Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

By far the best pan I've ever owned. It requires more care than a crappy nonstick Teflon type of wok (which is what I had just previous to this) but it is SO SO SO worth it. You do have to “season” the pan prior to use which is where people saying “1/5 rusted, food sticks” etc screwed up. I added pics I took throughout the seasoning process so you can get an idea of how it should look. There’s tons of guides (some much better than others) online for how to season a pan but in case you want the steps of how I did it to achieve the dripless smooth black beauty in the end here ya go: Pre-1. Wrap the handle in foil so it doesn’t get scorched real bad. It still can through the foil but it’ll protect it way better than being right next to open flame. 1. Scrub off the factory oil with some regular dish soap and hot water, I used one of those bristly brushes to get around the welds and screws, a lot of people say use a wire brush - I did not out of fear of scratches and I got the oil off totally fine, if you start step two and it starts smoking, that’s because you didn’t get the factory oil off all the way tho. 2. Blue the steel (in pic 2 you can see the process starting, it expands out in a ring), you’ll need to rotate the pan around just holding it tilted in each spot for a bit to totally finish the blueing process. 3. After it’s completely blued, let it cool a little then rinse it in the sink, use a bamboo brush or a sponge (not wire brush) to gently give it a wash (NO SOAP, just water). Once done immediately place back on stove to heat the remaining moisture out of the wok. 4. Using peanut oil (or any high smoke point oil, not olive oil lol) we’re now gonna start polymerizing the pan. So how I did this was I had a bowl and I’d pour a tablespoon of peanut oil into it at a time then using metal tongs squinching an old wash rag (rag will be dead, use one you’re ok throwing away after). Dip the rag into the oil then do circular swipes in the pan (once it’s fully hot). It will smoke. A lot. Like a lot a lot. This is good because it means your oil is polymerizing (turning into a nonstick solid surface, the black sheen). It’s ok to swipe a few times and keep at it to avoid letting any excess drip or bubble. When it slows down/stops smoking, you’re ready to apply another coat/more swipes. You will need to tilt the wok at angles to superheat the sides to get the oil to coat the whole thing, don’t only coat the center. If you notice the sides aren’t smoking as much and are lighter, it’s because the temp is too low on that section and you need to angle the pan to get that area better - more direct heat. When your bowl is out of its 1tbsp oil, add another dollop to dab your cloth in to apply another swiping to the pan. DO NOT just fill a bowl with oil or drizzle it in the wok, I’m serious when I say just a little at a time. The trick to getting your wok free of drips and bubbles is to apply very thin coats at a time and if you dab your cloth in a puddle of oil then soak the wok you’ll have a hard time getting it to polymerize and it will have drips and bubbles all over. 5. I applied two extremely thin oil coats to the underside of the wok as well to give a much less dark but still protective coating (after I had already mostly finished polymerizing the inside of the wok, so near the end). It will get scuffed by your wok stand underneath probably but it’s not a big deal. 6. Let it cool then give it a rinse in the sink, gently wash (NO SOAP, just water) with a soft sponge or gently with a bamboo brush (I use a bamboo brush). Return to stove, heat out moisture on medium heat and you’re done. I fried ginger slices and garlic slices in it at this step to get the first cook out of the way since some people think the first fry has a slightly more irony taste. No idea if it’s true but I did this step just to be safe lol. It sounds intimidating but honestly it’s not hard at all, just make sure you have good ventilation/a strong fan sucking air out of a window or your place will fill up with smoke fast during the polymerizing stage. AFTERCARE: Cook in wok, eat yummy food, rinse in hot water and DELICATELY scrub with a bamboo brush or soft sponge. NO SOAP. It cleans incredibly easily if you seasoned it properly. Return to medium heat to get the remaining moisture out then swipe it with a very lightly oiled cloth to help protect it from any chance of rust when not in use. If you put too much force into the gentle scrubbing while washing you WILL scuff your patina (the gorgeous finish you worked so hard to get on it) and be super sad. Ask me how I know. :c It’s not hard to patch if it’s just a small scuff though, I immediately put it over max heat and applied a few swipes of oil to polymerize the area and around it again and while you can still tell that the small spot isn’t quite as dark, it’s restored and cooks flawlessly. I know this review was long as balls but I hope it helps give ya a little direction with setting up/using this wok. 100/10 massively recommend.