Winco 14" S/S Wok, Welded Joint

For $15 this 14 inch wok is an excellent value. It needs to have the shipping coating removed before seasoning. I use a propane torch now to get that done on coated woks. Easiest and fastest way I’ve found after trying several other methods along the way. After that you can start to season the wok to make it basically non-stick. It’s light for it’s size as it’s a thinner gauge but performs well on my residential gas stovetop. I have Yamada single handle woks but they are 12 inch. Wanted something a little bigger. Yamada’s are Japanese and prices can be high. But they are hammered and the hype about that I feel justified. They are my favorite so far. I didn’t want to spend that money💸 for another single handled one. I all ready have 15 and 16 inch double handled ones. I haven’t been disappointed with my Winco cookware I’ve purchased in the past. It is usually budget priced. The reason I have purchased Winco products is usually the low price. To pay a little and be disappointed or shell out a lot more money to only be disappointed as well. Can go either way. A lot of times the budget stuff works just as well as uber expensive in the actual cooking of things. That’s just my opinion developed over the years. It’s the cook. So. This wok caught my eye because of the very low price. Or maybe I might just be a wok hoarder. I have about a dozen woks from cast iron to aluminum. From 12 to 20 inchs. Anyway. Glad I picked it up. It’s light compared to the smaller Yamada single handled woks I have. I was worried 14” would be too heavy to easily manipulate with a single handle. So it’s lightness for size is a plus for me. It is a thinner gauge though than those single handled ones. Being thinner though it doesn’t have the same heat retention. A tradeoff. There are no problems with construction I can see. Good weld on handle. I think in some of the negative reviews I’ve read a few of those reviews show they have no idea what actually has to happen in prepping it for seasoning or what it takes to make it non stick through seasoning. But that’s just my observation and personal opinion. It isn’t plug-n-play. And for those that don’t know it’s not dishwasher safe either. And carbon steel rusts.

THIS WOK HAS A BLACK PROTECTIVE COATING THAT IS MEANT TO BE REMOVED. I ordered this wok knowing that it was not seasoned, and doesn't ship as raw steel with just oil coating. While the black protective coating could trick you into thinking it is a pre seasoned wok, I assure you, you must remove it, as it is some type of lacquer meant to inhibit rust until you are ready to season it. People have many different methods they use to do this, I have watched videos of people simply burning it off, or using a lye based oven cleaner, but neither of those sat right with me just because I was afraid chemicals would be left behind afterwards. This is how I did it. I put heated white vinegar in the wok, you can see the color of the bare steel where it has made contact and splashed around. Eventually I realized I'd need a lot of vinegar if I was just going to try to soak the finish to dissolve it, so I took it to my outdoor propane burner and heated it on low, knowing I'd at least end up having to burn the bottom coat off, but would be able to scrub the interior with more vinegar and remove it without burning. The rim and the handle were the most difficult parts, due to a thicker coat and uneven surfaces where the handle welds are. I ended up scrubbing with a blue brillo pad and paper towels while most of the vinegar was being heated in the wok, turning it and tilting it to contact all the inside surfaces. The handle required a little bit of 400-600 grit sandpaper to break up the coating and then it was also able to be scrubbed off. After I made sure I'd removed everything from the interior and handle, I immediately washed the whole wok in hot soap and water, scrubbing off the gritty dissolved coating, and the flash rust caused by the acidic vinegar (make sure you don't wait to scrub it after you are done with the vinegar.) After the wok was dried I took the bare steel back out to the outdoor burner and turned it up to high heat, and again tilted it and rotated it to both burn everything off the exterior but also blue the steel so it would season better. Once it stopped stinking like chemicals I oiled the handle and let it cook off over the flames. I then washed the whole walk again inside and out, brought it outside a third time, and heated it, removed it from the heat, wiped on a very thin layer of cooking oil, and then wiped off as much as possible with paper towels. Back on the high heat burner, moving the wok frequently until the oil layer stopped smoking, and I repeated this step a few times before adding some cooking oil and frying some chopped onions. I've since used it a dozen times for stir frying, heating corn tortillas like a comal. It works great for everything, and cleans up easy, I just take it to the sink hot and spray it off with hot water, if any little bits have stuck they come right off with blue scotchbrite. It's important after cleaning a carbon steel wok to apply heat to dry it, do not just wipe it off and assume it's dry, you'll probably end up with some rust that way. So back on the burner to hot, this time on the gas stovetop inside, after it's hot, turn it off and again apply a thin layer of oil, removing any excess, it should have a little shine but no visible oil. The next time you use it, heat it until the old oil stops smoking, add your cooking oil, and do whatever. This wok is well made for a home kitchen, it's about the largest that will fit on a regular home range, though because it is so large you will not be able to fully utilize it without using a higher BTU outdoor burner, so cook in small batches if you're using it indoors. After seasoning it looks great, has a very nice interior surface, and heats very evenly. I would absolutely recommend this wok to anyone willing to do the work, you will not find a good preseasoned wok at this price, so you will either need to be willing to work or spend more for something else. Hollow handle gets hot, but you could make a wooden extension if you were so inclined, I likely will make a detachable wood handle for the outdoor burner, but indoors it would add too much bulk to allow for ease of use, in my kitchen anyway.

Recomendable muy buen wok Hay que curarlo primero como todos

this wok does not sit still on the stove. The handle will tip the wok if you dont hold onto it. Also food sticks to it like crazy and it does not retain very much heat. It looks nice but does not work as good as I thought it would. It is in a corner in my basement until I throw it out.

Good size especially for 30-35cm wok. Steel is thin and bit tinny, but good value for price.

This wok is prone in rust if you do not clean properly..its not pure stainless steel..I do stainless steel test liquid and the result is 202 stainless which is high in carbon that can cause rusting ..not 304 or 316 that low in carbon composition

Inferior quality and definitely not stainless steel as the seller claims. The lid already came dented and with misaligned edges. The “stainless steel” is so soft you can push it in without any force and the handle was made with a terribly cheap plastic which was wobbly even after tightening the screws. Needless to say I returned the lid to Amazon.