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

First off, the instructions though somewhat limited, are just what one needs to do to season this wok. The only thing that I did a different was to wrap the assist handle with tin foil so I would not burn it during the seasoning process. I filled it with water to about 3/4 or so, put it on the gas stove and let it come to a boil, ie,, faster with the lid on. Let it boil for about 10 minutes. Rather than carry it over to the sink I used a small pan and scoped out more than half of the water to make it easier to carry and not spill a bunch. Took a brush and hot water and washed it several times scrubbing pretty hard. I did not use any type of hard metal scrubber like steel wool. Dry well, and let it set out so that it very dry before beginning the seasoning.I have a gas stove so I went for the big burner. Used peanut oil with tongs and paper towel and rubbed down the wok and put it on the fire. Started smoking pretty fast, and yea, get those vents on, and open the doors and windows. With tongs in hand loaded with a paper towel I moved the wok around and around the fire tilting up and down trying to hit every spot. It started turning deep golden very quickly. Keep hitting the wok with the paper towel and if it stops smoking put on more oil, doesn't take much. I did this for about 10 minutes, lifting it ever so often to get a good look at where it needed more treatment. Took it off the fire and set it aside. My house was smokey, but no alarms going off. Lucky we had a bit of breeze so that helped. Had to go off for the rest of the day, but decided the second seasoning was going to be on my gas grill outside as it has a side burner on it. The other grill burners might work but did not try that way.Second day I did the gas grill. Fired it up and did the same process and worked great though I had been sceptical that the flame was big enough, but worked very well. Did the same process as the first one. No smokey house. After two seasonings I may or may not do a third as it is such a nice deep golden color not sure I need more. But will keep it in mind should it need it later.Will update later once I have used this baby, but see no problems.A note or two. I saw where a few have heated the wok prior to oiling it. The instructions say DO NOT ever heat wok with no oil in it. Also note that the instructions come for two different type woks so read carefully to make sure you are doing the right wok. My first page was for a non-stick wok, and on the next page were the instruction for the carbon steel. I have also seem comments about the lid not fitting, but it is not a top fit, it goes down into the wok just a bit rather than a sealed fit like most pots and pans.Happy woking.After the two seasoning process I have used the wok to cook three times with no sticking and no signs of rust. Works great, very happy with product.

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.

Despite following the instructions in the manual to season the wok, nothing changed. The process was very dangerous with boiling hot water and boiling hot oil. I burned myself several times, my kitchen was filled with smoke, and I worked for an entire weekend. No changes. The manual had no further guidance. Another reviewer suggested Easy-Off heavy duty oven cleaner. I applied it and sealed it in a garbage for several weeks. Something seemed to be disintegrating, but I have no idea what it was or what was supposed to happen. I think the cleaner created a toxic and hazardous waste now. Now I have to drive to a local scrap yard and see if they’ll accept this toxic wok. A complete and total waste of time and money to dangerously create a toxic hazardous waste product.

I’ve had the wok for a little over a year now. It works really well and I’ve enjoyed making a lot more Asian food with it. It was easy to season (just find a YT video) and it’s easy to clean and maintain. It’s big and holds a lot of food. The lid is handy for steaming things like broccoli that needs a little extra time. Having this wok is a game changer as far as stir frying goes. Prior to buying my wok, I used a nonstick skillet. It made a huge mess and didn’t put color/char food like the wok does. It’s night and day! Totally worth it if you want to step up your Asian food game.HOWEVER, after a few months, the bottom of the wok must have warped because it no longer lays flat on the burner. Fortunately, I have a gas stove so it’s still usable, but it definitely wobbles. That’s why I knocked off a star. I probably would have given it 3.5 stars if they did half stars. It’s unfortunate because everything else has been great. Maybe I just got a bad one.