Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fantastic Wok, December 10, 2007
I was not sure this wok would measure up to my standards of Chinese cooking. I have two other traditional Chinese steel woks that I use a lot. But, what I found with this wok is that, even though the heat source doesn't have to be on high, the mass of iron in this wok generated much more heat and my Chinese dishes came out fantastically. I have been totally shocked at how this wok performed.
The surface needs to be gently seasoned, as do the surfaces of Le Creuset's grill pans, but, once that is done, food rarely sticks to it (or, the grill pans). I usually let some water soak in the pan after I've taken the food out, and after that, stuck-on food easily come off. I highly recommend this pan.
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7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
So far, so good, March 28, 2006
I have not seen a crack in the handle of my new wok, but I am keeping my eyes open. In the meantime, I have used the wok to cook a couple of meals. Keeping with the fine Le Creuset tradition of fabulous cookware, the wok cooks beautifully. I have read elsewhere that high stovetop temperatures may compromise the cast iron, so I keep the heat to medium to medium-high. The cast iron retains heat beautifully, so you won't need high heat to cook. I give the wok five stars so far. If the handle cracks, it's back to Williams-Sonoma for another.
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11 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
STAUB Wok - versus - LE CREUSET Wok, September 30, 2008
Product Dimensions:
Le Creuset Wok measures: 14 x 14 x 4 inches ; 14.1 pounds -
Limited lifetime warranty
Staub 7-quart Wok measures 14 inches in diameter; 15 pounds -
Lifetime limited warranty
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Le Creuset claims their wok is "Dishwasher safe" However, one should never place seasoned iron cookware in a dishwasher as they will rust and the soap (detergent) will break down the pan's seasoning and "wok hay".
Le Creuset is oven safe to 400 degrees.
Staub 7-quart Wok: Hand washing recommended by Staub. Although their new cooking surface is less tenuous than the Le Creuset's surface due to Staub's enameled interior, in addition to their exterior surfaces being enamel-coated.
Staub is oven safe to 500 degrees.
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The Staub wok is ready to use immediately.
The Le Creuset must be seasoned prior to first use.
Both will become better cooking surfaces with continued use and proper care.
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Staub enameled cast iron products are highly durable. They do not discolor or rust, they resist chipping, and do not require seasoning.
Le Creuset enameled cast iron products are also highly durable. The lighter colored enamels will occasionally discolor, and etch when cooking acidic foods, there are sometimes rust issues if improperly maintained, they resist chipping, and their wok requires seasoning.
Staub's interiors, as well as the exterior surfaces are enamel-coated iron. The durable black ---matte--- finish enamel interior does not require initial seasoning for use or rust protection. The more you use your Staub product, the better it gets! Oils used when cooking will penetrate the pores of the ---matte enamel finish--- and create a natural, smooth, nonstick surface, just like a finely seasoned non-enameled iron pan. The smooth enameled exterior is easier to clean.
The almost impervious black coating found on well-used woks takes time, care and lots of cooking before a wok develops this patina. The ultimate goal is for the wok to impart "wok hay", an elusive pan flavor and aroma that is associated with Chinese restaurant dishes. Actually, wok hay comes from cooking over extremely high heat in a well-seasoned pan.
Commercial wok burners have as many as 140,000 BTU's. Professional-style home ranges have a maximum BTU rating of 17,000. Regular home stoves' BTU rating is only 7,000 per burner. It is therefore difficult for home cooks to prepare restaurant quality stir-fry. The thick iron construction of both Staub and Le Creuset help compensate for this BTU deficiency by collecting and retaining heat from the burner in order to produce memorable Chinese meals.
Once a wok imparts wok hay, it is respected like a finely-tuned instrument. As the patina builds up, less cooking oil is required making foods more healthy. "A wok must be very hot for stir-fries to have the grilled, smoky flavor that is so distinctive of wok hay," says Chinese cooking authority Ken Hom.
According to Grace Young, people tend to be very superstitious in Hong Kong and "wok hay" is so coveted that "when a customer is served a stir-fry void of wok hay, it is often interpreted as an ominous sign of bad luck."
Staub made a wonderfully functional design decision to coat the interior with a matte surface, while coating the exterior of the pan with the traditional smooth surface. For this reason, I prefer to use Staub when liquids are involved due to their rust-free coated interior surface. Le Creuset has it over Staub when it comes to style. My Le Creuset is Chinese Red (what else?) - and it is a gorgeous utensil that is certain to turn everyone's attention.
Le Creuset and Staub are each capable of excellent performance and wok hay if properly maintained and well seasoned.
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