IMUSA 14in Carbon Steel Wok with Wood Handles

I’m absolutely thrilled with this wok! Although the arrival of this was pretty late? The quality is fantastic — the material feels sturdy and durable, and it heats up evenly, making cooking a breeze. I’ve already used it to whip up stir-fries, and everything cooked perfectly with great flavor. The size is just right for family meals, and the non-stick surface makes cleanup super easy. Overall, this wok has quickly become my go-to pan in the kitchen. Highly recommend it to anyone who loves cooking Asian dishes or just wants a versatile, reliable wok!

I dont remember if it said anywhere, but the listing and packaging should make it clear that the wooden outer handle can be removed by unscrewing the metal loop. This is my first wok and I took the initial preseason removal by fire too far and scorched the wood. Fortunately it is pretty inexpensive, and I've been learning on it and find the wok easy to cook with after getting the first seasoning done (rub in tiny bit of oil, heat wok to smoking, cool). I burned enough of the handle thay it is now a little wobbly and needs a retighten every cook but I blame myself and carry on. Now, while the outer handle can be removed, the side wooden handle cannot, and worse, the metal it covers is not a full metal handle, there is a gap, so it feels really cheap there when it wobbles, which it does more now again because I scorched it during seasoning. Avoid getting that handle near open flame, and be careful letting the wok on high heat without any food to dump that heat into. Fortunately I haven't found much need to use that side handle, it is light enough that for reasonably sized batches I can either carry it one or two handed on the long handle. I've even been able to practice pan toss-flipping one handed, but this is definitely becoming a forearm workout. Besides that I still like this as my first wok, but my second will probably have no nonremovable wood, although the next priced seems to be the Babish wok. My seasoning did not end up looking anywhere as clean as pro videos online, but it left a pretty low stick finish when heated and oiled properly before applying food.

I wanted to write this as a sort of public service announcement regarding this wok. I purchased the UNCOATED Carbon Steel Imusa wok. When it arrived, it was mildly damaged due to being thrown in a box haphazardly with a chainsaw bar that beat the heck out of it. Amazon worked with me so that I did not need to return it but also got a partial refund for the damage. None of that was IMUSA's fault. The FIRST THING you need to know is that THIS IS AN UNCOATED WOK, however, IT COMES WITH A PROTECTIVE COATING. This coating is in place to prevent rust. There are lots of ways they could have done it, but this is what they chose. I do not know what the coating is made of, but it appears to be something at least somewhat wax based. DO NOT USE THIS WOK BEFORE YOU PREP IT. So, how do you prep it? You need to wash it, and then take stainless steel wool to the interior and exterior until you've gotten most of the protective coating off. IT WILL BEGIN TO RUST IF YOU DO NOT SEASON IT AFTER SO PLEASE CONTINUE READING. This is NORMAL for Carbon Steel AND Cast Iron cookware. Rust is the fault of the user, NOT THE PRODUCT. Okay? Ok. Let's continue. It's going to take a lot of hard work to truly get this coating off. Lots of elbow grease. Once you've done the best you can do and the pan no longer "appears" coated (it will start to look more dull and less shiny) you then need to heat this puppy up. You will not be able to do this adequately on anything except a fire or a gas stove. You can try a blowtorch, we did that for certain areas near the handle. You want to blue up the carbon steel. What that means is that it will turn "blue" in a way, a shade of metallic blue. You want to get the wok very hot, all over in even distribution until it changes colors. Once the whole wok has been properly heated and is one mostly uniform color, and you are sure all of the coating is off, you can begin the seasoning process. Take a bit of oil - I use coconut - and use the thinnest coat imaginable to coat the entire thing. Then repeat the heating process described above, wiping away any excess with tongs and a paper towel. Do this over and over again until it becomes a nice, uniform dark color. It doesn't have to be perfect the first time, as after this you will continue to season it each time you cook. Try not to use metal utensils on it until it's taken a good solid seasoning. Your first thing you cook in it should be an egg. Just put a lot of oil in the bottom for this (you won't want to eat this egg) and cook up the egg. Something about the egg and the oil really does wonders for a carbon steel pan's seasoning. Don't try to move it immediately, let it cook for a minute before you start to move it around. Then once it's free, move it around the pan and all over the sides until thoroughly cooked. Once it's done, take it out, empty the excess oil, wipe the whole wok down to take out any excess oil, and heat it up again continuing to wipe any drips. Wipe that oil like your life depended on you getting it out. Now your pan is ready to use. Wash with soap and water as necessary, continue to season with oil and heat periodically. This is a really great wok and while there's room for improvement, for the price it's great and could potentially last a lifetime. The rivets are a bit poorly set, but I am a DIYer so I don't mind re-riveting it when the time comes.

The carbon steel really does an awesome job with heat as long as you season it properly. Seasoning a wok literally means burning the steel to create carbon to make it harder and stronger. We call that trapping the breath of a dragon! PROS: - You get a great wok for a small chunk of change. - Works better than more expensive alternatives. - Non-stick gets better with more usage. - Food tastes better when cooked with carbon steel. - The more you use it, the better the food tastes as the "wok hei" develops complexities in flavor. - No need for any special utensils, feel free to use steel ones. CONS: - Not as easy cleanup as regular pots and pans. You will need to get used to cleaning it up after each use. - Have to season it well to take advantage of it's full capabilities, and will need to be re-seasoned periodically. - Is a bit on the heavy side and is barely manageable with one hand. - Flat bottom is wider and would have been better if it was a bit narrower; that would make tossing stir-fry more efficient. RECOMMENDATION: - Get it, you won't regret it as long as you follow some simple requirements of this wok! - You're friends and family would be amazed on how good the food is cooked in this wok.

Great for fried rice and stir fry!

This product, to me, is a disappointment. It is thin and lightweight. It heats up quickly and so may burn easily. The material appears dubiously durable. So dont expect much from it. Finally, it scrapes easily - alot Take a look at the image, after one use and a spoon. SMH. This is most distressing. I would not recommend purchasing this item.

Nos gustó mucho, tiene buen tamaño, no se pega la comida y se calienta rápido.

I was alarmed when I read the wrapper, which said to use only low or medium heat, and warning about birds in the room when using the pan because of fumes. I avoid non-stick cookware because I am not gentle, and I find that any pan is non-stick if properly seasoned. Fumes from chemical coatings concern me. But I was fascinated by the size of this wok, along with the price. It is quite perfect for a small household and kitchen. After putting it through its paces for a week, making stir-fries, frying fish, boiling ramen broth, it has performed well. There was a noticeable chemical smell the first time I used it (probably best to toss the first oil) but it was gone quickly. Because of the flat base and thinner material things fry well on medium, without burning, and high was no problem with liquid in it. It cleaned easily with just a wipe of a paper towel, per proper practice with non-treated woks and cast iron, reserving water cleaning for instances where wiping is not sufficient. If you want to avoid added fat altogether it might stick. Better to add a few drops of oil to the cold pan and spread it around with a brush or kitchen paper before beginning to heat the pan. And again, use no higher than medium-high heat (7 or less on a 10-position dial; avoid scorching at all costs). Note that there are no claims on the label that the finish is metal-utensil tolerant. Only use wood, nylon or silicon.

Excellent wok qui fonctionne à merveille! Une fois le wok bien culotté, il permet de cuisiner des recettes chinoise avec le bon goût de wok hei.

Súper practico

The coating on the bottom of the wok started to pit after 8 uses. Only medium heat was ever used. Also, only wooden or plastic spatula's were used to fry. This wok is not recommended.