JOYCE CHEN Professional Series 14-Inch Carbon Steel Wok with Phenolic Handles

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!

I bought this pan, because it assured me that it would work on the Duxtop magnetic stove top, & it does work great, I usually prefer stainless, but I cannot complain. It cooks the food easily & quickly. The temperature is displayed accurately while using it & since I make mostly vegetable stir frys & at times, I make French fries, it serves me well. But when I make spagetti, it takes away the slipery surface, & after I cook another stir fry, its back to normal. I can even make popcorn in it without hurting the pan, I am really glad that I got the lid with it. I did add three machine screws on the ridge of the rim, of the lid, which keeps the lid securely flat upon the pan, so that it does not tilt into the pan. I bolted them on , & the ridge holds them well. My son is a chef & believes that a wok is for stir fries, but I like it because it is big enough to cook everything. I will use a stainless pan that my son has, for sandwiches, eggs, hamburgers & sausage. But this Uncoated carbon steel pan is great for every thing else. I have had some practice using this pan, I still cook popcorn in it, on #3 setting, . I finally started using it to stir fry again, I have mixed vegetables & home shredded vegetables that can be cooked in the microwave with a little butter on top. But when I add sweet potatoes, I need to thaw everything in the microwave for 5 minutes, & then stir fry with a little oil, on #3, on the Duxtop. I cook it until the food gets little brown tips.Sometimes I add garlic to the mixture,for medical reasons, That is when I need to put in catchup & chili powder, to make it taste better, usually after it is cooked. Ive had the pan for over a year, & will occasionally cook eggs on it too. I do not wash it with soap, but I will wash with water & dry it with a towel. I keep it as one of my favorite three pans.

After several years of use, my old wok started started losing its coating and began to rust. It was a very thin model-probably $15 or so. So when I decided to replace it I did my research. I origianlly wanted to get non-stick, however after reading so many reviews of complaints of the non-stick coating peeling off, I decided to opt for carbon steel. I have to say I was weary with all the talk about proper seasoning and the seemingly high maintenance of not letting it sit around wet or with food for fear of rusting, but then I looked around and realized that both my cast iron and my cutlery are the same way, and the value of better quality on those items was worth it. So I purchased this wok mainly because of the amount of good reviews and the weight of it, and am persistant to follow seasoning and cleaning techniques, and so far after a few months I am very pleased with it. I looked up how to season a carbon steel wok online, and for using with electric rangetop not gas I have no problems with. Sometimes food sticks a bit but that's quite normal in pans. I just remove the food and allow wok to continue heating and throw some water in to deglaze, bring to a boil and use the spatula and any leftovers come right off. a light scrub with one of those green scrub pads to make all surfaces clean, lightly wipe with oil and toss in low heat oven for a few minutes and it's all good. At first I didn't like dealing with it though was scared to leave it based on some complaints, but it's actually great in that it forced me to spend a minute cleaning and be done with versus letting it sit for later and fighting like mad to scrub dried on hardened stuff. I was used to the styles that have the wooden or bamoo handles-I can't say I like the plastic handles as much but it doesn't bother me other than it don't look as authentic I suppose. It is quite heavy, more than any I've used before, but that helps with retaining heat as I understand it. Don't worry-it's supposed to patina from shiny silver to black with use. Overall I cannot compare to other woks in this range but I like it just fine.

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.

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.

This wok I'd say is built with quality v.s. the ones you'd find at your local Asian grocery store, no rough edges or craftsmanship issues that I can find . I like the phenolic handle and I especially like the short grip on the other end, the fact that it remains cool to the touch, I am able to rest that against the rim of the sink while I wash the wok and not fear that my counter top will get burnt. The flat bottom did bowl out after it endured the high heat, it now has a slight wobble on my induction top, not too annoying as I really expected single-ply cookware to behave like this. In terms of achieving the full-on "non-stick" cooking with this wok, yes it certainly did with me. It was a satisfying feeling to see sliced beef whirling around the wok as you toss it, satisfying in the sense that it didn't come out of the package non-stick, but that the user made it non-stick through seasoning, experience, and technique. The wok and the seasoning are only parts of the equation, the pre-heating of the wok, the food's moisture content, the quantity of the food going into the wok (over-crowding), and the temperature drop of the wok when cold food touches it are all factors in whether or not food sticks to the wok. The taste of food that came out from the wok cannot be replicated, the distinct flavor is part from the high heat, the patina, and from the browned meat in the stir-fry. Having used a carbon steel wok finally explained why this technology survived through the dynasties; it is simple, durable, safe, fun and flavorful.

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.