JOYCE CHENClassic Series 14-Inch Carbon Steel Wok with Birch Handles

I just received this wok/fry pan today and used it this evening, with excellent results. I wanted a 12 inch pan because the 14 inch normal size was too large for a single person. The 12 inch pan is perfect for one or two people. My choice was between this pan and Joyce Chen's 12 inch Peking pan. The differences are the Peking pan is somewhat thicker and has a narrower base which was the deciding factor for me. A wider base allows food to be spread out over a greater heat area to cook evenly - I like to roast red peppers and the wider bottom allows them to be spread out and blacken more evenly.As for seasoning the pan and removing the coating used to protect it in transit, that turned out to be quite easy. There is a reviewer/expert on Chinese cooking who produced a YouTube video on just those tasks. Her first step was to scrub off the lacquer coating. I started doing that but it looked like too much work. I found a commenter on Amazon who shared his technique which worked quite well:First of all, I did this outside to prevent inside heat and smoke. I used an induction cooktop that worked out very well. The technique for cleaning the lacquer was to boil water with about 10 black teabags for about 20 min. I left it on for about 30 min. and saw the loosened lacquer float to the top which I skimmed off. After that I let it cool and washed the pan in the sink with a little soap and water. For any spots that appeared to still be present I just ran some steel wool over the area with moderate pressure.The next step was to season the pan. That too was very easy. Again, I did this out of doors to prevent smoke indoors. I first heated the pan up at a high temperature, at which point the pan started changing colors and darkening. This is normal. After the pan was heating for a few minutes I poured some oil into the pan and using wadded paper towels and a tong to hold the towels, I spread the oil over the inside of the wok. I lowered the heat and let the oil cook in for about 15 min. then let the pan cool down. I then washed the pan again with little soap and for any residual spots including some residual oil that turned sticky, I lightly ran some steel wool over the area. I could have stopped there but, perfectionist that I am, I repeated the heating process once more. The pan was then "seasoned" well enough to start cooking on it. After I completed that process I noticed that the wok would fit into my toaster oven (with the handle hanging outside and the door partially open). So, again, I moved my toaster oven outside, put a little oil in the wok, and then turned on the broil function for about 15 min. This was to take care of the sides of the wok which were not really affected by my first steps. Because the handle hung out of the toaster oven, I shifted it from one side to the other and again ran the broiler for another 15 min. The final result was a seasoned wok on which I cooked my first meal that evening, with excellent results.The steps may sound somewhat complicated but they are well suited to quickly seasoning a wok with a minimal of time and effort. I didn't have to stand over a sink and with great effort remove the lacquer since it easily came off just by boiling. And the seasoning was actually very easy and required little effort.I had previously purchased a nonstick wok. I liked it but there is no comparison to a seasoned carbon steel wok. I always had the fear, with a nonstick wok, of emissions and I found the coating did not last much more than a year or so. I got better results on my new, seasoned wok.As for cleaning, I found this works very well: when you finish cooking, while the pan is still hot, pour a little water into the pan and you can then easily scrape off any residual stuck food. Then quickly rinse the pan in hot water, put a little oil on it, and you are done. This takes about 30 seconds. I usually dry the wok with a little paper toweling and about 15 or so seconds on the range. Make sure you rub a little cooking oil into the wok when done, to prevent rusting.Edit: occasionally there will be some burnt spots. These are very easy to get rid of. First, try adding a little water to the hot wok and scrape using whatever utensil you have. If that doesn't clear everything up then try briefly scrubbing with a soft scrubber under hot water. If that doesn't work then use a copper or steel scouring pad. There is no need to press hard and just use whatever pressure it takes to clear up the spot. Don't worry about the "patina" since it will take care of itself as you continue cooking. Another hint, is to occasionally use a drop or two of liquid dishwasher soap. There is nothing wrong with this and it will do no harm whatsoever to the wok. What it does is remove excess carbon that could discolor food the next time you use the wok (try rubbing a paper towel with a little oil in the wok and you will see what I mean). Always remember, after washing and drying the wok, to put a little oil in it.

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.