I tried on an electric hob, oven, charcoal grill and cooking blowtorch but none worked! So I brought it to my local Chinese takeaway and asked them to do it . They didn't have much english and were very amused but it came back looking shiny and beautiful!
That's hilarious you mention that. I was planning on getting a wok soon and know the owner of a local Chinese restaurant so I was just going to go ask if one of his cooks wouldn't mind seasoning it for me lol. Great minds think alike!
I’d love to see how you’d “re-season” a wok that has been used before. And also how to get rid of the sticky spots from oil that wasn’t burnt off well enough..
May not be the 100% be the best method to do it but for home use I just burn it off with a blowtorch keep it firing for like 10 secs or so on the sticky spot and wash it after.
Scrub off with metal scrub pad or scotch-brite pad or kosher salt. You could try using acid like vinegar or barkeepers friend and then neutralizing with water/ baking soda and then wash and dry it. Hell you could use power tools. There are lots of options to nuke the pan and remove seasoning and get to bare metal. You can get pretty creative with it. Once you do, the seasoning process is much the same to Kenjis method or many others.
@@alexbrier718 All good options, but a simple piece of sandpaper is the fastest way I've found. If you need to remove a lot of stickyness, emery cloth.
agreed! I'd also love to know if there's any way to avoid the polymerized oil that tends to accumulate on the cooler outer edges of the wok and creates a lumpy/flaky coating
For those wondering how to maintain after seasoning, Kenji talks about it in his vid for beef and broccoli (ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-iEs3qXQvg6M.html and timestamp included for when he talks about it at 16:50).
Pretty sure he's addressed this (with cast iron at least) before that as long as it's seasoned properly, you should be able to hand wash with soapy water and a soft spone as long as you didn't use something like flax that tends to get brittle and flake off, I use soap and water and it seems to work well without removing the seasoning.
Just hot water and something like a bamboo scrub or brush scrub. You want to avoid soap as it will strip the seasoning. Soap is really only for first time use. But if you do use soap just be prepared to season again by getting it super high, rubbing some oil into it with paper towl and tongs. Then once the oil is no longer smoking you are good to go.
I bought this Wok after purchasing Kenji’s book. Looking for a “flat bottom” (This one is flat, but not flat enough for an electric or induction burner), carbon steel, 14 gauge (2mm thick) with helper handle. Highly recommend this Wok even though you might be able to find one cheaper. I’ve used it 3-4 times a week for the last 7-8 weeks. The seasoning builds up, but like he says does go away so definitely treat it ~like a cast iron. One of my favorite meals was actually Adam Ragusa‘s Chicken tikka masala. The acid from the tomatoes pulled a lot of the seasoning off, but it also pulled a lot of flavor. Hope this helps!
Thanks all! I see the black carbon steel wok linked in the article, but what's the difference between that one and this blue carbon steel one also by Yosukata? a.co/d/3RnYkFG
Thank you Kenji! I get it so much better now. That’s a YOSUKATA wok right? I bought one on your suggestion and LOVE it for my electric range. Still working on what to do with it! 😉
Fantastic work as usual Kenji AKA The Great Demystifier. Everyone I know who is interested in food, I point to you, and you never disappoint. Keep up the fantastic work, you are inspiring a lot of people to cook and it's a thing of beauty!
he talks about it in his beef and broccoli vid at 16:50 (ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-iEs3qXQvg6M.html here's the link for it at that timestamp).
A genuine question that's been on my mind: if a wok doesn't build up layers of polymers like a cast iron, what does it mean for a wok to build up seasoning? Like you mention at the end of the video: the more you use the wok, the better season it's gonna get.
he said it doesn't build layer as good as a western cast iron because of the heat distribution and common deglasing, but it still builds up polymers and it will build better if you don't deglase to often, it will be slower than cast iron but still will build up with propper care
Not too sure on the science but I believe what the polymers stick too are the microscopic imperfections on the cooking surface so because a wok being made of carbon steel has less of these imperfections compared to a cast iron skillet you generally dont build up to many layers, in the long run I believe various mechanisms are at play creating what we understand as “seasoning”, taking into account heat distribution, what you cook in your vessel of choice, cooking time.
Thanks for pointing out that you don't want a lot of oil left in the pan when you're seasoning it. It's a place where a lot of people go wrong on woks and skillets.
Thanks for this. Something that's been at the front of my mind is non-stick pans. I know you've touched on seasoning cookware a fare bit but I was wandering if, one of these days, you could do a master class on cooking and living with uncoated cookware. I've been considering getting rid of non stick cookware due to PFAS and I realised I'm not sure about life with just stainless or cast iron (or other options if they're out there). A masterclass for these types of cookware would be great.
