company but I did buy this wok and I am strongly to recommand you....this wok would be a good choice for you.

Very good product judging from our initial use, well made and a calibrated dial on handle so you get better temperature control. Bit more costly than others, but were happy with the purchase and would recommend to others.

After several non-stick woks I decided to get one that wouldn't peel away and am never sure of the health aspects so a stainless wok makes sense. With proper lubing and care it works find.