Side by Side Comparison of: Wok Shop

Very heavy wok. It was the hit of the bridal shower. However, product will be one of those that rusts at the drop of a hat. It came in the box so oily that it was still oily when it was wiped down and given as a gift. This is not a problem if you take care of the wok in the proper way. This wok is carbon steel, not stainless steel. It WILL rust if not dried after washing and oiled while stored.

The carbon steel construction yields a wok that is light in weight but performs like a heavyweight. The welds which secure the handles to the wok are very well done. This wok is quality and worthy of being handed down to the next generation.

Finally a wok I love! Follow the instructions or look up online how to season a wok. I did that and now after several uses, it's perfect. It won't be pretty on the inside, but of course that's not the point.

This wok is of the good and sturdy quality that I had expected from The Wok Shop. The helper handle makes a huge difference in a wok that is easy to use and one that you won't be very excited about using. I am very happy with this one!

Wok cookbook author Grace Young recommended this particular wok, which we bought directly from the Wok Shop rather than one of their resellers. I was so glad we did. Even with standard shipping it arrived from San Francisco to Kansas City within 3 days. In that time, we received an email from the Wok Shop with detailed instructions on how to properly season this as it is NOT a non-stick wok--nor do you want it to be. In her book Breath of the Wok, Grace Young explains how important it is to properly season and care for this wok--to the point that she actually travels with hers! But don't let that worry you, the first seasoning is an easy process that makes the house smell delicious. Pick up one of her books, buy directly from the Wok Shop and you'll be well on your way to tasty, healthy eating.

This wok is well made. The welds are quality — they don't look pretty, but they're sturdy. I use it on an electric range (sadly, not enough BTU's!). Now when I fry up some rice or do a stir fry, I don't need to worry about getting teflon in my diet.This particular wok is just thick enough on the bottom to absorb some heat from the range. This mitigates the low output of my electric burner somewhat (not much, but it's better than a traditional, thin wok).And yes, you have to season this pan and take care of it. It's not a cheap non-stick skillet. You don't use soap to scrub this out, you just scour it with some water and a [soap-free] pot scrubber, like you would an iron skillet. Then dry it off with a paper towel and set on very low heat for a few minutes to make sure the water evaporates off. Do this and it will last forever.

I really like this wok overall. Inexpensive and versatile. However, the handle construction is a bit flimsy and insecure feeling.

I will say, everyone saying that seasoning the wok was easy - please come season mine! I must have done something wrong as I seem to have created a very thick coating of burnt on oil, that is scraped off when I cook. I thoroughly washed and boiled the oil coating from the factory. I heated it up til the metal was turning blue, added the oil, got the mass of smoke, used paper towels to coat the inside and keep the heat on, got a nice black/brown finish and figured I was ready to go. On my first couple of stirfrys, I noticed when I was done there were missing streaks of seasoning. To keep the wok as seasoned and non-stick as I can I make sure to get the wok screaming hot before adding the oil, and after I cook and rinse the wok, I 'season' it again, heating it to smoking hot, adding a tablespoon of oil and using paper towels to spread the smoking hot oil all around the inside. It's slowly turning brown again, but you can really see the streaks where the first black/brown layer is peeling off.Otherwise I love how hot the wok can get (though I can't seem to keep it at temperature when cooking - probably my fault for over filling the pan, but it's better than my previous non-stick wok). The size is good, weight is good, and it cleans up with just a bit of warm water and a towel.

I've been using a month so far that is still no sticky anymore by cooking meat or vegetable. The size is great for my family but it is little heavier than others.

Its just what I expected. The packaging/care of the wok itself when delivered was decent as well. This will make a perfect gift for my mom this Christmas :)

Pros:Great qualityWell pricedNon stick if seasoned wellCons:A bit heavyWhen heated, the handle rotates with the wokThe only thing I would recommend to anyone buying this is don't season it the way Tane recommends but do it the way that is seen on youtube by professionals by burning the factory oil off. This creates a nice blue/metal color that becomes very slick when wiped with a bit of oil after.

I used this for the first time tonight. I appreciated the directions for seasoning it, and was able to do so fairly easily. My only complaint is that as I was trying to heat up the sides, the handles got a little charred as I was trying to evenly season it. Not really a big deal, its a tool and not a rolls royce. ;) Other than that, I was able to deep fry and stir fry much quicker than the old wok i had. Looking forward to trying other recipes.

I store this wok in my outdoor grill cart. Somehow some water got on it and had surface rust on the inside and outside surfaces. This was a seasoned wok. Otherwise it does the job on the dual burner grill. I previously purchased a similar wok from Target but the non-stick surface started to peel and this was the replacement for it.