Kenji, your book is AMAZING. I bought both a hard copy and a Kindle copy so I can refer to it in the kitchen without ruining the book. Thank you for creating such a great resource.
It’s blue because when you heat carbon steel high enough iron in it will oxidize and become a thin layer of magnetite (“black oxide”), promoting nonstick use and protecting the pan from rust. It’s not always blue; the thickness of the magnetite layer changes the light refraction, affecting the colour you see.
Idk for a fact but I read his article on serious eats about essential kitchen items. In it, he references two woks and the second one he lists looks like this and is available on Amazon. Called yosukata, but it’s listed as a black steel wok so I’m not positive.
Oh I actually have a question. Last time I tried this I used my outdoor burner, and when I used the papertowel + oil combo the paper towel and oil actually immediately ignited. Thankfully I was wearing protection and in a safe place, but the oil basically burned as a sludge onto the wok. Should I just let the wok cook after it turns black?
I can actually answer this from experience: if the wok is too hot the oil is going to autoignite. That’s why you season with high flashpoint oils. No reason for it to be hotter than, say, 500° when you apply oil for the initial seasoning. Once it’s properly seasoned, it can handle much higher heats.
I did this before. Using the high heat for that initial heating of the wok dry is fine, but I found it easier to then turn the heat down and let it cool before putting in the oil so it doesn’t immediately ignite.
Traditionally you'd use a wok brush made of bamboo, they're pretty cheap. I just use a hard plastic brush and hot water, maybe some soap. No need to be precious with it as you effectively season every time before use.
@Cozza ah, yes.... the famous chef, restaurant owner, and award winning author of multiple books is totally only painting his nails for youtube attention even though he literally just cooks, never mentions his nails, and was already fucking famous before he got on youtube 😂😂😂 Idiot.
It worked! I thought wok cooking was out of my reach since I own an electrical stove top but I watched a few videos on induction wok cookers and now that I own one I can confirm that they DO get really hot. Glowing red hot. I even got spooked. Thank you, Kenji!
I just wanted to say thank you so much for this guide. I've really been struggling to season my wok. Seems like there's a lot of misinformation out there suggesting to do it in the oven or to essentially do rapid fire long yao sessions multiple times to build up polymers. I followed your steps and cooked two eggs just like you did. Achievement unlocked!
Loved the video Kenji. Would you mind telling us the brand of wok you got? The carbon Steele woks I find online have like ripples in them and I don’t want that.
7:32 Get that wok piping hot. shut off the heat. add in the oil, here about [X] [tablespoons/cups], and give it a swirl to get a nice non-stick surface
Another tip for electric stove owners. Use the Hi Broil mode to get the whole Wok hot for seasoning. Some aluminum foil on the wood handle to protect it and your good to go.
Kenji, do you know anything about the combustion of these butane torches? like is there any type of uncertainty for like whether it is all completely combusted or not? or if there are trace chemicals that might be going into food?
Thank you for this, Kenji! For my husband's birthday last month, I organized all of our family's gifts to get him a wok, tools, your Wok book, and a butane burner (I think the same one you show in this video, actually). You mentioned in the comments of your Chinese scrambled eggs video that this tutorial would be coming and it was perfect timing! Question: do you think that burner is safe to use indoors if you have good ventilation, or does it need to be used outside only? It's hot here right now and we'd like to use it inside, but if it's too dangerous we'll just wait until the fall to do any wok cooking
I‘ve been using the same burner indoors for a couple years now. I think it’s unlikely that anyone will be able to really recommend it for indoor use - if I remember right, the manufacturer themselves says it’s for outdoors. Which is sort of understandable - it would be tough for anyone who potentially bears some liability for your safety to say it’s safe to light an open flame indoors. In reality though, families all over the world cook indoors on the same or similar burners every day - these are really popular setups for wok cooking indoors. In my own personal risk assessment, I’ve decided the burner is probably not much less safe than cooking on a gas stovetop - so I always cook with it on my stovetop after pulling out the electric coils (so I can’t accidentally turn a stove burner on and melt something), where I have the advantage of it being on top of a heat-resistant surface.
@@paulg6778 Thank you for the insight! That's essentially what we were thinking. We'll probably try it indoors and just make sure we have the whole island cleared of anything flammable and we have fans on to keep everything ventilated
I swear the eggs were afraid of Kenji, so they happily danced for the camera! My goal is get my wok so nonstick that I can make a tornado omelette in it. I've yet to achieve this :(
Mr.Lopez: Do you really buy the expensive air cartages for a Soda Stream!!!!? Suprized you NEVER got a refillable air container an rigged it up to your unit. Also, can we have a few drink, recipes?
