When is my wok dead?

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Nemo

Nemo

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I have a much loved carbon steel wok with looped steel handles. I bought it at an Asian grocer somewhere between 15 and 20 years ago for maybe ten bucks. It gets used around twice a week. Over the last few months I have noticed that the base has what looks like a shallow dent in it. It is now maybe 5x5 cm (2"x2") in area but under 1 mm deep. There are also some small pits under 1mm in diameter higher up the walls.

Time to pension the wok off?

Question for those who use a wok a lot: What features should I look for in a new wok? I have an LPG stove with a wok burner which ishotter than mains gas but not in the realm of the dedicated wok burners that some on the forum have shown off.

I'm not interested in teflon coated stuff but my carbon cookware gets re-seasoned if the seasoning gets eroded by acidic food.

Should I go for a named brand or still go for a cheapo from the Asian grocer?

TIA.
 
I can't see any reason to get a name brand. The cheapo Asian market woks work great.
 
Sounds like it's just getting broken in :)
I've had the same one for 20+ years--It was a hand-me-down from work after they got new woks.
Less than 1 mm depth to the flat spot sounds minor to me. Save the money. Buy beer instead.
 
I know many here prefer carbon steel to cast iron, but I have a (very heavy) cast iron wok that I like for the heat retention factor. You'd never have to worry about flat spots or changing shape :)
 
Seeing that the last wok you had lasted you 15–20 years and cost ten bucks, I don't see why you couldn't buy another one for ten bucks and have it last just as long.

What I'd look for in a wok is low weight and maybe a helper handle which makes it easier to move around when it has a lot of food in it. The cheap ones you find in Asian supermarkets for a few dollars work just fine. I don't see the point in going for something fancy/heavy/expensive. Just season it well, and that's that.
 
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I believe you should spend more time and money on your heat source. As to the wok, i like cheap carbon w hammer marks.
 
Yamada woks are very popular in Japan. They are hand made (with machine) and formed by hammering (not a single shot press). If you want something good, worth checking.

You can choose one from different sizes and thickness. 1.2mm is light and easy to handle especially when you have a strong berner.
 
I personally hate the dents/hammer marks. They make it difficult to remove the food, even if you have a perfectly radiused wok-chan. It's the same deal with the flat-bottomed woks and the corners you get as it transitions to the side walls.
31ZFg4W0x%2BL._AC_UL320_SR286,320_.jpg

But this is my opinion from working in professional kitchens, the kind with proper burners and the built in taps. Once you get used to that kind of efficiency - churning out meals every few minutes - its hard to go back.

Buy a new cheap one. Just remember to round over the sharp edges with sandpaper, they're hella dangerous.

Use the old one to wash vegetables. Nothing beats it, haha! :D
 
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I read that round bottomed woks are great with a commercial burner but a flat bottomed wok heats up quicker on a stovetop wok burner. Unfortunately, I'm not really in a position to install a commercial style burner in my kitchen at the moment.

I like the idea of using the old one as a kinda veggie wash basin. Obviously you would need to make sure it is well seasoned.

Does anyone have preferences for steel loop handles vs other types of handles?
 
ojisan said:
Yamada woks are very popular in Japan. They are hand made (with machine) and formed by hammering (not a single shot press). If you want something good, worth checking.

You can choose one from different sizes and thickness. 1.2mm is light and easy to handle especially when you have a strong berner.
Click to expand...

Nemo said:
I read that round bottomed woks are great with a commercial burner but a flat bottomed wok heats up quicker on a stovetop wok burner. Unfortunately, I'm not really in a position to install a commercial style burner in my kitchen at the moment.

I like the idea of using the old one as a kinda veggie wash basin. Obviously you would need to make sure it is well seasoned.

Does anyone have preferences for steel loop handles vs other types of handles?
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I have a yamada 36cm x 1.6mm round bottom with single handle. Differential thickness is probably a good thing in theory, I don’t notice the hammer marks because it’s so well done they’re smooth. Handle and wok are a single piece of metal so it’s not going to come loose over time. Light enough I can manage one hand but feels like a bit of a workout. I don’t use as often as I’d like because I only have an Iwatani 35FW 15k BTU burner, but it is doable. Also picked up the matching strainer and hoak & chuan
 
Kippington said:
I personally hate the dents/hammer marks. They make it difficult to remove the food, even if you have a perfectly radiused wok-chan. It's the same deal with the flat-bottomed woks and the corners you get as it transitions to the side walls.
31ZFg4W0x%2BL._AC_UL320_SR286,320_.jpg

But this is my opinion from working in professional kitchens, the kind with proper burners and the built in taps. Once you get used to that kind of efficiency - churning out meals every few minutes - its hard to go back.