My original order came without the handle. Their customer support team sent me the missing part very quickly after sending a photo of the product. I'm giving this item only 3 stars because the handle is screwed in such a way that it twists unloose very easily. It's not in danger of coming off, but sometimes it's hard to tilt the wok without the handle loosening. It's not a good feeling when the handle isn't tight the whole time.Also, beware that if you're using this over a big fire, the wooden handles can easily burn as the curved shape of the wok directs the flame right to the handles.

I don't make a lot of Chinese food but I love it, it's a good product though ,you need to season it,whips have I hate even in iron pans. But it's a good buy .

My wok with the rounded bottom I liked better. This is not deep enough to prevent splatter and pushing vegetables up to the side.

Got it on time with no problems.I read the seasoning instructions and thought I had followed them but the first time I used it everything stuck making a horrible mess. I washed it with soap and water, dried it well but there were some dark brown spots I was unable to remove. I re-read the seasoning instructions and tried again. Still no luck, as again when I used it the noodles in the stir fry stuckWould someone out there like to offer suggestions? I am afraid to use a Brillo pad to remove the brown gunk in the bottom but have no idea what I should do.

The Wok Shop is very consumer oriented with helpful seasoning instructions, proper care, and use, and even includes a toy back scratcher. The wok is carbon steel. From my observation, the heat distribution is not as good as a cast iron wok, so the food needs to be constantly moving or it will burn on the bottom.It will make a big batch of stir fry, and when used for an outing in which I was the cook, the stir fry chicken and broccoli were a big hit, having folks coming back for seconds and thirds.

rusty

- We were unable to install the handle properly because the threads were defective.- There was a big scratch in the bottom of the wok which we were prepared to ignore in the event that we were actually able to assemble the thing (which we weren't)- The seller deceptively reduces there pricing by about $20 and raises the shipping to compensate for it (they've done this twice while I've been watching product)I put a lot of research into my purchase, and this was a christmas present. I'm very disappointed. Due to the apparent lack of quality control on these woks, I'm not surprised that another user of this product suffered severe burns from a defective handle.

perfect for home use and terribly inexpensive

As I begin to write this review our teenage daughter is in the burn center being treated for 2nd & 3rd degree burns to her entire right leg from hip to toes and left leg knee area and has to go through 2 surgeries of which one was finished today.The little handle came apart on one of the rivets. She was boiling water with noodles and when she lifted the wok with both hands in each handle, the little handle rivet came undone and tilted forward and dropped back on the stove at a 45 degree angle dumping all the hot water directly on her legsIt can happen with any pot that has screws or rivets. So please don't make the same mistake in always trusting what you buy. It'a better to pay more for handles that can't unscrew or break.Our daughter will be almost 10 days in a burn center and 2 surgeries.

I am giving this wok a poor review even though I haven't even used it yet. I thought the wok was highly recommended and a good price. I ordered 2, one for my family, and one as a wedding present. One of the woks arrived with the handle on backwards and the weld job on the short handle so poor that it fell off before we even had a chance to use it. The other wok was in better shape, but I am leery about the weld on this one as well. But we had to send it on because it was a wedding present. I hope the handle holds and the bride and groom don't remember us because of a shoddy gift!We kept the other one and took it to a local welder to fix. We figured by the time we returned it and tried to get our money back we might as well pay to have it fixed. Needless to say I was very disappointed.

The Wok Shop tells you on their website that this wok will not work properly on a glass-top stove, but in the Amazon description they fail to mention this. I had already seasoned this wok in the oven when I noticed this defect. It only makes contact with the stove on a very small patch at the bottom, causing heat to be uneven & unpredictable.They really need to point this out in the product description! I can't buy a new stove to accommodate my $30 wok.

Watch out -- this may catch fire!!!! I followed the instructions very carefully for seasoning and using my wok. After seasoning, I added oil and massive flames erupted in the wok. I have cooked stir fry with woks before and this has never happened to me. I sent this pack for a refund. Waiting on the refund, but at least Amazon assured me they would refund the $23 shipping fees.

Cheap handles,way too much grease on it at arrival,it looked used to me. Will make you pay to return. Avoid

After doing some research on non-stick vs. steel, I decided on this wok. Even called the Wok Shop in San Francisco to ask some questions. Bought this as a gift for my daughter. She followed the directions for "seasoning" the pan only to have bits of the wok material come off. Wiped it down and tried yet again; only for the problem to continue. Contacted the vendor several times and in very poor English, said it was her fault. Did not respond upon contacting them again.

I have contacted the seller the seasoning of the wok was a very long process and did not work the inside re-iodized.

I heated this wok up to the temp that it takes to sear the veggies and meats and the bottom of the pan is no longer flat. It warped, I guess from the heat and now rocks on my electric stove and will not get hot because it does not touch the burner.I want a REFUNDLynne