JOYCE CHEN Professional Series 12-Inch Carbon Steel Stir Fry Pan with Phenoli...

I've been using this wok several times a week for over a year now. I've been completely satisfied with its performance. Short review: Ok, you've decided on carbon steel for a wok, but which one, there are so many choices... what's different about this one? The phenolic handles and the thicker gauge steel. I have had zero problems with the handles - they're solid, look sharp, easy to clean, and they stay cool during use. The thicker steel, only half a millimeter? It makes a difference. It's very solid, no flex or warp, and it holds heat better. It has noticeably more heft than the 1.5mm, but isn't too heavy. IMO it's worth it. Overall this wok earns its "pro" label every time I handle it. Long review: Wok material - basically three choices: non-stick, cast iron, and carbon steel. Don't bother with non-stick. Proper wok stir-frying is done at high temperatures, and that doesn't go well with non-stick. A non-stick wok is really just a regular pan in the shape of a wok. Meh. Cast iron is not a bad choice, such as the option from Lodge. But it's very heavy, making it difficult to store and manipulate. And you have to use pot holders to handle it. It takes longer to preheat, and then its strength of heat retention becomes a weakness if you're looking to change the temperature quickly. What about the lightweight cast iron wok option, which comes with handles? Too sensitive to thermal shock, i.e. can easily crack due to temperature changes, while the cooking performance isn't really better than carbon steel. So, then there's carbon steel. Like cast iron, it needs to be seasoned (google and use the ginger and green onion method, not the standard methods used for cast iron). But it's stronger and more durable than cast iron of a comparable gauge, and lighter and more easily manipulated than thick cast iron. And it handles the high heat needed for proper wok stir-frying. It's the best choice. And this wok is the best choice of the carbon steel options. Flat or round bottomed? Round bottomed is the traditional shape, but unless you want to mess with a wok ring or retrofit a specialized burner, just go with the flat bottomed. Seasoning: This is not flavoring but building up layers of polymerized oil that protect the steel (or iron) from rust and provide non-stick properties. Look at 10 different how-tos for seasoning and you'll find 10 different variations. The aforementioned "ginger and green onion" method helps get the raised sides properly seasoned, then it's just a case of maintaining it properly. I've been using a traditional bamboo wok whisk with great results; there's a number of them available here. Or you can use some sort of non-scratch scrubber designed for cast iron. The key is to use something that won't remove the seasoning. Rinse it off in hot water (no soap), use the wok whisk to remove any stuck particles and rinse again, dry off with a paper towel, heat it a little bit on the stove to dry any remaining moisture, then coat it with a thin layer of vegetable oil after each use. Basically the same as cast iron. It's easier than it sounds. And the best way to maintain / improve seasoning is to keep using the wok for stir-frying or deep frying, the more you use it the more it builds seasoning naturally... Utensils, I originally used a cheapo wood-handled metal wok spatula from the local Chinese supermarket. It worked fine, until the wood handle kept coming off. So I replaced it with the Tablecraft bamboo handle SS wok spatula found here. It's a quite fine quality wok spatula, but with one problem - it's too good, the stainless steel is too hard and it scratches off the wok's seasoning, a problem I didn't have with the cheapo spatula. I've recently switched to an all-bamboo wok spatula and so far, so good... As of this writing this wok costs 25% less than I paid for it a year ago. Yet I still think it was worth the price I paid. Buy with confidence.

Had an expensive non-stick pan and it started to stick after a year so looked for alternative and found carbon steel seemed viable so gave it a try. The pan is very good quality with medium weight steel and good, balanced handle. It has a flat bottom so it works well on my gas stove. The seasoning process took about an hour, but one thing that I did not expect was how much it smelled and the amount of smoke it generated. My kitchen and whole house smelled for 3 days afterwards. I probably used a bit too much oil. After it was seasoned, I tried stir frying some chicken with vegy and wow it made a huge difference. It used to take about 12 minutes to cook over medium heat using the non-stick pan (because high heat destroys the non-stick surface). With this carbon steel pan I was able to cook on high heat and it only took about 6 minutes and it was much more flavorful! It's deeper so fits more ingredients and very easy to flip. A 3 course dinner took about 15 minutes to cook. Is it non-stick? Absolutely! After cooking I rinsed it in hot water and scrubbed with brush then put it back on the stove and heat for a few minutes to dry it up then coat the inside with a few drops of oil. For seasoning the pan, I would suggest using just enough oil to "coat" the pan and not so much that oil sits at the bottom otherwise it would turn into black tar. Just lightly coat it and burn for like 7-8 minutes until it starts to turn brown, not black. I have seen reviews where others do the seasoning on an outdoor bbq. Overall, very good quality pan and truly non-stick when properly seasoned and a healthy alternative to non-stick. From what I have read, it's supposed to last a life time :) Edit: After a few uses the seasoning came off and it started to stick so I re-seasoned it and re-seasoned it until it got completely black from too much burned oil. Wife hated it and made me throw it away. I scrubbed it as much as I could with steel wool then re-seasoned. I think I have finally found the right way. Forget the instruction that came with it. Here's what you do and it will take some time. Drizzle a tablespoon of oil in the pan and wipe it with a paper towel inside and out. Heat on stove until it starts to smoke then remove. Don't burn it. If it burns and turns black it's burned and you need to scub it out. Repeat the process about 2-3 times a day for at least 7-8 days. Then it will have a nice coat of seasoning. Now my pan is dark brown inside and black outside. I can fried an egg and make hashbrowns with minimal sticking which I use a spatula and it comes right off. YOU WILL NEED TO USE MORE OIL THAN NON-STICK PANs otherwise it will stick. I absolutely love my wok love love love!

Estoy muy contento con este wok. Hay que sazonarlo bien. Me tomó más de una hora hacerlo correctamente. Después, nada se pega y no hay óxido. Muy buena calidad de calibre pesado.

This is the first wok I have ever purchased, and I am overall very satisfied with it. It took me awhile to season it properly before using it, (that's the only downside for me)but after that it was awesome to use. It heats up really fast which is awesome for chinese stir fry and does not require too much scrubbing when washing with some salt. It even gives a nice stir fry smell that my other pots aren't able to produce when I'm cooking. I also enjoy the large cooking area, means I get to cook lots of food all at once and mix with ease! It is well balanced when I am stirring the food inside the pot because it's pretty heavy so it supports itself. Overall I am pleased with the pot and will recommend it for anyone who is new to buying their first decent wok. Update: I've been using this wok for more than 6months now and I'm lovin it! Now that I understand how seasoning works, I don't worry about it rusting. It's amazing at being nonstick and cleans very easy after soaking for a minute. The taste is so authentic, I really love this wok. Been using it for scramble eggs and doing most of my cooking with it now. Its pretty much non stick.

Good size. My issue with it though, as I am a novice when it comes to cooking with a carbon steel wok, is that if i put sauce for my stir fry dishes, the seasoning comes off and exposes the bare metal.

I've used this wok for a while now and it's a big sturdy wok, I have no regret buying this wok, it's just great to use

El wok llego en perfecto estado y cumple con todas mis expectativas, un producto de muy buena calidad.