Classic Series 12-Inch Carbon Steel Stir Fry Pan with Birch Handle

I just received this wok/fry pan today and used it this evening, with excellent results. I wanted a 12 inch pan because the 14 inch normal size was too large for a single person. The 12 inch pan is perfect for one or two people. My choice was between this pan and Joyce Chen's 12 inch Peking pan. The differences are the Peking pan is somewhat thicker and has a narrower base which was the deciding factor for me. A wider base allows food to be spread out over a greater heat area to cook evenly - I like to roast red peppers and the wider bottom allows them to be spread out and blacken more evenly.As for seasoning the pan and removing the coating used to protect it in transit, that turned out to be quite easy. There is a reviewer/expert on Chinese cooking who produced a YouTube video on just those tasks. Her first step was to scrub off the lacquer coating. I started doing that but it looked like too much work. I found a commenter on Amazon who shared his technique which worked quite well:First of all, I did this outside to prevent inside heat and smoke. I used an induction cooktop that worked out very well. The technique for cleaning the lacquer was to boil water with about 10 black teabags for about 20 min. I left it on for about 30 min. and saw the loosened lacquer float to the top which I skimmed off. After that I let it cool and washed the pan in the sink with a little soap and water. For any spots that appeared to still be present I just ran some steel wool over the area with moderate pressure.The next step was to season the pan. That too was very easy. Again, I did this out of doors to prevent smoke indoors. I first heated the pan up at a high temperature, at which point the pan started changing colors and darkening. This is normal. After the pan was heating for a few minutes I poured some oil into the pan and using wadded paper towels and a tong to hold the towels, I spread the oil over the inside of the wok. I lowered the heat and let the oil cook in for about 15 min. then let the pan cool down. I then washed the pan again with little soap and for any residual spots including some residual oil that turned sticky, I lightly ran some steel wool over the area. I could have stopped there but, perfectionist that I am, I repeated the heating process once more. The pan was then "seasoned" well enough to start cooking on it. After I completed that process I noticed that the wok would fit into my toaster oven (with the handle hanging outside and the door partially open). So, again, I moved my toaster oven outside, put a little oil in the wok, and then turned on the broil function for about 15 min. This was to take care of the sides of the wok which were not really affected by my first steps. Because the handle hung out of the toaster oven, I shifted it from one side to the other and again ran the broiler for another 15 min. The final result was a seasoned wok on which I cooked my first meal that evening, with excellent results.The steps may sound somewhat complicated but they are well suited to quickly seasoning a wok with a minimal of time and effort. I didn't have to stand over a sink and with great effort remove the lacquer since it easily came off just by boiling. And the seasoning was actually very easy and required little effort.I had previously purchased a nonstick wok. I liked it but there is no comparison to a seasoned carbon steel wok. I always had the fear, with a nonstick wok, of emissions and I found the coating did not last much more than a year or so. I got better results on my new, seasoned wok.As for cleaning, I found this works very well: when you finish cooking, while the pan is still hot, pour a little water into the pan and you can then easily scrape off any residual stuck food. Then quickly rinse the pan in hot water, put a little oil on it, and you are done. This takes about 30 seconds. I usually dry the wok with a little paper toweling and about 15 or so seconds on the range. Make sure you rub a little cooking oil into the wok when done, to prevent rusting.Edit: occasionally there will be some burnt spots. These are very easy to get rid of. First, try adding a little water to the hot wok and scrape using whatever utensil you have. If that doesn't clear everything up then try briefly scrubbing with a soft scrubber under hot water. If that doesn't work then use a copper or steel scouring pad. There is no need to press hard and just use whatever pressure it takes to clear up the spot. Don't worry about the "patina" since it will take care of itself as you continue cooking. Another hint, is to occasionally use a drop or two of liquid dishwasher soap. There is nothing wrong with this and it will do no harm whatsoever to the wok. What it does is remove excess carbon that could discolor food the next time you use the wok (try rubbing a paper towel with a little oil in the wok and you will see what I mean). Always remember, after washing and drying the wok, to put a little oil in it.

Despite what some reviews may say, I'm with the others who say this thing won't hold on to seasoning. I have plenty of carbon steel and cast iron pans. They're among my favorite pieces of cookware. It isn't hard to season them to nearly non-stick ability and I've done it and re-done it plenty of times on plenty of pans.Yes, I got rid of ALL of that very annoying lacquer-like coating that comes on it. It was bare metal before I tried seasoning. I gave it 5 whole passes through a very hot oven with a very thin coat of vegetable oil on it. I let it sit in that hot oven (handle removed) for 45 - 60 minutes on each pass, then turned off the oven and allowed it to cool to room temperature in the closed, warm oven. The oil coating it on each pass was very thin. Wiped on with an "oil rag" and then wiped again with a "clean rag". Very thin, as it should be.I did this method no less than 5 times with this wok (that is to say, 25 passes total in 5 separate seasoning sessions). Each time when I was done the seasoning appeared dark , hard, and shiny. As it should be.Every single time I then used this wok to cook anything, even just vegetables, the seasoning would come right off, down to nearly bare metal all over again. Yes, I was using more oil during my cooking. No, I don't cook with a wire grill brush. This even happened if I used a wooden tools.After giving this wok plenty of chances to hold a seasoning, wasting my time, energy, and resources, I finally put it where it belonged all along - in the garbage.Oh, and yes it warps like a cheap $5 aluminum baking pan the first time you use it with any real heat. I even gave it a good long warm up on "low" to try to mitigate warping but sadly it may as well have been a round bottom wok after I got it up to stir fry temps the first time.Steer clear. Maybe spend a few bucks more for the "pro" version from Joyce Chen... but I won't be.

I searched for a wok, this isn't a wok, it's a pan with high sides. It's been handy though, I mostly use it for deep frying. The handle could have been made sturdier with out much more effort or cost, but still a good pan for the price.

The media could not be loaded. I purchased a 12” Joyce Chen wok on May 4, 2025. The video guide for making it non-stick and for bluing is misleading. Bluing and seasoning (non-stick) are two different steps to do. I did my bluing first, and the seasoning came gradually as I used the General. I am happy and proud of mine, which I named General Tso, because he commands my kitchen now.