Craft Wok Traditional Hand Hammered Chinese Carbon Steel Wok with Wooden and Steel Helper Handle (14 Inch, Round Bottom Pow Wok Pan) / 731W88

The media could not be loaded. I started my research and ordered a wok by Taylor & Ng...I don't want to bad mouth their product as to be fair I never cooked with it..But one look at it and I knew this was not for me. The way the handles were attached were with cheaper rivets and once I saw that, I didn't feel good about it...but it was very light..I searched and read and stumbled upon Craft Wok and had a strong feeling this is exactly what I wanted.It arrived today and immediately I could tell it was super well made..It's not light..That might be an issue for smaller women or for those who want something lighter..for me, I love the weight, it makes it easier to cook..I read many reviews and knew what I had to do to season and prepare it. I posted a lot of pictures and a video.here's what I did and how long each step took:- Washed it out and scrubbed completely two times...5 minutes- I put it on a wok ring, turned on a 20,000 BTWU burner and let it rip! It didn't take nearly as long as i thought but after about 3 minutes or so, I saw the blue starting to form..Very exciting!- I made sure to have a really good oven mitt and was very careful as obviously this is next level hot..but the weight of the wok is so good, as you can see in the photos, it would stay in different positions very easily.I basically would tilt it here or there and leave for about a minute at most and move to a different section.It was easy to do and very gratifying!The entire wok was blue and finished in about 15 minutes. Much less than I expected.I let it cool down, then i coated it with avocado oil and heated it up again and wiped it down..then did a finishing coat of oil.Then I heated up 3 or so tablespoons of oil, chopped some garlic and ginger and moved it all around...threw in some broccoli i had around...stir fried that for a few minutes, dumped it out and added a cup or two of water into the wok which was on high heat..and cleaned it.Then when it cooled down i applied a thin coat of oil.Two hours laterI just had to cook on it and made stir friend chicken and broccoli.The surface was great to cook on...but there was some sticking because I turned the chicken before it was seared..Perfect time to test cleaning while cooking! and i scraped off as i cooked and it was not bad.The dinner was great but the cleaning is what I want to share.I was able to clean 90% of the stuck food off with just boiling some water and scraping..then I used the bamboo cleaner brush to finish off and it was perfect!Fantastic fun experience and wanted to share it with others considering this wok. One of my favorite purchases across categories ...ever!Glad I took my time and didn't settle on the first highly reviewed one by Taylor & Ng..this wok is many leagues better made and substantial on every level.

Just received the wok today. This is my 1st impression.When I first bought this, it was from a 3rd party vendor. Craft Wok had this out of stock. But when the wok arrived, it was from a different vendor with a different brand--Tesor!Of course, I returned it.However, having seen the two brands first hand, I was given an opportunity to make some quick comparisons.First, the Tesor 14" wok was truly hand hammered. You could see the hammer marks on the inside of the wok. The wok was not perfectly round, however. I placed my 14" tempered glass lid on it, it could not form a complete seal. Large gaps existed. The imperfect roundness of the wok and the particular locations of the rivets for securing the handle and the helper handle prevented the lid from sealing perfectly on the wok.But this is not the case with the Craft 14" wok. The lid sits *almost* perfectly on it. Still a little gap, but tolerable.Also, no hammer marks on the inside of the wok. This leads me to think that the Craft wok is form pressed by some hydraulic ball peen machine rather than crafted manually by a hammer.The inside is a little shallower than the Tesor brand. The latter featured a quite steep incline or decline, depending on your perspective, so it def looks deeper and therefore bigger than the Craft wok.At this point, the Tesor 14" sells for $39.99, while Craft Wok sells for $47 something before tax.As said earlier, this is my 1st impression. After I temper and season it, and cook some meals in it, I'll update this review.Yes, I know Lance Owens has an excellent review here on how to properly temper/blue the wok and properly care for it afterwards. I'll follow his instructions to the tee.But I have the following tips to offer.1. I'll be using flaxseed oil to season the wok, after it has been properly tempered/blued. The reason is that I've heard it bonds better with the now complete bare, naked steel than other oils--peanut, canola, etc.An alternative to this is lard or fresh pork skin. Actually, that is what is traditionally used in China to season a new wok.You could also cook some bacon in the new work as a way to season the wok.Legend has it that the new properly tempered wok is hungry for fat! So for your first meals, cook some fatty foods in it! :)I'm planning on cooking some 红烧肉 for my first meal. It is Chinese for braised pork. It uses some cuts of pork, which contain quite a bit of fat.One-Year-and-Three-Months Update:Well, one year and three months have passed. I have used the wok every day, cooking almost exclusively Chinese stir fry dishes. Half meat, half veggie. The wok has worked fine! I'd say the BEST one I've ever owned.The following points summarize my success with the wok:1. Lance S Owens's instructions on how to temper the wok before the first use are the BEST! You have to temper the wok correctly before the first use. Otherwise, it'd rust!2. I have never used any detergent when washing the wok. Chemicals will hurt the thin film created by the tempering and subsequent cooking. However, contrary to what is recommended, I have used a metallic scouring pad along with cold water to clean the wok immediately after the cooking, and then wipe it clean with an old, dry towel especially for this purpose. The key is to clean the wok immediately after the cooking, and then wipe it dry. If you don't, then tiny amount of rust will form. If you do not use it as often as I do--every day, that is, then I'd suggest putting a thin film of vegetable oil in the wok, after you have cleaned it with the scouring pad and wiped it dry.3. When using the metallic scouring pad, gently press it against the inside of the wok. No need to use excessive force. I picked my metallic scouring pad from my local dollar stores. Prior to the metallic scouring pads, I tried two bamboo whisks (bought from Amazon), but they didn't do a very good job and eventually disintegrated. So as a Hair Mary attempt, I gave the metallic scouring pads a try. And they worked out fine! :)Don't have time to take some pics of the wok now. Maybe later, another time.In short, a very good wok indeed! The BEST I've ever owned!