Craft Wok Flat Hand Hammered Carbon Steel Pow Wok with Wooden and Steel Helper Handle (14 Inch, Flat Bottom) / 731W316

Bought in November and its going strong.Swapping from an aluminium non-stick wok, its immediately noticeably heavier. Some may say too heavy, but in use it's actually not so noticeable unless you're looking at tossing your food.As with all carbon steel products as long as you take care it should remain non-stick and not rust.First thing was to give it a good clean as its coated in a heavy, protective oil from the factory. Next was to season it. I suspect that this is easier on a gas hob as you can turn the wok to different angles to ensure that it is heated all over - I heated mine until the metal turned a dark blue, then I applied several coats of cooking oil, lightly wiping it over the surface of the wok with a piece of folded paper towel. I heated the pan until the oil smoked and then let it cool before the next application. I find that several light coats work better than a thick one.When cooking I heat the wok on a medium heat to ensure an even temperature, once it starts to smoke I add a little oil, turn up the heat and add my ingredients. The food skips about the wok a lot more than it did with the non-stick wok, some ingredients may require a little more oil adding, but cooking with it is a joy.I've noticed that as I can cook at a higher temperature than with the non-stick wok the taste of the food has improved. Oddly enough at the higher temperatures I can cook the ingredients more quickly, with less risk of burning, as you can move everything around more and still caramelise the sugars present in certain ingredients.It's important to remove all food from the wok once cooked, especially if it has any liquid in it as this may attack the seasoning layer if left whilst you eat.With every use I rinse it clean with water, heat it to dry, apply a little oil and rub it around with a piece of folded paper towel, taking less than a minute, before allowing it to cool before storing.Have yet to see any rust, but if I did it would just need a scrub with a scourer and a quick re-seasoning.The only point to take care of is where the handle joins the wok body, this unprotected metal will get hot. I thought that I might need to wrap a cloth around it, but I haven't needed to as yet. I can see how some people might need to hold the handle closer to the wok body for better leverage due to the weight of the wok though.Still, I'd recommended this wok to anyone looking at taking their stir fry to the next level.

I did a lot of research before purchasing my first wok and after looking at lots and lots of woks I decided to go for this large carbon steel wok. It’s very good quality and it’s hand flattened. It is quite heavy to lift (I got the 14inch size) but it’s really good quality, fantastic in fact, and it will last you a life time if you just follow some very simple instructions.The wok needs to be seasoned, (there are so many YouTube videos about this) so all the people who are complaining about rust, even after seasoning, are doing something wrong; after using the wok you clean it using ONLY WATER and a stiff brush then dry with a paper towel then immediately put it on the hob and turn on the heat to maximum to burn off all the water. Once the wok becomes very hot and the water has evaporated, leave the heat on until the wok starts to smoke - then turn off the heat and let it cool down. After a few minutes, fold a piece of kitchen paper into a little square and add a small amount of oil into the wok and using some cooking tongues hold the square piece of kitchen paper and wipe the oil all over the wok while it’s still very warm. That’s it. Follow this process after each use and you will not get rust at all.I have been using this wok for a few weeks now and I can honestly say that it’s been amazing to use, not only for oriental food but once it’s been seasoned properly, it becomes a brilliant non-stick pan (takes a while to get to this stage, be patient) Steer clear of using too many acidic foods like tomatoes as this will strip away the “wok hay” and you’ll need to start your seasoning all over again.Finally, I would like to say that the level of customer service and the speed at which they respond and help you is the best customer service I have ever experienced to date. I had an issue which was resolved in 2 days! Thank you so much.

Excellent beast of a wok. Need to follow instructions to season which takes about 10 minutes of careful handling due to weight over the high heat - but once done this is an excellent addition to the kitchen

I bought the wok that goes well with electricity hobs. Its handcrafted and lovely. It needs to be treated better than a regular pan, oil after use, quick wash with warm water only. Dry before rust. If rusts, just season again. I used over 2 hours to season my wok, but I do not think it is normal. I love this wok better than my other ones. It will last very long and be used very often.

Great quality wok so no complaints there but it is an absolute nightmare to season this thing on an electric stove top

Handle is not removable to season in the oven. Avoid if you have an induction hob to season.

Great buy

What's there not to like. Solid steel construction with heavy duty handle. Finish looks great and heat distribution while cooking immeasurably better than my light steel wok. Particularly like that there's no Teflon coating and the seasoning does the job. I know there's more work in cleaning and occasional seasoning but it's worth the cooking results.