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

This is a good wok, traditional round bottom. Great value for money spent. The wok, in the right hands, takes the place of nearly half the gadgets in Western-style kitchen. It is a: steamer, frying pan, pot, and even a smoker. It is an irreplacable part of the Chinese kitchen, and I love it. . . in China. Here are some facts about the wok that you need to understand to appreciate this carbon-steel beauty.1) This is a bone crushingly heavy wok, heavier than most that I encountered in China. A review from the Joyce Chen Flat bottom wok (with the same thickness) said it was flimsy. It is NOT a flimsy wok. You definitely get your money's worth in steel with this item.2) American stove burners are usually very wimpy compared to Chinese stove burners (Much taller, and hotter)These facts come together to make this wok of probably minimal use to you in the American kitchen. The thickness of the steel prevents it from really heating up hot enough to get the full "flash fry" benefits of stir frying. It pains me to say this, but this wok will probably, in most American kitchens, be more like an awkwardly-shaped ethnic frying pan than the awesome tool of athletic culinary might that it has the potential of being.USE HIGH HEAT, and be sure you heat it up really hot before you begin cooking. Don't stew your meat (unless that's your intention). High heat in your kitchen is probably the Chinese equivalent of a Chinese "medium".Of course, you might have an awesome, high heat stove whose burners resemble a jet engine's. If that's the case, I envy you.Fact 3: Most of the negative reviews of this product are due to user error (For example: not understanding how to season a wok. . . Hey! It's on youtube! Season it in the oven! It's easy! You'll need a scrub brush, a wet towel, a piece of aluminum foil, green onions and maybe ginger and garlic before you begin.)This is a great wok! Best of luck!

Nice wok, just what needed for Thai food and fried rice

Before I begin I just wanted to give a little insight, I am a culinary arts student who recently found a huge respect for the art of Wok Hei. Upon extensive research, I found that the only way to even closely resemble authentic Asian cookery at home would be through the use of a properly seasoned carbon steel wok. $30 for a simple bowl of carbon steel is not cheap, our school uses 12" woks that cost a mere $15 a piece and we had them for about 4 years; thus I assumed this would be a quality wok.I received the wok and I was actually surprised at the thickness of the material, its thicker than a standard Cantonese style wok. This material is perfect for standard western home kitchens as it helps retain some heat when you add fresh product for cooking, minimizing recovery time.So I received the wok and seasoned it until it was perfectly black, after the seasoning process concluded (about an hour of a smoke filled house) I noticed the handle got worryingly loose. The cheap little ALUMINUM (are you kidding) rivets began working their way out. I thought this was a fluke, so I contacted amazon and they quickly sent me a replacement. The second wok handle felt secure and in-place, so I proceeded with another hour of seasoning, and once again the handle got ridiculously loose, even more than the first.Woks are supposed to last a lifetime, and the value of the wok comes from the quality of the patina you buildup over years of cooking. What good is a wok if you have to replace it all the time because the handle falls off?In the end its a good wok, but its NOT WORTH THE HASSLE. The two cheap aluminum rivets ruin everything. Next wok I buy I will head to Chinatown and buy an authentic, quality wok.__________________________________________________________________________________For those leaving one star reviews because of rusting issues, you need to understand that a carbon steel needs to be properly seasoned. These types of high carbon alloys will rust from the sheer moisture in the air, thus the reason you are advised to scrub the wok before seasoning, as its coated in a oily wax to prevent this issue. The directions aren't very clear as to how to properly season it, but here is my method I use and it work's perfectly. [Note: If you don't have a gas stove with a burner with at-least 10,000 BTU, this wont work that well. If you have an electric stove, don't even bother with this method, do it at a friends home.]1. Scrub the wok with hot (as hot as you can stand) soapy water. Use a stainless steel scrubbing pad, note that scotch pads or abrasive sponges wont work, you really need to scrub the surface with a metallic sponge. Scrub the inside and outside very thoroughly, you will smell a metallic chemical smell, this is the coating coming off. Place the wok onto high heat, and add about 2/3 full of a wok of hot water and boil for 5 minutes. Drain and scrub/ clean again.2. immediately dry the wok and place it on a high, emphasis on high here, gas burner. The wok will turn black near the burner, keep turning the wok so it gets black on all sides, cover the helper handle with a soaking wet paper towel to prevent the wood from burning.3. After the wok is completely black, you might see some areas with a sticky residue, these areas you did not remove the factory wax well enough. Scrub these areas again. If your wok looks perfectly black in a single toned sheen, proceed to the next step.4. Add a touch of oil to a small bowl & dip in a folded paper towel, using a paper towel held with a pair of tongs, carefully spread the oil onto the hot wok, outside and inside. It should begin to smoke upon contact with the oil. Your oil shouldn't drip and pool, just enough to cover and give a nice sheen. Return to flame, turning to heat evenly.5. After the wok stops smoking add another sheen of oil as in step 4. Repeat about 5 times.6. Your wok should now be completely black and almost ready for use. After the wok cools a bit, take a medium onion with about a 1/2 cup of oil and sir fry until the onions get a very, very deep brown, (est 10 min on medium high) making sure you spread the oil to all the sides. Now just drain and discard the oil and onion. Wipe with a paper towel & your ready to WOK!