Some wok sellers and experts recommend cooking onions or other alliums until burnt in a wok after first seasoning and before first use, "to remove metallic taste" or something like that. Is there any truth to this at all? Why is this so commonly recommended?
Kenji can you please leave a link for the exact wok your using in the video? I’ve seen over 10 comments asking for the exact wok. can you help your viewers out? By the way love the videos keep it up!
Any suggestions on Woks where the manufacturer oil is stubborn? Bought a Wok 4-5 months ago and just cannot get the oil off from the upper edges with conventional soap and water.
Could you follow the same process with western style cast iron as well? I've seen guides where they recommend to do this after washing cast iron to build up another layer of seasoning and prevent rust before storing.
I cook with cast a lot. When I first get one I’ll clean it like he does the wok, get a very thin layer of oil on it, throw it in the oven for awhile or I’ll throw it in a grill, whatever, basically burning that oil in. Then cook on it like you would any pan. Then after a cook, I’ll scrape and wash with water only, dry with towel, throw it back on a burner till it’s hot, add another thin layer of oil and kill the heat. Dunno if this is the best method but it’s what I do and I cook with cast constantly.
Yes! I have a new wok that's been sitting in my pantry for like a year because the process of seasoning it seemed too scary and/or complicated. I think that now I'll finally start using it, so thank you! So much!
Little confused here: if you don’t need to build up layers of polymers on the wok to season it, then what is the process that makes the wok improve as you cook more with it?
in my experience, it doesn't build layers. the first layer of seasoning is to protect the pan from food, which contains moisture. once you have one layer, multiple layers just don't form while cooking. they only form if you choose to reseason or leave burnt carbon and/or oil on your wok (by casually washing without soap). multiple layers is purely for the patina. by improves, i assume that means if there are any gaps in the initial layer of seasoning, cooking more will fill those gaps. in a way, i think food sticking creates the opportunity for the oil underneath the stuck food to become seasoning. wok with tak has a few videos showing that woks do not need a patina. at this point, "seasoning" is a myth in the sense that it doesn't make your food taste better, or that it provides superior non stick compared to just one layer. what makes your food taste better is that you have a perfectly smooth surface that is non stick. in a way, that's why my scrambled eggs taste better on a carbon steel skillet. it's a larger cooking surface area allowing all the eggs to be cooked perfectly even. as well as the thicker piece of metal keeping a steadier heat. in a lot of ways, i actually think the wider surface area is far superior to the wok. the wok is really for the restaurant setting with their high flame and stir fry ability. you can't flip food the same way with a skillet without losing heat and/or taking a lot of energy by lifting the whole pan with the food. i still prefer the wok usually because the width and curved sides catch a lot of oil splatters.
Kenji, you're awesome, man. I bought this same exact wok off of Amazon a few days ago. Tried to season it the same way I do my cast iron skillets and... the eggs stuck horribly. I thought I ruined it, and was planning on returning it. Fortunately, my procrastination led to it still sitting around my house. Lo and behold, you make a video on how to properly season with the same exact wok that I bought (shoutout to Serious Eats recommendation). Just watched your video and immediately ran and grabbed the wok to season it with this method (at 1 am, no less). The eggs didn't stick! I'm so hyped right now. Gonna make a stir-fried dish tomorrow. Thanks!
You reference western style skillets heating evenly compared to the wok. For clarification, I assume you're just talking about the gradient of heat and not how uniform it is? I was under the impression that cast iron is quite patchy in its heating
Kenji - my mom loves to wash dishes and it cringes her when a wok after cooking is just wiped clean. What's your recommendation on this? I think many south Asian families may suffer from this lol.
I picked up a round bottom wok from a thrift shop for $6, it was filthy, but I cleaned it all up and then was stuck on how to season it because all I have at home is induction. Then I watched this and remembered my camping stove is gas! It was a painful experience because the wok does not have a long handle like the one here, but following these instructions it did season well and has continued to be a great tool.
How to clean between each use? Simple: say you just fried an egg, you can just wipe it down with a kitchen tissue/towel or scrub it with a sponge (no soap) then dry on the stove. If you cooked something with a sauce or deep fried, wash it with soap and water, dry it on the stove, spread a drop of oil in the pan. Done.
Finally, a good video on this topic. Got a wok last week, followed these instructions and the wok is essentially non stick now after just one use. Thank you.
Hey Kenji, obviously you're a food genius and I admire you immensely. However, as a local Seattlelite, I must say you've lost a tiny bit of cred for repping Blackbird Bakery, the second best bakery on Bainbridge (Coquette being the clear number 1).
