Amazon.com ReviewStir-fry fanatics, step right up! With its stout material and flat bottom, Joyce Chen's 14-inch carbon steel wok is compatible with electric or gas stoves and doesn't require a wok ring. The reinforced blond wood handle, while not traditional on woks, stays cool for better control during cooking and serving and has a stout ring for hanging. The wide comfortable helper handle allows you to pick up the wok with both hands for easier balance. Large enough for a heap of bok choy, this deep pan helps keep oil splatters inside the wok--even at the high heats preferred by wok users. Not intended for the dishwasher, this wok delivers the best results with attentive seasoning and care. Care instructions are included. --Emily Bedard
What Others Say
ok wok, not big of a deal
Order the wok and got it damaged (off-shaped). The packaging is horrible. Basiclly they put the bare wok in the box filled with the giant air bubbles. The wok can move around freely in the box. Guess the damage is caused during shipping.
Return and reordered the Typhoon Carbon Steel wok, similar size and design, $3 cheaper. When I got it, I am very pleased with the quality:
*) properly packaged, plastic cover on the top, sheet of paper on the bottom; fitted in a box designed for it;
*) thick steel: 2.5mm rather than 1.8mm from joyce Chen;
*) handles are welded on the wok, so no dead spot when cleaning;
*) seasoning instruction are well documented, in 8 different languages, even thou I use my own seasoning ... Read More
Wok talk
I received the wok quickly. Have used it several times
after breaking it in and am thoroughly satisfied with it.
Not for serious Chinese cook!
I bought this wok 6 months ago. I seasoned it very well and started to use it. But I noticed the seasoning was easily peeled off when I cooked the dish with a lot of sauce. It meant I couldn't use it for steaming. When I made a fried rice, I had a hard time to clean it and re-season it. Most Chinese use a wok to cook everything, so I expected I could do that, too. But I was wrong. This wok is only good when you make a vegitable stir fry. That's all.
Solid product, inadequate seasoning instructions
Joyce Chen Pro Chef 14-Inch Unseasoned Carbon Steel Wok (the wok I own is a Joyce Chen from Target - identical except that it has bakelite instead of wood handles) seems solidly made and generally works well; the carbon-steel body is thick enough to be strong yet light enough to be comfortable, the handles seem to be securely riveted in place, and the helper handle is a useful touch.
It transmits heat very well, browns meat rapidly, and can be run hot enough to properly stir-fry; prior to this wok I had a 12" non-stick and the non-stick coating self-destructed after one or two uses. A non-stick wok is a rather pointless exercise.
However, the seasoning instructions did not work adequately on my electric range; while I was able to get the very bottom to season properly, ... Read More
Even When Seasoned, Not as Good as Non-Stick
Even when the carbon steel is impeccably seasoned, it still requires much more oil to cook than a non-stick stir fry/wok pan. With very good, baked-on seasoning after each use, the finish on seasoned carbon steel does not get as non-stick as a highly seasoned cast iron pan does. You use several times more oil than non-stick stir fry pans require, and you end up with the greasy stir fries reminiscent of the greasy carry-out cartons of chinese take-out. With this carbon steel wok, even if you season it expertly over a long period of time, you still need ladlefuls of oil to cook, for example, white cloud chinese egg white souffles. Non-stick stir fry pans/woks open up the world of not-so-greasy chinese and other stir fry cuisines. The superiority of non ... Read More
