JOYCE CHEN Classic Series 14-Inch Carbon Steel Wok with Birch Handles

It's a round solid bottom carbon steel wok. The handles are solid and well made so far. I love the price and prime delivery. It came all the way from Taiwan. So it keeps all the stars. I had an non-typical sized 13-inch Chinese cast iron wok for 2 years. 14 inch makes a lot of difference in the volume but still fit reasonably into my twin kitchen sink. My typical wok ring is for 14 inches and above. It was slightly too large for my old wok. Carbonized food residue can integrate with the cast iron or come off in trunks. I think carbon steel should be better. I would have got the small steel loop handles if they are not more expensive including shipping. For seasoning I can put the whole wok in the oven or the gas barbecue. Also, wood will break down sooner than metal, right? Without the wood handles, it could fit better in the sink. However, the wood handles are much more convenient than without. I can happily live with it. The wok comes with a clear protective lacquer. The boiling, hot soapy water, and abrasive pad helps to remove most or all of it. I don't know if there's something special about my hand dish detergent - Palmolive pure & clear ultra. When the undiluted detergent make contact with the wok surface, the surrounding area seems to have lacquer still on it. And before the lacquer comes off completely, wiping the wok with kitchen paper towel will result in greenish color on the paper. And when the wok seems to be very clean, it seems to rust on one side (slightly brownish spots) as soon as you are washing the other side. The seasoning instructions are a bit brief. I would dry the wok first completely before adding oil for example. And they should say what to expect after you season the wok. Peanut oil has a higher smoke point so I wonder if that would make the kitchen less smokey. I would say the idea of seasoning is to get a least a brown color on the shiny carbon steel surface, black doesn't hurt as long as it is even (see my pic). If you don't do that during seasoning, a proper stir fry will do that for you (unevenly though). The sturdy wood handle is great to manoeuvre the wok to get some brown color on the side. The area near the rim doesn't matter much as it is not hot enough during cooking and food don't get there to be carbonized. For after use care you don't actually need to put oil on it, as long as you don't use detergent. I dry it by flame because when it is wet, any normal rust will stain the sink. I don't know why I didn't season the bottom of the wok. I didn't remember if it is in the instructions. The whole bottom rust after use. For the oven seasoning method I used to put oil on both sides. For this one I just smear oil on the bottom and put it under the stove, normal side up.

Just got this wok today. This is the first stovetop wok I've owned. My previous was an electric, non-stick wok whose non-stick finish finally wore out after many years. This one seems to be good quality and hopefully it's the last one I'll ever buy. I read many of the reviews, and it seems many people are having a problem removing the factory anti-rust coating and getting it seasoned properly. I was able to get it done and seasoned, at least to my satisfaction. Here's what I did: 1) The most important step is to completely remove the factory coating. I followed the instructions on the cardboard label as to boiling water for in the wok for 5-10 minutes. I did 10. To remove the coating, use a steel wool soap pad (Brillo) and LOTS of elbow grease. Don't be afraid to scrub hard, inside and out, adding a little water to keep things flowing. When you think you have it, rinse and check for any places where the water seems to bead up and scrub that area some more. When you're satisfied, dry it with paper towels and heat it on the stove to dry thoroughly. 2) Now "Blue" the wok. This is a step that's not in the enclosed instructions, but it's important according to what I read on Youtube. Turn the burner up high and heat the pan until it turns blue. Tilt and rotate to hold different parts over the flame until each part, bottom and all sides, turn approximately the same shade of blue. 3) Time to season the wok. While it's still hot, coat the inside and outside with a high temperature oil. I used Canola oil cooking spray. Use a paper towel pad held in tongs to remove ALLthe oil, leaving a very thin, even coating. Repeat the same heating routine you used to blue the wok, heating each area, bottom and sides, until it no longer smokes (Open the windows and use an exhaust fan if you have it). Repeat the seasoning step twice more. If you did it properly it should look about like the attached photo. If it comes out mottled a lot , you didn't scrub the factory finish off thoroughly enough. Start again with the Brillo pad. I have a gas range. If you have electric, you may be able to get the same results; no guarantees.

This is one of the worst products I have bought from Amazon. Seasoning instructions obeyed to the letter caused uneven black with ridges. Smoked so badly I had to throw it into the garden.

La calidad es muy buena, se siente pesado y aunque es delgado esta bien, se calienta muy rápido, no recomiendo los que traen antiadherentes ya que los woks son para usarse a fuego alto y eso echa a perder el antiadherente. Ahí vienen las instrucción es mas o menos lo que hice y creo que si funcionó. El video lo dejé hasta la mitad porque si se lleva su tiempo pero se ve como va cambiando de color a azul. En las imagenes se ve como esta nuevo y como quedó al final, después de varios usos se deberá ir quedando negro completamente. Parece que esta sucio pero así es, al tocarlo no se siente pegajoso, se siente liso y resbaladizo. Primero hay que lavar bien el wok con agua caliente, jabón y estropajo verde o lana de acero. Secar, calentar a fuego medio a que se empiece a quemar o agarrar un tono azulado. Dejar enfriar y luego poner una capa de aceite en todo el wok y poner al fuego a que humee. Así varias veces 2 o 3. Cocinar unas cebollas, papas o jengibre hasta quemar y ya estará listo para usar. Se puede lavar solo con agua, secar, poner a calentar a fuego bajo y volver a poner una capa de aceite, dejar enfriar y guardar. Si lo consiguen a un precio similar comprenlo, si lo recomiendo bastante.

Strong and works well.

Good

The Classic Series (not seasoned) is an entry level budget wok that had positive reviews on some kitchen review websites. As this is my first wok i didn't want to spend alot & it isn't too difficult to season which saves on cost. Like all woks they require some maintenance to prevent rust. Unfortunately this wok is of poor quality. Firstly i noticed the two rivets that hold the handle on is not secure, there is some slight wobble. I then followed the instructions to remove the protective lacquer by boiling water in the wok & then scrubbing with soap & hot water to rinse off & dry. Although its difficult to tell whether it has been removed, the sticker still left a mark on the pan regardless. I started the seasoning process by heating the pan & adding advocado oil which has a high smoke point which i burned off to make it polymerize to form a non stick coating, including around the sides. I repeated this four times. I then cooked some root veg just to absorb any chemicals & further help the seasoning before cooking an egg to test its non stick coating. Success i thought, the egg did not stick & i could slide it around the pan. However with further cooks the non stick coating started to peel off, it doesn't adhere to the carbon steel too good. I also noticed the wok distort significantly on the bottom with a 2cm gap at one end making it sit uneven & wobble on the stove which isn't very safe. This tells me that the metal is too thin on the bottom (1.5mm) & off poor quality. £25 may seem like good value compared to the pricier woks but its still overpriced considering its a poor quality product that wont last. You buy cheap you buy twice. So i decided to return it back to Amazon for a refund as its not satisfactory.