Buy a new cheap one. Just remember to round over the sharp edges with sandpaper, they're hella dangerous.

Use the old one to wash vegetables. Nothing beats it, haha! :D
Click to expand...


I use the hammer marks to hold food up on the sides out of the oil... never had a problem using chan on said wok.
 
I find I need better ventilation that I can get over a home stove to properly use the wok. So I take my show outside. Modified a readily available (in the states) burner to hold the round bottom. Inexpensive carbon, steel handles, I've had it more than 20 years. Wok and Roll!

2015-10-14 17.14.04.jpg
 
A cheap wok should last longer than that, but if it's actually changing shape then I would replace it. Cheap woks are fine. My main one is a 16" bought in a local commercial kitchen supply house for not much money, almost 20 years ago. Just make sure the metal isn't too thin, by trying to push and bend the upper sides together. It might flex a small amount, but too much flexing means the steel gauge is too thin. It could get you into trouble if you're doing something like dumping a wok full of hot frying oil.

I did try one higher-end wok last year. I wanted a smaller one for smaller jobs, with a single long handle (my main one has two side metal loop handles). So I bought one of those Yamada woks from GlobalkitchenJapan. Hammered steel, with the heavier gauge steel option. Most of the cost was in the shipping, actually. I like it and use it fairly often, but I'm not convinced it's really any better than something you'd get in a local Asian store or commercial kitchen supply outfit. The hammer marks are more of a visual effect, they're not deep enough to work any differently than my plain-sided cheap carbon steel wok.

As for cast iron vs. carbon steel, I don't think I'd want a cast iron wok, although with the disclaimer that I've never tried one either. For wok cooking, I want a fast heat response to quickly drop the heat when stir fried meat is cooked to exactly the right point, which may mean under-done because it will finish later in a sauce. A quick drop in heat is also important for stopping the "gel" in a sauce when using a starch for thickening. With recipes that require multiple stages, I'm usually turning the gas knob from low to high several times during that process, and I want the wok to follow what the gas flame is doing.

I also agree with the above comment that most folks should focus more on improving the heat source than anything else. It can be very expensive to do it right though (unless you use the outdoor turkey fryer option). For indoor cooking, it gets into other areas like high volume ventilation. I'm fortunate in having a dedicated 30,000 btu wok burner in the kitchen that can handle large woks set deep towards the single large burner, and a ginormous commercial hood over it. But it took me years to get to this point.
 
Paraffin said:
As for cast iron vs. carbon steel, I don't think I'd want a cast iron wok, although with the disclaimer that I've never tried one either. For wok cooking, I want a fast heat response to quickly drop the heat when stir fried meat is cooked to exactly the right point, which may mean under-done because it will finish later in a sauce. A quick drop in heat is also important for stopping the "gel" in a sauce when using a starch for thickening. With recipes that require multiple stages, I'm usually turning the gas knob from low to high several times during that process, and I want the wok to follow what the gas flame is doing.
Click to expand...

Even though I use a cast-iron wok, I agree with the above comment IF you have the burner power needed. If your burner is underpowered for a wok (like on my Viking cooktop) the heat retention of the cast iron outweighs the slow response for me. I move things up the edge to keep them cooler. Of course YMMV :)
 
daveb said:
I find I need better ventilation that I can get over a home stove to properly use the wok. So I take my show outside. Modified a readily available (in the states) burner to hold the round bottom. Inexpensive carbon, steel handles, I've had it more than 20 years. Wok and Roll!

View attachment 54376
Click to expand...

I thought I remembered it was you who made the wok burner. I’ve thought about getting one of those outdoor camp burners (looks similar) and then doing a mod to the cooking grate to accommodate a round wok.
 
Will you guys stop enabling me? Now I'm gonna have to gp looking for outdoor wok burners.

