JOYCE CHEN Classic Series 14-Inch Carbon Steel Wok with Birch Handles

Just got this wok today. This is the first stovetop wok I've owned. My previous was an electric, non-stick wok whose non-stick finish finally wore out after many years. This one seems to be good quality and hopefully it's the last one I'll ever buy.I read many of the reviews, and it seems many people are having a problem removing the factory anti-rust coating and getting it seasoned properly. I was able to get it done and seasoned, at least to my satisfaction. Here's what I did:1) The most important step is to completely remove the factory coating. I followed the instructions on the cardboard label as to boiling water for in the wok for 5-10 minutes. I did 10. To remove the coating, use a steel wool soap pad (Brillo) and LOTS of elbow grease. Don't be afraid to scrub hard, inside and out, adding a little water to keep things flowing. When you think you have it, rinse and check for any places where the water seems to bead up and scrub that area some more. When you're satisfied, dry it with paper towels and heat it on the stove to dry thoroughly.2) Now "Blue" the wok. This is a step that's not in the enclosed instructions, but it's important according to what I read on Youtube. Turn the burner up high and heat the pan until it turns blue. Tilt and rotate to hold different parts over the flame until each part, bottom and all sides, turn approximately the same shade of blue.3) Time to season the wok. While it's still hot, coat the inside and outside with a high temperature oil. I used Canola oil cooking spray. Use a paper towel pad held in tongs to remove ALLthe oil, leaving a very thin, even coating. Repeat the same heating routine you used to blue the wok, heating each area, bottom and sides, until it no longer smokes (Open the windows and use an exhaust fan if you have it). Repeat the seasoning step twice more.If you did it properly it should look about like the attached photo. If it comes out mottled a lot , you didn't scrub the factory finish off thoroughly enough. Start again with the Brillo pad.I have a gas range. If you have electric, you may be able to get the same results; no guarantees.

I'm writing this the day I opened the box. It was trivial to assemble, although it took a few tries before the handle would go on all the way. The instructions say that, before use, you should clean it by boiling water in it for 5 to 7 minutes, and then scrub with hot soapy water and a scouring pad.I didn't follow the instructions to the word. I had "Bon Ami" cleansing powder, so I tried that first. I did a lot of scrubbing and the sides of the wok felt like metal, but the bottom was still slick like plastic. I boiled water in it twice. I didn't let it sit for "5 to 7 minutes" (I probably should have read the directions closer). It stank and got dark streaks on it. It was weird. It still stank after the second boil.Online instructions said to heat it, without water in it. Just heat the metal until the factory coating burned off. I had the large gas burner on high and it took a while. The wok turned bronze, then brown, then bluish. It really stank. You want your windows open and the stove's exhaust fan on.I used the Bon Ami powder on it after that. Some of the blue came off on the bottom. It was taking sooooo long and I was making little progress, so I just gave up. I put some oil in the pan and seasoned it. (I burned the oil and set off the fire alarm ... I do not recommend imitating me there.)I then made fried rice. It worked fine. It didn't stink and it cleaned up well afterwards. I think I'm going to like this pan.My only complaint so far, besides the 2+ hours to clean it, is that the short-handle doesn't stick out away from the pan. The handle is up and above the pan. That means that the handle gets warm while on the burner. You'll need an oven mitt whenever you want to use that second handle. But I'll live with that. It wasn't a very expensive pan.

The media could not be loaded. I bought the 12 inch wok based on many recommendations on the internet. The first impression was positive. The wok looked nice and exactly like what you see from the product page. The bottom was flat when it first came out of the box.Now, you can't really use the wok without seasoning it properly. Otherwise, it will be such a pain in the butt to use.So I went to YouTube and watched a bunch of seasoning tutorials. Fortunately, there were some helpful tutorials specifically with this exact wok.I started off with burning off all the factory coatings of the wok. Just like I saw from the tutorials, the wok turned black initially and turned back to matt bluish grey which indicated that the factory coating is all burned off.I was ready to do actual seasoning steps with the oil but then I discovered a couple of issues right away.1. The handle got super loose.You can see from the video I uploaded. The riveted handle got super loose. Very serious problem especially when you're handling super hot wok. It felt very flimsy and I had 0 confidnece on the wok at this point. It's just not acceptable.2. The bottom is no longer flat.I noticed this in the middle of the burning process. The bottom was warped and it was no longer flat when put on a flat surface. For something that is supposed to endure high heat and is advertised to be 'flat bottom', this issue is also not acceptable.I think the issue #2 may not be a deal-breaker for those with non-flat stovetops but the firs issue is a rather serious one. It could be pretty dangerous when the handle finally fails and detached in the middle of cooking.If you're looking for a sturdy and reliable wok, think twice.Or just give it a chance and try for yourself first since it's relatively inexpensive. I might have been just unlucky and received a bad copy.By the way, Amazon customer service was helpful as always and issued me a full refund without any hassle. I did show them the video clip of the issue though.