JOYCE CHEN Classic Series 14-Inch Carbon Steel Wok with Birch Handles

Just got this wok today. This is the first stovetop wok I've owned. My previous was an electric, non-stick wok whose non-stick finish finally wore out after many years. This one seems to be good quality and hopefully it's the last one I'll ever buy.I read many of the reviews, and it seems many people are having a problem removing the factory anti-rust coating and getting it seasoned properly. I was able to get it done and seasoned, at least to my satisfaction. Here's what I did:1) The most important step is to completely remove the factory coating. I followed the instructions on the cardboard label as to boiling water for in the wok for 5-10 minutes. I did 10. To remove the coating, use a steel wool soap pad (Brillo) and LOTS of elbow grease. Don't be afraid to scrub hard, inside and out, adding a little water to keep things flowing. When you think you have it, rinse and check for any places where the water seems to bead up and scrub that area some more. When you're satisfied, dry it with paper towels and heat it on the stove to dry thoroughly.2) Now "Blue" the wok. This is a step that's not in the enclosed instructions, but it's important according to what I read on Youtube. Turn the burner up high and heat the pan until it turns blue. Tilt and rotate to hold different parts over the flame until each part, bottom and all sides, turn approximately the same shade of blue.3) Time to season the wok. While it's still hot, coat the inside and outside with a high temperature oil. I used Canola oil cooking spray. Use a paper towel pad held in tongs to remove ALLthe oil, leaving a very thin, even coating. Repeat the same heating routine you used to blue the wok, heating each area, bottom and sides, until it no longer smokes (Open the windows and use an exhaust fan if you have it). Repeat the seasoning step twice more.If you did it properly it should look about like the attached photo. If it comes out mottled a lot , you didn't scrub the factory finish off thoroughly enough. Start again with the Brillo pad.I have a gas range. If you have electric, you may be able to get the same results; no guarantees.

Bought this one after several decades of using a thrift shop, second-hand round bottom wok . . . on an electric stove. Who knew this didn't work? It actually produced good dinners for us, but when I read more on using a wok, I realized that a flat bottom, carbon-steel wok would likely work better for most uses. So, I ordered this one. I followed instructions for cleaning (stainless steel scouring pad and dishwashing soap) and seasoning (stir fry scallions and ginger in peanut oil for 15 minutes, allow to cool, then wash with water -- no soap! -- and warm on stovetop to dry; and then just used as normal for cooking) and it works great. Initial seasoning went fine, and it continues to season up just like the old one did. No big deal, so long as you follow the basic procedure, which starts with a good wash and scour (which is never repeated unless you want to begin the process all over again). And don't treat this like your non-stick aluminum fancy cookware. Respect it like a good iron pan, and it'll treat you well. Toss it in the dishwasher and you'll have earned your punishment. (Please. Just. Don't.) I'm quite happy with this one. Love the wood handles. Cooked a great Kung Pao chicken tonight on it. The flat bottom does help with getting a higher temperature from a flat-top electric stove. Treat it nice and it'll treat you nice.

This wok was good for its price – I like the size and it's very functional with handles on both sides.Some things to note, though. The handles are not fastened tightly and have a slight wobble. While the bottom is flat compared to the round bottom wok, it is still slightly rounded, and the weight of the long handle tilts the wok more towards the handle side. Because of this, there is uneven heating on an electric stovetop.I followed The Woks of Life instructions on seasoning a new wok, and overall it went well. However, I was unable to remove/burn the industrial oil coating near both the handles using an electric stove top. Also, the handles are not removable and get singed a little while seasoning.Overall, this wok is not perfect, but it does the job for its price point.

Would be a good, reasonably priced wok if it were possible to adequately remove the factory coating and season with an electric stove. It's simply not. The instructions on the packaging and even the seasoning video are woefully inadequate. An electric burner won't be able to sustain heat long enough and consistently enough to boil the full wok of water, only about 1/3, so you can only boil the coating off the bottom 1/3 of the wok. Steel wool and even chainmail sponges meant for cast iron are simply not strong enough to scrub the coating off with soap and water, esp with the ridging on the sides. It's also worth noting the factory coating smells horrific when heated, like a plastic/rubber dumpster fire, so it seems critically important to actually remove it for health and safety. It's also impossible to get the sides hot enough and to stay hot enough on electric to season, so you'll only be able to oil season, again, the bottom 1/3 - tilting as shown in the video simply doesn't work on flattop electric as the burners will cycle on and off. In desperation, I covered the handles with foil and tried to season in the oven as I do my cast irons. Now I have leftover factory coating+sticky oil melded together and coating the upper 2/3 of the wok, and am scared to use it at all due to the chemicals in the still-remaining bits of factory coating. Even if I were to use it, the sides wouldn't get hot enough on electric to use as intended and you'd be better off with just a shorter-sided stainless steel skillet. Total waste of time and money.