Everything You Need To Know About Buying A Wok (With Recommended Brands)

I keep hearing and reading the carbon steel woks will warp when used on a flat top electric stove :(

hello, thanks for the straight to the point video! i just got a used wok and have no idea what it's made of. i thought it looked like a peeled off non-stick, but it's the same coating all around (where it's not peeled of course) the pan, and it also look a LOT like the sauté style carbon you presented (with the light strips all across). the coating is gray, while the under-coating is silver, rusts and is magnetic

could it be anti-rust coating still? it's been owned for 6 years before i got it, i really hope it's not non-stick!

ah well i just saw someone else's comment about a wok with a very annoying coating as well, might be the same story!

This was so helpful…thank u!

Thanks, I have been struggling with all the different options on Amazon. I bought one but it has a coating on it and when I take a paper towel across the pan with oil on it the pan leaves a blackish grey residue on the towel. I have gotten my money back and have started my search again. These tip help a ton.

I liked the video until the human walked in with the dog..
Still nice tho!

I got the made-in carbon steel as part of a large cookware set that I bought for my daughter. I do not like it at all. The cooking surface is fine, but the wok has a major design flaw in that the handle is EXTREMELY uncomfortable! The flat angular nature of the handle gouges the hand when picking the wok up. This is only amplified by the fact that the wok does not have a helper handle to assist when emptying the contents into a bowl. I suggest staying away from this one. I also wish I had bought my daughter an All-Clad set rather than a Made-in set for the same reason. The All-Clad handles are much more comfortable.

Been looking at the Oxo carbon steel, but I’m torn between the frying pan style and the wok style. I like the higher edges of the wok but the frying pan has a slightly larger base

Interesting, that you're talking about woks and then at the end of the video, you are holding and petting your next meal... lol

This was a great video! thank you!

My new wok from Walmart Main stays brand carbon steel wood handles flat bottom looks like it will prove itself.i named my wok too.

I brought my first wok yesterday at Walmart for $6.88 Main Stay brand carbon steel.

I really like the way you talk and present the info. Well done.

thanks mate

That made it real simple for me. Thank you for that.

Very useful video. Thank you, I needed this.

Thanks for the video. Is it true that ceramic cooktops will warp the carbon steel wok?

Wonderful short review

Any suggestions for prepping and seasoning the Joyce Chen wok you mention with an electric stove?

Thumbs up for dog lovers!

A 5mm thick aluminium wok with a non stick coating is just fine. You just need a heat gun to ensure you dont overheat your wok. Heating up to 210C is fine for Teflon...and is more than adequate for stir frying - yes you will get lots of maillard browning at this temperature. Heating oil to past 235C will generate trans fats and carcinogens - so i dont recommend smoking oil in a carbon steel wok anyway.

Carbon steel woks are nice, but simply less practical - I say this after using both for years. A THICK teflon wok does not overheat and distributes heat very very well, much better than any carbon steel wok you can buy. It's much easier to clean and can be used for acidic foods as well.

Thin teflon woks can be thrown away. Get a good quality 5mm aluminium Teflon wok. That's my recommendation after a decade of using both. For home use they are just more convenient...and for <100 bucks will last you at least a few years.

Can't agree with the flat bottomed wok. If you're using an electric or glass cooktop, a wok just isn't a tool you're going to be able to utilize for its intended purposes. A gas stove with a wok ring works perfectly, and, when used as intended (wok ring in place rather than on top of your usual metal stovetop structure) is a significantly more usable tool than flat bottom

Thank you! Love the format and the fact that you get right to the point.

I will go with this advice.

I got the Made-In Wok in a Made-in cookware set. The set included both carbon steel and stainless pieces. I kept the carbon steel pieces and gave the stainless pieces to my college age daughter since she is now in an apartment and needed some cookware. The Made-In wok is fine except for the handle, which is awful. It’s flat and relatively thin. That, along with the fact that the wok is somewhat heavy, leads to the handle edges gouging my hands. Do you see this as an issue, as well? If so, is there a fix in the form of some sort of handle wrap, or something?

This is great advice. Although I would not recommend the Joyce Chen wok. It has a really tough factory coating. Doesn’t come off with just soap and water as the instructions said. Seasoning was a major pain.

What's the brand of the wok from Amazon?

So aluminum woks are no good?

I want to have 60cm wok

More of the pup in future videos please! Now subscribed, thank you.

Excellent video, I appreciate the simplicity of the content and how you provided us with information on how to purchase online from a small local business.

Thanks for the information (and the video).

I had saute style wok and it was DANGEROUS, the weight balance is off to the handle side so it flipped with hot oil pouring everywhere in my kitchen.

Need one with a lid

My wok is rusting...how do I fix it???

carbon steel is a hard one to maintanance isnt it? and it can also get rust

Super helpful video. Thanks!

Any suggestions for a wok used on an electric eye type stove?

Thank You for making this video. Very informative! Best part was where to buy American made!

Your link to Joyce Chen carbon steel is actually alloy steel. Looking to purchase based off your recommendation. Help! Please 😊

Luka doncic rigth here lol

The flat-bottom Yosukata wok I currently use always tends to warp when heated up, making induction contact not perfect. I think it has to do with it's thickness at 1.5mm. I'm considering getting the Made In wok, which is 2mm, which just seems to be a better overall investment for induction users.

Great video, in spite of your odd t-shirt choice.

Why did you not bring up stainless steel woks? I bought a allclad copper core set, I wanted to buy their wok in the same line, but someone mentioned that it will heat evenly and that is not what I want in a wok. Would like a second opinion on that.

What type of wok produces less smoke?

What about a stainless steel wok? I would be using it for Indian dishes too that require tomatoes

My first wok was a round bottom carbon steel with loop handles. I used it for 10 years or so and liked it but I knew I would like a stick handle more so I bought a Joyce Chen flat bottom wok. I liked the stick handle but hated the flat bottom. I used that wok for a few months before I replaced it with a round bottom wok. It's one reason I will always have a gas stove.

Great presentation and illustration. But, a traditional "Chinese wok, that used in Chinese kitchen's at home or an restaurants are a round bottom carbon steel wok. If you really need a flat bottom wok, you might as get a large 12.5" or larger fry pan/skillet.

should have put cm on screen first time you mentioned inches, I already googled conversion by the time you included it