Reddit reviews Stir-Frying to the Sky's Edge: The Ultimate Guide to Mastery, with Authentic Recipes and Stories

Finally - I can share my wok knowledge with someone actually interested!

A couple years ago I decided I really needed a wok. I don't know why. I've never owned a wok before, I'm not a chef (I barely even cook) but I love the idea of being someone who cooks a lot - and someone who can pull off a fridge toss that doesn't end up as an experiment in what not to do. I digress.

Anyway...true to my neuroses, I spent HOURS over the course of several days researching everything. And I mean everything. I've never been happier with a purchase. Below are the things I deemed necessary (again, after an inordinate amount of time researching what was - and what wasn't - needed for cooking with a wok). I also found some great deals (part of all that homework I did).
I bought 3 things: a wok, a wok turner and a book. I've listed them below and also linked to a video on "how to season a wok". I can not overstate the importance of seasoning your wok. Do it! As a bonus, I've included another video of Grace Young cooking live on a morning show (it was my justification for why I needed a wok - quick, easy and healthy!).

14 inch carbon steel wok (yes you need carbon steel. as for the size, trust me, that's the size you want, I didn't forget to look that up).
Joyce Chen 14 inch wok

The Pao (brand) stainless steel wok turner: Pao Stainless Steel Wok Turner

The book: Stir Frying to the Sky's Edge by Grace Young
*this book is $28 - if that's too much right now, you'll live with whatever you find online. I do recommend getting it at some point if you can though because it tells you how to cut things, what order to add things, which oils to use, etc.

How to Season a Wok by Grace Young

Grace Young on morning show, offering tips/advice and cooking live

Good look on your wok adventures. You're going to love it!

Edit: changed a word

Edit 2: forgot to mention...woks are not black! They are the color of stainless steel - they blacken with use.

Regarding the place with solid info on wok seasoning: I used a combination of two methods. The first is from a very in depth amazon.com review of a 16-inch carbon steel wok. The second was from Chinese cookbook Stirfrying to the Sky's Edge.

The reviewer recommended a three phase seasoning involving crisco, vegetable oil, and food grade mineral oil. He seemed to really know what he was talking about regarding his oven method (which I followed), but I didn't have mineral oil or crisco, so I believe I used peanut oil. The cook book spends even more time on wok seasoning and is very well illustrated showing woks in different stages of seasoning (brand new, after first seasoning, month of use of first seasoning, year of use, etc). As a complete novice to woking it's a pretty good purchase. I don't really like all the recipes but the extensive information on seasoning and unfamiliar chinese ingredients wes very helpful.

From what I remember, I used peanut oil (may have been veg oil), turned my oven as high as it would go, and used fans to direct the smoke out of my kitchen and onto the patio. For a more detailed description of the method, refer to the book or the reviewer. One thing I will add to what they said is to not over oil it before the seasoning. I think the cookbook called for a tsp of oil and I thought "well that can't possibly be enough, it doesn't feel oily at all." I added a bit more and the oil accumulated in streaks on my wok. It turned out fine, but was a little gummy at first as the reviewer describes. If I were to do it over again, I'd probably use crisco as the reviewer recommends.

Another thing I will mention is that all these methods are describing the seasoning of a carbon steel wok. If you have stainless steel, they won't work. There are ways to achieve non-stick cooking in a stainless steel vessel (outlined by BlackfricanAmerican above), but once again carbon steel is standard. Well, actually, I've heard cast iron woks are standard as well, but I don't know how the seasoning method differs.

Regarding heat: this depends on what you're cooking on. I use an outdoor 65,000 BTU propane burner which produces a very adequate flame that is perfect for my round bottom wok. The cook book author talks about round bottom carbon steel woks like mine, but her recipes are written for flat-bottom carbon steel wok users who cook on gas stoves. Her reasoning is that most amateur wokers will be using this setup because it is more accessible. Her measure of appropriate heat is that when a bead of water evaporates in 1-2 seconds after contact on the wok surface, it's ready. She also says more oil is required to achieve non-stick cooking with a flat bottomed wok than a round bottomed wok. And still more oil must be used for a skillet that a flat-bottomed. I don't really know how well this works because I don't have a gas range or a flat bottom wok, but if you do, I'd recommend the book. If you have a round bottom carbon steel wok like I do, then experiment with getting your heat to just below the oil's smoke point. You can do this by preheating your wok to a temperature you suspect is around the oil's smoke point and then add the oil to see if it smokes. If it doesn't try to go hotter.

If you have an electric range however, I don't have any experience.

Further regarding sticking: even with my completely seasoned wok, some sticking still occurs when I add sweet sauces to my stir fries (like hoisin or a miso I've added sugar and sake to). The sugar will burn onto the wok if the heat is too high). Meat, however, never sticks.

Good luck, I'm afraid I can't be more specific without knowing your setup. If you have any more questions I'll try to answer them.

All my favorite recipes are right out of Grace Young's Stir Fry to the Sky's Edge so here's the Amazon link. Salt and pepper shrimp, stir fried beef noodles, chicken fried rice, stir fried bok choy (any vegetables really). Instructions are straightforward, there are plenty of pictures to whet your appetite and I really enjoyed the introduction chapter on seasoning the wok and wok techniques. She gives just the right amount of information without overwhelming a newbie.

http://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-season-a-wokcooking-lessons-from-the-kitchn-171893

From this website you will find a few basic recipes from Grace Young. She is my wok guru, if such a thing ever existed. My partner purchased one about six months ago, I found the link above and never looked back!

For under $100, you could get yourself a nice wok, spatula (I found mine at BBB for $10, and they always have coupons. Couldn't find it on their website but here it is at Amazon http://www.amazon.com/OXO-Silicone-Flexible-Omelet-Turner/dp/B000JPXRGK/ref=pd_sim_k_4), her cookbook (http://www.amazon.com/Stir-Frying-Skys-Edge-Ultimate-Authentic/dp/1416580573/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1345839270&sr=8-1&keywords=grace+young+stir+frying+sky%27s+edge), and a few essential reoccurring ingredients. Happy woking!

Seconding the Serious Eats Wok 101 series. And if you're ever going to get a book about wok cooking, Stir-Frying to the Sky's Edge should be it.

As for my personal experience, a wok works best on gas stoves, okay on electric coil, really terrible on those flat top surfaces. They're good for small kitchens since they're clean with a quick wipe of water in the sink and can generally take the place of several other pots and pans, though it might be hard to find dedicated cabinet space for it. And think outside of the box: the wok can be used to make popcorn, or a breakfast of bacon and scrambled eggs, not just traditional meat-and-veggie stir frys.

you should consider picking up Grace Young's two wok cookbooks, Breath of a wok and Stir frying to the sky's edge. I like her earlier book better but they are both great.