Hello Kenji, My family and I are big fans. We just ordered your Wok book and many copies of The Food Lab which makes excellent gifts. If you could please provide a link for the wok you ordered in the video that would be great. Thank you
I bought this wok. It's good , I gave it to my brother and ordered another. The only thing is , with the second one, when I heated it up quite a bit , a small portion of the wok near the edge, just wasnt smooth. When I applied the oil with paper towel, you could see it wasn't shiny in sections. Still probably going to ordered another. Hope the third one is good.
Kenji I see you've got a lil vintage cast iron collection started. Did you get them thrift shopping or from local auctions? You should do a cast iron hunting vlog sometime :)
I tried to season my carbon wok on an electric stove and it was impossible. It showed me that the wok wouldn’t have worked for cooking as the sides didn’t heat up. I ended up getting a gas stove, so I could cook with my wok.
Very informative, mate. Thanks. I found it interesitng that flax seed is recommended as the best oil for cast iron but you're recommending against it for carbon steel. Why is that? - vegetable (rapeseed) oil is cheaper and more readily available here in Scotland, so I'll use that on carbon steel or cast iron.
I do not recommend it for cast iron either. It dries fast then flakes off. That one article about it has ruined so many people’s cast iron pan seasoning. Don’t use flax.
I've had a few woks that come lacquered instead of oiled. Soap and water didn't remove the lacquer so I burned it off. Fortunately I have an outdoor wok rocket burner so that went quickly. To burn it off inside would generate a lot of nasty smoke your rangehood might not contain. Once I used acetone to dissolve the lacquer but that was a hassle and it left traces of lacquer.
I've been looking into getting a wok recently. Is there a brand you recommend, or something I should look for or be looking to avoid in a wok? Sometimes it can be really hard to tell the differences from sellers on online pages because the descriptions are so general.
That is so much more simple than some processes I've seen on youtube, where they do what you have done, two or three times, then cook something like spring onions and ginger as part of the seasoning process. I will be getting a gas BBQ with a ring burner soon, and plan on getting a carbon steel wok. I will be going with your easy method to season it. Thanks heaps!
Hi Kenji, I got a wok from the Wok Shop and they recommended seasoning with flax seed oil, so I got some. I have had no problems with it - why do you not like the flaxseed oil?
Kenji, it's so serendipitous your putting this video up today! I just bought myself a new wok and seasoned it this afternoon. Unfortunately, I put a little too much oil in and I now have small areas where the oil has burned and created sticky puddles. How would you recommend getting rid of them? Is there a clever way of removing the seasoning and starting over? Thanks!
I had a similar issue with my wok. I picked up the Joyce Chen wok he recommended before and followed its seasoning instructions but ended up with areas that are splotchy and sticky. I think it was a combination of using the wrong type of oil, and adding it in while too hot. And no amount of boiling water and scouring pad scrubbing seems to get it out. Would really like to just restart but am wondering if I can even get it back to raw again
Having the same issue! At places I've read to just leave it, it will sort itself out after a couple months of use. But I'm wondering if i should just rub it all off and start new.
I’ve had this happen. The first time I tried to season a new wok, I heated it way too much and when I threw in oil, it immediately caught fire. I was left with a bunch of burnt-oil carbon/ash at the bottom, and sticky splotches up the sides, so the seasoning looked horrible and marred from the start. I thought about stripping it, but ultimately just kept moving forward, seasoning and cooking with it. Now, the surface looks almost 100% black and cooks perfectly. Here’s what I learned: when oil only partially polymerizes, it gets sticky. Those sticky areas are where a thick layer of oil polymerized all at once (which often happens if you add a lot of oil to a very hot pan), and then failed to fully polymerize. This is the opposite of what you want (a very thin layer of fully polymerized oil, covering the surface of the pan evenly). But it’s not a big deal. You can use the rougher side of a sponge to scrub those areas until they’re thinner. Then, just season the pan again with a thin layer of oil, this time making sure to keep the pan on heat, letting it smoke until the smoking subsides. (Once oil is fully polymerized, it will stop smoking.) Because it’s uneven, the seasoning on your wok will probably be a little more prone to flaking for a while, but as Kenji mentioned, this happens anyway and it’s not a huge deal. Keep cooking, and keep seasoning as best you can, and it will get better.
@@paulg6778 Really helpful comment! Thank you, Paul. I've seen some people submerge their cast iron pans/woks in vinager and tomato juice with hopes of removing their seasoning! It seems like the general consensus is to leave it as is 👍
Thanks Kenji. Very excited to get your “The Wok” on Audible. Absolutely LOVED the Food Lab on Audible. I still want both hard copies too. Any chance you will come to Toronto for a signing some time?
