Helen's Asian Kitchen Carbon Steel Wok Stir Fry Pan, 12-inch

I decided to remove this wok's protective coating a bit differently than described in the small instruction manual. Rather than burn off most of the protective lacquer finish on both sides with high heating,... and then scrub with abrasives for quite a chore as described by several reviewers, this is how I did it. I already had an almost full can of "Kwik-Strip Fast Paint & Varnish Stripper" available. (It's a Non-Methylene Formula)If you decide to stip your wok this way, PLEASE have protective gloves and a filled water container available in case you splash some on your skin. Also, do this OUTSIDE and away from flames as it is highly flamable and not safe to breathe in concentrated amounts. (be extra careful and position yourself so that any outdoor breeze takes the fumes AWAY from you!)I went OUTSIDE and placed some newspapers on my trash can for convenient working height, and poured about a half cup of the stripper inside of the wok. (DON'T do the outside at the same time!). Then it was easy to lift the wok and just through angling the wok in all directions "spread" the thick stripper ALL over the inside to get it covered, and I even got right up to the top rim without spilling a drop on the pavement.I kept working the stripper around for about 3-4 minutes, and then poured out most of it into an old can for the time being. Then with my hands in protective gloves, used paper towels to wipe out the remainder of the stripper and lacquer residue, and throw that into the bucket also. Keep wiping until the wok is dry and clean,... just a few minutes is all it took.Most of the inside cleaning was done OFF the trash can stand, but you'll find it well suited for cleaning the lacquer off the outside now. I had 3 or 4 layers of newspapers covering the trash can and placed the wok upside down on the newspapers to access the outside. To clean this side I dribbled just a few ounces of the stripper onto the flat part of the woc, and with my glove covered hand used a folded over paper towel (measured about 3 x 3 inches) to spread the thick stripper over the entire backside, and adding stripper as needed onto the flat wok top, and using that to spread more where it needed to go.After just a few minutes to allow the stripper to work, I lifted the wok off the newspapers and used fresh paper towels to wipe the stripper off the back side. These paper towels I also threw into my disposal can, and when done rolled up the newspapers for disposal also. The last step was washing the wok with plenty of dish soap and water (I did it THREE TIMES and used just a sponge, no abrasives needed!), and dried it with a towel followed by warming it up over the stove flame to fully dry it before seasoning! Let the wok cool down before applying your seasoning oil to both sides.For "seasoning" the wok, I used high smoke temperature Avocado Oil (which starts to smoke at over 500 degrees!). It's a bit pricy at about $8.00, but a small bottle will season many items. (I use it on my cast iron skillets also). Then if you actually cook with olive oil, that oil will start to smoke well before the avocado oil seasoning will be affected, and your seasoning should last longer. The photos shown are after only two avocado oil seasoning coatings,...you can't argue with success. Later that night I had a great shrimp and veggy stirfry :-)

I bought this flat-bottom wok to use on my Viking induction plate. It is a beauty, with solid and sturdy wooden handles. I believe this is termed a "spun" factory-made wok, because of the concentric circles that are evident in the metal. The gauge is the proper thickness and when I press on the sides with my hands I cannot bend it.If you don't know how to season a wok this one comes with very clear and concise instructions for seasoning. Personally, I think everyone buying a wok for the first time should also consider buying Grace Young's The Breath of a Wok: Unlocking the Spirit of Chinese Wok Cooking Through Recipes and Lore. You will find many helpful "recipes" for seasoning a wok in that book. In fact, if you are new to wok-ing, and not in a big rush to get started, you should buy the book before you buy the wok. It is the best stir-frying cookbook I own, and is more important to a novice wok-er than her newer book Stir-Frying to the Sky's Edge: The Ultimate Guide to Mastery, with Authentic Recipes and Stories.I also have a 16" round bottom wok that I use on an Eastman Outdoors 90411 Portable Kahuna Burner out in the yard. (Sorry, I tried to provide a product link, but failed. It is offered by Amazon, though.) The 16" wok is a higher gauge metal (which means it is a thinner metal) and I can bend the sides by pushing on it with my hands. The thinner metal gives me some trouble on the powerful burner, and I am much happier with the thickness of this Helen Chen wok. The long, wooden handle makes it easier to manipulate the wok--it is way easier to work with than the metal "ear" handles of my 16".I love to stir-fry, but I hate the smell in the kitchen. So I try to keep my stir-frying activities out-of-doors. Along with this new wok, I also bought a metal cart with wheels Seville Classics SHE18321 Stainless Steel Kitchen Workstation. Now I keep the induction plate and the wok on the cart and wheel the whole setup out to the porch. I can now stir-fry anytime I want to and not worry about the wind. (The powerful flame of the Portable Kahuna Burner does not mix well with any wind over 5mph.)The only thing I don't really like about this product is that the name "Helen Chen" is wood-burned into the top of the long handle. You can not see that in the picture. I consider it a distraction.