Do you guys in USA go outside to use your wok burner in the frozen depths of winter? You would probably think that our winter is pretty lame- rarely gets more than a few degrees below freezing (coldest I can ever remember here is 6 C below)- but I don't relish the idea of cooking outside on a winter's night. Do I just need to take a cement tablet (to harden up)?
 
Nemo said:
but I don't relish the idea of cooking outside on a winter's night.
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Wuss! ;)

My wok burner is attached to the BBQ outside. I do admit that, during winter, my wok cooking happens more for lunch than for dinner :) But, really, it's not such a big deal. I usually do all the prep inside, have all the ingredients ready on a tray, and then move the whole thing outside. Most wok dishes are done in less than five minutes, so I'm back inside really quickly.

Nemo said:
Will you guys stop enabling me? Now I'm gonna have to gp looking for outdoor wok burners.
Click to expand...
I have one very similar to this:
s-l1600.jpg
I bought mine in 2001 and paid about AUD 40.00 for it. I'm surprised how expensive these things are now. Most of them are in the AUD 150–200 range :(
 
aboynamedsuita said:
I thought I remembered it was you who made the wok burner. I’ve thought about getting one of those outdoor camp burners (looks similar) and then doing a mod to the cooking grate to accommodate a round wok.
Click to expand...

It was I. I started with a Bayou Classic High Pressure Burner (Lowes, Home Depot, etc.) , replaced the jet burner with a fry burner and my brother did some welding to add vent holes and add angled stock pieces to hold the wok steady.


https://www.shopthebayou.com/collections/cookers/products/high-press cookerure-cooker
https://www.shopthebayou.com/collections/bayou-cooker-accessories/products/cast-iron-fry-burner

Does all the other outdoor cooking stuff, turkey fryer, fish fryer, paella cooker, as well.
 
Michi said:
Wuss! ;)
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Says the guy who lives in Brisbane! Does it ever get below 10C there? [emoji6]

I know, I know, you guys had a really cold day the other day... Almost as cold as it was here.

More seriously, where did you get your burner? Looks seriously potent. What's the heat output?

Actually, I should check the heat output on the wok burner on my BBQ, which I haven't used for years.
 
Here is my set up in my backyard. It’s very effective. It trumps any turkey fryer simply because it has a PILOT LIGHT!

I can turn my flame off as I add ingredients and simply throw the knob to “JET ENGINE’. And I’m back in business. I’m gonna cut a hole in a stainless table and nestle the stove into the hole, but I hesitate. I really love taking it in during inclement weather.
34B36B77-4A64-4267-BCE3-ABBFBA6F4E78.jpeg
 
Nemo said:
More seriously, where did you get your burner? Looks seriously potent. What's the heat output?
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I'm not really sure. Lots :) I'm guessing somewhere north of 10 MJ/hour.

Basically, if I turn it up high, I can get my wok from cold to cherry red in 45 seconds. (I timed it once.) That's enough, I think ;)

I'll try to remember and post a video on the weekend. The basket for the burner has rusted a fair bit over the years. (It's been outside for 18 Years, albeit under cover). I guess I could stick it into a bucket of vinegar or some such, but I'm not sure I can be bothered—the rust is fairly superficial.
 
Talim said:
You guys need to up your wok game.
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Yeah, I would LOVE to have that huge wok set into a tiled counter like that, except with gas for more control.

I enjoy this video series, but I hope everyone realizes that this is a carefully produced and staged show, not a documentary of country cooking. Very impressive nevertheless. And I'd still like to have that huge wok.
 
Hi Nemo, i can highly recommend this company, they are in Bulleen and you can pop in and see all of the models working.

I went this route as i didn't want to take chances buying something off ebay that may not meet Australian standards.

https://www.auscrown.com.au/products/product/auto-ignition-ring-burner-rbc225lp

I ended up with this model and was very impressed with the control and how quickly it gets the wok HOT! It's also great for cooking a steak on a skillet outdoors. You can cook with super high heat without smoking out the whole house.

They have two models with even higher mj/hr but you cant use them for a flat pan as well.

We now use ours 2-3 times a week.
 
Btw. My parents had a Chinese restaurant. It took a long time to burn out a wok. Years. I can’t imagine a home setting ever coming close.
 
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