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

It's a round solid bottom carbon steel wok. The handles are solid and well made so far. I love the price and prime delivery. It came all the way from Taiwan. So it keeps all the stars.I had an non-typical sized 13-inch Chinese cast iron wok for 2 years. 14 inch makes a lot of difference in the volume but still fit reasonably into my twin kitchen sink. My typical wok ring is for 14 inches and above. It was slightly too large for my old wok. Carbonized food residue can integrate with the cast iron or come off in trunks. I think carbon steel should be better.I would have got the small steel loop handles if they are not more expensive including shipping. For seasoning I can put the whole wok in the oven or the gas barbecue. Also, wood will break down sooner than metal, right? Without the wood handles, it could fit better in the sink. However, the wood handles are much more convenient than without. I can happily live with it.The wok comes with a clear protective lacquer. The boiling, hot soapy water, and abrasive pad helps to remove most or all of it. I don't know if there's something special about my hand dish detergent - Palmolive pure & clear ultra. When the undiluted detergent make contact with the wok surface, the surrounding area seems to have lacquer still on it. And before the lacquer comes off completely, wiping the wok with kitchen paper towel will result in greenish color on the paper. And when the wok seems to be very clean, it seems to rust on one side (slightly brownish spots) as soon as you are washing the other side.The seasoning instructions are a bit brief. I would dry the wok first completely before adding oil for example. And they should say what to expect after you season the wok.Peanut oil has a higher smoke point so I wonder if that would make the kitchen less smokey. I would say the idea of seasoning is to get a least a brown color on the shiny carbon steel surface, black doesn't hurt as long as it is even (see my pic). If you don't do that during seasoning, a proper stir fry will do that for you (unevenly though). The sturdy wood handle is great to manoeuvre the wok to get some brown color on the side. The area near the rim doesn't matter much as it is not hot enough during cooking and food don't get there to be carbonized.For after use care you don't actually need to put oil on it, as long as you don't use detergent. I dry it by flame because when it is wet, any normal rust will stain the sink.I don't know why I didn't season the bottom of the wok. I didn't remember if it is in the instructions. The whole bottom rust after use. For the oven seasoning method I used to put oil on both sides. For this one I just smear oil on the bottom and put it under the stove, normal side up.

Nice wok, just what needed for Thai food and fried rice

Before I begin I just wanted to give a little insight, I am a culinary arts student who recently found a huge respect for the art of Wok Hei. Upon extensive research, I found that the only way to even closely resemble authentic Asian cookery at home would be through the use of a properly seasoned carbon steel wok. $30 for a simple bowl of carbon steel is not cheap, our school uses 12" woks that cost a mere $15 a piece and we had them for about 4 years; thus I assumed this would be a quality wok.I received the wok and I was actually surprised at the thickness of the material, its thicker than a standard Cantonese style wok. This material is perfect for standard western home kitchens as it helps retain some heat when you add fresh product for cooking, minimizing recovery time.So I received the wok and seasoned it until it was perfectly black, after the seasoning process concluded (about an hour of a smoke filled house) I noticed the handle got worryingly loose. The cheap little ALUMINUM (are you kidding) rivets began working their way out. I thought this was a fluke, so I contacted amazon and they quickly sent me a replacement. The second wok handle felt secure and in-place, so I proceeded with another hour of seasoning, and once again the handle got ridiculously loose, even more than the first.Woks are supposed to last a lifetime, and the value of the wok comes from the quality of the patina you buildup over years of cooking. What good is a wok if you have to replace it all the time because the handle falls off?In the end its a good wok, but its NOT WORTH THE HASSLE. The two cheap aluminum rivets ruin everything. Next wok I buy I will head to Chinatown and buy an authentic, quality wok.__________________________________________________________________________________For those leaving one star reviews because of rusting issues, you need to understand that a carbon steel needs to be properly seasoned. These types of high carbon alloys will rust from the sheer moisture in the air, thus the reason you are advised to scrub the wok before seasoning, as its coated in a oily wax to prevent this issue. The directions aren't very clear as to how to properly season it, but here is my method I use and it work's perfectly. [Note: If you don't have a gas stove with a burner with at-least 10,000 BTU, this wont work that well. If you have an electric stove, don't even bother with this method, do it at a friends home.]1. Scrub the wok with hot (as hot as you can stand) soapy water. Use a stainless steel scrubbing pad, note that scotch pads or abrasive sponges wont work, you really need to scrub the surface with a metallic sponge. Scrub the inside and outside very thoroughly, you will smell a metallic chemical smell, this is the coating coming off. Place the wok onto high heat, and add about 2/3 full of a wok of hot water and boil for 5 minutes. Drain and scrub/ clean again.2. immediately dry the wok and place it on a high, emphasis on high here, gas burner. The wok will turn black near the burner, keep turning the wok so it gets black on all sides, cover the helper handle with a soaking wet paper towel to prevent the wood from burning.3. After the wok is completely black, you might see some areas with a sticky residue, these areas you did not remove the factory wax well enough. Scrub these areas again. If your wok looks perfectly black in a single toned sheen, proceed to the next step.4. Add a touch of oil to a small bowl & dip in a folded paper towel, using a paper towel held with a pair of tongs, carefully spread the oil onto the hot wok, outside and inside. It should begin to smoke upon contact with the oil. Your oil shouldn't drip and pool, just enough to cover and give a nice sheen. Return to flame, turning to heat evenly.5. After the wok stops smoking add another sheen of oil as in step 4. Repeat about 5 times.6. Your wok should now be completely black and almost ready for use. After the wok cools a bit, take a medium onion with about a 1/2 cup of oil and sir fry until the onions get a very, very deep brown, (est 10 min on medium high) making sure you spread the oil to all the sides. Now just drain and discard the oil and onion. Wipe with a paper towel & your ready to WOK!