Helen's Asian Kitchen Carbon Steel Wok Stir Fry Pan, 12-inch

I ordered my new wok after our old Farberware Millennium wok’s nonstick coating started flaking off. I read Cook’s Illustrated and like to experiment with cooking, so thought I was ready to try a carbon steel wok without the nonstick coating. This one was highly recommended by CI.Followed the instructions for seasoning. This is the first pan I’ve had to season so I was a rookie. I read the instructions, watched about 15 YouTube videos, and read blogs on how to properly season carbon steel. Tried the stovetop method. Looked ok, cooked some stir fry, worked pretty well. Made the mistake of leaving water in it to soak a bit, and guess what - it rusted. OK, lesson learned. Start over. Now I looked up videos on how to remove rust and re-season. This time I oven seasoned. Covered the helper handle with tinfoil and wet paper towels to protect it, and this method seemed to work much better.After about a year and using it about 2-3 times a month, I think it’s looking pretty good for a rookie. The bottom of the wok is seasoned beautifully! The inside looks great but has dark colored seasoning on the bottom that after reading some more online I’m pretty sure is from me turning the heat up too high. Apparently you don’t need really high heat with a carbon steel wok. I’ll try slightly lower heat!To wash after cooking, I wipe with a paper towel. If food is cooked on, I put some water in it and heat it up for a couple minutes but DO NOT let it soak, use soap, or let it stay damp. I dump the water out right away, and clean and dry it thoroughly, even turning it around over low heat to evaporate any water left on the surface. Then I apply a thin coat of oil with a paper towel and store it away!The lid is a little cheesy but it works. I do like having a lid.It cooks great, food doesn’t stick and after my 2nd try at seasoning doesn’t taste like rust or metal anymore, haha. It’s also pretty light weight and I love the helper handle on it. Perfect size for my family. I have a glass cooktop and it sits perfectly on it. I don’t have any trouble with wobbling like some have commented.If you can’t deal with seasoning and the care required I wouldn’t recommend this. If you’re willing to give it a try and keep up with proper maintenance, it’s a fantastic wok.

I bought this flat-bottom wok to use on my Viking induction plate. It is a beauty, with solid and sturdy wooden handles. I believe this is termed a "spun" factory-made wok, because of the concentric circles that are evident in the metal. The gauge is the proper thickness and when I press on the sides with my hands I cannot bend it.If you don't know how to season a wok this one comes with very clear and concise instructions for seasoning. Personally, I think everyone buying a wok for the first time should also consider buying Grace Young's The Breath of a Wok: Unlocking the Spirit of Chinese Wok Cooking Through Recipes and Lore. You will find many helpful "recipes" for seasoning a wok in that book. In fact, if you are new to wok-ing, and not in a big rush to get started, you should buy the book before you buy the wok. It is the best stir-frying cookbook I own, and is more important to a novice wok-er than her newer book Stir-Frying to the Sky's Edge: The Ultimate Guide to Mastery, with Authentic Recipes and Stories.I also have a 16" round bottom wok that I use on an Eastman Outdoors 90411 Portable Kahuna Burner out in the yard. (Sorry, I tried to provide a product link, but failed. It is offered by Amazon, though.) The 16" wok is a higher gauge metal (which means it is a thinner metal) and I can bend the sides by pushing on it with my hands. The thinner metal gives me some trouble on the powerful burner, and I am much happier with the thickness of this Helen Chen wok. The long, wooden handle makes it easier to manipulate the wok--it is way easier to work with than the metal "ear" handles of my 16".I love to stir-fry, but I hate the smell in the kitchen. So I try to keep my stir-frying activities out-of-doors. Along with this new wok, I also bought a metal cart with wheels Seville Classics SHE18321 Stainless Steel Kitchen Workstation. Now I keep the induction plate and the wok on the cart and wheel the whole setup out to the porch. I can now stir-fry anytime I want to and not worry about the wind. (The powerful flame of the Portable Kahuna Burner does not mix well with any wind over 5mph.)The only thing I don't really like about this product is that the name "Helen Chen" is wood-burned into the top of the long handle. You can not see that in the picture. I consider it a distraction.

Some reviews show rust on iron???? Carbon steel is always sensitive towards rust if you dont know how to use. This a good product and well priced. Only issue is, weight of the handle is little higher than the pan so it might tilt towards one side. Just be careful.

I have a couple of different homes and my wok in MN is fantastic. I don't even recall where I purchased it as it's been years. I never had to oil it initially, it works great and is so easy to clean. Nothing sticks to it and I thought most woks were made this way. I literally pulled it from the box and used it and it doesn't have a Teflon-like finish. It's just an awesome wok. Well, last season here in FL, I was searching for one and ended up with this one on Amazon. OMG....what a nightmare! Before using this product, the instruction have you alternate heating the wok and then oiling it. You need to do several rounds of this. It takes a long time! After the initial seasoning, I used it once last season. Here I am a season later and I pulled it out today to use it. The entire interior of the pan was covered in an orange-rust like film. I tried scrubbing it off with my scouring pad and paper towels. I wasted about 30 minutes of my time trying to get this rust off the interior of the wok. I removed as much film as I could and reseasoned the wok with sesame oil. I made my stir fry and the end result tasted like rust. The entire dinner ended up in the trash. In addition, all of the chicken stuck on the bottom of the wok and I couldn't get it off. Nothing got it clean. In the trash it went and so please, if you're reading this, look for another wok. This one was horrible and I can almost guarantee you won't be happy with it. There are tons of other ones out there. What a waste of money!

Great size for small meals

Tres bon Produit. Je le recommender à tous les monde!!!Merci beaucoup!

As long as you follow the directions in the instruction manual (or watch a video about the first seasoning of a carbon steel wok) this will be a versatile and useful product in your kitchen.Decades ago I had a curved bottom wok and wasn't happy with it. I really find the flat bottom of this wok ideal to use. Plus, in the past, I didn't know how to properly season a wok. But this time around, by following the directions included in the box I have a beautifully seasoned wok.I watched a video first but then I followed the exact instruction in the booklet provided. Voila, I now had a seasoned pan. Also, before my first use, as suggested on a video instruction (YouTube), I added some high smoke point oil, added cut up ginger and onion, then moved it around the hot pan until it charred. Removed, wiped thoroughly with paper towel. A beautiful way to finish the seasoning.My first use was intentionally to deep fry some croquettes, which is what I've done with cast iron too. Ever since, my wok is beautifully seasoned only requiring a light wipe out or rinse (never using soap). Just like cast iron, simply wipe dry, add a few drops of oil, heat well, wipe and cool. It's always ready for the next use and never rusts.

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We have halogen heated glass top, therefore I was happy that the flat base is sufficiently wide and suitable. Although I couldn't burn it on my halogen glass top, I went to a Chinese restaurant who seasoned it for me. I've since then cooked wonderful meals and had no problems. After cooking, I pour in hot water, rinse it, wipe it, heat it, add oils and toss some spring onions and sliced ginger. This way it's easy to maintaj. High heat not burning the base, and also heating up the sides. Once done. I keep it until cool and remove the ginger, spring onions and wipe off excess oil. I've used it 5 times now and it does start to get better. However. I find the dome too cheap, and not helpful. It's too thin, and gets bends easily. May be a wooden flat cover would have been nice addition. Overall I love this wok.