JOYCE CHEN Professional Series 14-Inch Carbon Steel Wok with Phenolic Handles

I bought this wok after extensive research online, the goal was to replace my Le Creuset wok I got years ago. The Le Creuset wok was nonstick (got it back before I knew any better about cookware) and it was showing it's age. I decided to move away from nonstick and get into cooking with cast iron and carbon steel. With a little TLC I hadn't regret my decision, even when cooking eggs.It is true what the other reviewers said, the factory lacquer took unholy efforts to remove. But with lots of elbow grease, scrubbing with a green scouring pad under very hot water while wearing thick plastic gloves, it came off. One thing to note is once the lacquer is off the wok will rust immediately. So it's important to work quickly after that and towel dry asap. The seasoning part was just as the instruction said, which I delegated to my husband to do after 1 round of standing by the hot stove. Only thing he did differently was after the last seasoning (he did it 5 times), he stir fried aromatics (leeks and ginger) to really sear the flavor in. I used the wok an hour later and it cooked like a dream. Nothing stuck and took to the high heat very well. To clean I pour hot water in it while the wok is still warm and stirred a paper towel around. Then I dump the water out and immediately towel dry. Then I put it on medium heat to make sure it's good and dried all the way around and rub a few drops of canola oil back in with a paper towel to keep it from rusting. I won't bother to find a place for it in my kitchen cabinets, this baby is going to be used so much that it won't need to be put away.

You will love this wok.For the initial seasoning, I ignored much of what other reviewers said but did boil water in it as directed and scrubbed it thoroughly with steel wool, then did the initial seasoning on my biggest gas burner on my stovetop. This process got a good deep brown coating on the bottom in just about 20 minutes that is a better non-stick surface than my old Teflon coated wok. I haven't got a deep brown seasoning on the entire surface yet, but it will happen with time. One useful tip is to hold an oil soaked paper towel with tongs while doing the seasoning so as not to burn your fingers; and keep the fan going on your hood because it will certainly smoke. Oh, and Wesson oil (pure soybean oil) worked just fine for seasoning my pan.The book The Food Lab by J. Kenji Lopez-Alt has a great guide to selecting a wok and this model is a perfect fit to those recommendations.Heavy walled carbon steel is very responsive to changes in flame but heats very uniformly. The 2mm thickness of this wok is just the perfect thickness, good uniform heating but not so heavy as a cast-iron wok.The flat bottom design means it sits well on my stove eye and is stable without requiring a special stand.The handles stay cool and with one-long and one short, it's easier to work with than with just short handles.This wok is made by turning and has fine machining rings all the way up the sloped sides. These help to hold food in the cooler parts of the wok while you cook other food in the bottom.If you haven't used a wok before you will be amazed at all of the things it does better than any other cooking tool.A wok is perfect for deep frying, and for pan searing meats, as well as stir frying.Make sure and get a lid for this wok so you can use it for steaming too.Tips for use, just make sure and season it well, don't wash it in soap or dishwasher, and oil it before putting it away, just like it says. If wash water turns yellow or it rusts in storage, you didn't oil it enough. Also, carbon steel will not hold up to vinegar or acidic foods, so always make sour sauces in a separate pan, preferably stainless.Walmart doesn't sell this wok, and does sell a cheaper carbon steel wok without the removable handles. Not sure if the cheaper ones are as thick as this one is either.

This wok cooks well but I encountered significant issues trying to season it. Upon delivery a few weeks ago, I closely followed the instructions about boiling water in it and scrubbing to remove the factory coating. While it took a good bit of elbow grease, all of the coating eventually came off. Seasoning is where I ran into problems.Since the steel should be heated thoroughly, I used my propane jet burner which is used to heat seafood in a 100qt pot. The burner can generate a lot of heat, as you might imagine. I lit the burner and coated the wok in oil. Then, I put it over the burner. While the steel seasoned exactly as it should, both handles melted and the rivets which attach the handles to the bowl loosened up considerably. I will take the blame for the melted handles. I should have removed them both BEFORE heating the wok. After seasoning, I could have simply re-installed them after the wok cooled down. I am going to contact the manufacturer to inquire about purchasing new handles. They are each held on by screws so replacement ought to be simple. Live and learn.The rivets are another story. All rivets were tight before I seasoned the wok. After seasoning, they are so loose that I cannot hold either handle with any confidence that they are not going to break off at some point. I am going to try to hammer them back tight, if possible. If not, I will not be able to move the wok during cooking (which is what I am forced to do at the moment). That makes this wok largely ineffective so I will have to search for another one with better construction quality. The sad part is that the cooking surface works very well. It is impressively non-stick and heats quickly and evenly. The few things that I have cooked in it came out great. I will update this review after I attempt to re-seat the rivets. I hope I can salvage this thing.TL;DR Remove the handles before seasoning the wok or do not use a high-heat source like an outdoor jet burner. Once it is seasoned, this wok functions very well.