Reddit reviews Town Food Equipment (34734) - 14"" Hand Hammered Steel Peking Wok

Get a steel wok. They are actually cheaper than the rest, made to last. They are cheap because people these days want everything done for them. With a steel wok you need to spend the time to season it properly, which is actually pretty fun and entirely the point of using a wok. You can't get that "wok flavor" any other way.

As for specific brands, I can't really be sure. I got mine 5 years ago on Amazon for $15. Make sure to get a wok ring if you have electric heat, those are like $4 and are also made to last. My wok is close to this: http://www.amazon.com/Town-Food-Service-Steel-Peking/dp/B001BSQR8E/ref=sr_1_29?ie=UTF8&qid=1344917386&sr=8-29&keywords=steel+wok but again, can't vouch specifically for that.

You also might want to look out for hand-hammered woks. Those are presumably of higher quality due to their handmade nature. Here's one: http://www.amazon.com/Carbon-Steel-Hammered-Wok-incl/dp/B00012F3H2/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1344917370&sr=8-9&keywords=steel+wok Though that's carbon steel. Perhaps that's better but I would side with regular steel (cheaper and more traditional).

This mortar and pestle set is great if you like cooking

Or a good all carbon steel wok if you like stir frys

^ this. Have one, it's amazing. My girlfriend got it at a restaurant supply store. It's ugly, has a welded handle and you have to set it on a ring, but it's an order of magnitude better than any other. I had one that was anodized aluminum (it was semi-nonstick?) but this one just blows it out of the water. I heat mine over the propane burner from a turkey fryer. I haven't gotten the metal to glow yet, but it comes close. I barely have to use any oil in my stir-fry, as most food has precisely zero interest in sticking to 800F metal.

I don't know much about the ceramic nonstick, that may be closer to BIFL that Teflon, but other than a cheap (basically disposable) Teflon pan for eggs, I avoid nonstick.

Edit to add: it can definitely go in the oven, though you'll likely need to move some racks around.


Here's an Amazon link to one that looks about like ours. You'll definitely need a ring to hold it up, but if you take care of it (oil well after use, don't let it rust outside) it would likely last generations.

I have enameled cast-iron Dutch ovens, which I use quite a lot. And yes, they work great. You are correct that cast iron handling characteristics are comparable to my steel skillets. The noticeable difference is that the skillets are much more responsive to me adjusting the heat of the burner.

As a first approximation, you can compare going from a cast-iron pan to a steel pan as a similar epiphany to what you'd experience when going from an electric stove to a gas stove. Things are similar in principle, but adjustments take effect immediately and cooking is much more straight forward.

The other difference is that many cast iron pots/skillets have a very rough surface. Even after seasoning them, they still tend to be somewhat sticky, whereas steel doesn't have this issue. Enamel can address that, but it has its own pros and cons (e.g. enamel cannot be seasoned).

My ideal choice for a basic set of cookware is:

1. carbon steel skillets and wok
   
2. enameled cast iron Dutch ovens
   
3. stainless steel clad stock pots and sauce pans
   
   I linked a couple of products that should be a good starting point. I tried to go with choices that I know to be good quality, but where possible avoided paying extra for well-known brand names. Of course, you can pick alternatives, if your preferences are different. Also, for a well-stocked kitchen, you probably want multiple different sizes of each.

I have not used one but if it's a heavyier cast iron wok, it would take longer to heat up and cool down and would probably be hard to move around. That being said, for larger portions it may work well. I think as long as it's a thinner cast iron it may be fine. Thin carbon steel woks aren't great I will give you that, you want a thicker one.

This is the wok I use (I think, I have had it for a while but it looks the same) and I like it but you really need a wok ring for it to be stable, I prefer a big heavy one and I take the whole grate AND diffuser off my propane stove (once it's safely lit) and use it like a chinese 'torch' stove - it DEFINITELY gets hot enough. I've never burned my house down yet.

edit:spelling