JOYCE CHEN Classic Series 14-Inch Uncoated Carbon Steel Wok Set with Lid and Birch Handles, 4 Pieces

I'm writing this the day I opened the box. It was trivial to assemble, although it took a few tries before the handle would go on all the way. The instructions say that, before use, you should clean it by boiling water in it for 5 to 7 minutes, and then scrub with hot soapy water and a scouring pad. I didn't follow the instructions to the word. I had "Bon Ami" cleansing powder, so I tried that first. I did a lot of scrubbing and the sides of the wok felt like metal, but the bottom was still slick like plastic. I boiled water in it twice. I didn't let it sit for "5 to 7 minutes" (I probably should have read the directions closer). It stank and got dark streaks on it. It was weird. It still stank after the second boil. Online instructions said to heat it, without water in it. Just heat the metal until the factory coating burned off. I had the large gas burner on high and it took a while. The wok turned bronze, then brown, then bluish. It really stank. You want your windows open and the stove's exhaust fan on. I used the Bon Ami powder on it after that. Some of the blue came off on the bottom. It was taking sooooo long and I was making little progress, so I just gave up. I put some oil in the pan and seasoned it. (I burned the oil and set off the fire alarm ... I do not recommend imitating me there.) I then made fried rice. It worked fine. It didn't stink and it cleaned up well afterwards. I think I'm going to like this pan. My only complaint so far, besides the 2+ hours to clean it, is that the short-handle doesn't stick out away from the pan. The handle is up and above the pan. That means that the handle gets warm while on the burner. You'll need an oven mitt whenever you want to use that second handle. But I'll live with that. It wasn't a very expensive pan.

This is an excellent product. The pan is lightweight without sacrificing sturdiness, it has a good thickness for a wok but is still easy to manage. It's actually made of carbon steel, no 'non-stick' coating or anything else that prevents woks from working at the high temperatures needed for stir-frying. I did not use the booklet instructions to season the wok, rather I used "The Wok Shop" directions because they came so highly recommended (do an internet search for it!), they have a lovely video showing exactly how to season the wok. I followed them and it came out just as the woman shows, it was a perfect result. Fair warning; it can become a little stinky/smokey during the first seasoning, but gets much better after the veggies are all charred on the stove top. I sauteed some sliced up ginger with the green onions (the video shows just green onions) in peanut oil for the first stove top seasoning. The green onions didn't stick too much (just a little). The ginger did stick a bit more (because it's so fibrous it grabs onto the hot surface while it cures the first time) which was scary, but if you keep going and make sure the heat is high enough and scrape the black bits off it suddenly turns slippery and magical and everything slides around. Note that you need to heat the wok slightly before adding the oil, but DO NOT OVERHEAT! You can tell if it's ready by throwing a sprinkle of water onto the bottom of the wok, if it dances and vaporizes a few seconds later you can add the oil. Make sure you have your ingredients prepped to throw in right after or you risk setting fire to the oil or making it smoke (which just makes everything taste and smell gross). I'm buying a second one for myself (1st was a gift) and think I will do only the green onions, and do a second seasoning on the stove with ginger when it gets much more stick proof. The smell that comes off of it the first time you stir fry is heavenly, absolutely worth the steps. If you care for it properly and never use soap on it after the first cleaning (Only very hot water and a plastic scrubbie or bamboo spatula for tooling off food bits), you'll have a lovely blackened wok in no time. Edit (7/18/14): It's been well over a year since purchasing, and this wok (and the one I bought my for my Dad) is still going strong. I completely agree with the top reviews, this pan is only a success if you season it well before first use and maintain it with correct cleaning. If it helps, you can think of it the same way you would a cast iron pan, care and cleaning are quite similar. It's a little extra work but I've never regretted it, make sure you use a well established seasoning method before your first use and you'll be just fine.

Pretty decent wok. Needs to be seasoned first. I’ve been using cast iron for years so this wasn’t too bad. I cleaned it very well, then wiped it with oil and put it in the oven, upside down at 400 for 10 min, then turned the oven off and let it sit for another 10. I took the main handle off so it would fit better in the oven. Wrap the other one in a wet rag and then foil to hold it in place. I did this 4 times, then cooked some stir fry and cleaned it. The picture you see is after that. The wok isn’t as thick as I would like, it has some flex and I feel like with heavier loads, and pick it it up, it could eventually crack or wear out where the handle attaches. But it should be fine for years. The small handle also rattles, which is a slight annoyance. Overall, it’s a really good wok for the price. UPDATED: I’ve been using this for a few months now. On about the 4th or 5th time I used it, the seasoning started peeling off in the bottom. I transferred the food over before it was too bad, but I knew the seasoning was bad. I put it aside for a while, then when I had time, I scrubbed it with steel wool till the seasoning on the bottom was gone. Basically if it was loose enough to come out, it came out. I then reseasoned it and have been using it for a month or two now, 2-4times a week. The seasoning is not uniform at, and almost doesn’t look seasoned in spots, but I have no sticking issues at all. It just looks like a well used wok you’d see in a restaurant or something. The seasoning peeling may have been my fault, so I’m sticking with my 4/5 star rating. The first photo I before the flaking seasoning. The second is how I’ve been using it. It may look bad, but it does the job fantastically.

High quality and as expected

I bought this as my main wok to cook inside using an Iwatani 35FW Butane Portable stove (which is also awesome by the way), and it is just perfect! I've properly cleaned it with a scrubbing pad and soap, and then heated it using my butane stove (outside, it'll smoke) until the whole thing became light blue. I made sure to cover the wooden handles with aluminium foil to prevent them from scorching. I let it cool a bit and then applied a thin coat of canola oil inside and outside and wiped it as thin as possible with a paper towel. I started the burner again and let the oil burn out (until it's no longer smoking). I wiped again, and then fried some scallions and fresh ginger until brown, and wiped it clean again with the paper towel. As others mentioned, the rivets of the handles did become a bit loose from the heat expansion, but there's an easy fix: All you need is to gently hammer them flat against an anvil or bench vice until it's tight again. Be careful not to hammer the wok, and be gentle because the rivets will flatten easily. I did that for both the handles and they are no longer giggling. I don't expect them to move again now that they've been tempered, but we'll see.

Good quality

Happy wife…well fed husband..😂

Came nicely packaged with recipe booklet and wok seasoning instructions. Just follow the instructions to season and wok has been as good as any non stick ones. Remember not to wash with detergent.