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Credit:
Reviewed / Betsey Goldwasser
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Credit:
Reviewed / Betsey Goldwasser
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This hybrid wok combines good quality with thoughtful design. Read More
This hand-hammered wok is gorgeous and easy to use. However, they may be limited to gas cooktops. Read More
Lightweight and easy to handle, this wok retains heat well and distributes it evenly. The included domed lid is a nice addition. Read More
This sturdy nonstick wok is big enough to cook for a large group, but it’s slow to heat up and doesn’t do a great job of retaining heat. Read More
This lovely, traditional wok from Souped Up Recipes heats up quickly and makes pouring a breeze. However, it does struggle with heat retention. Read More
Woks are designed with stir-frying in mind—their concave shape concentrates heat on the bottom of the pan, creating a super-hot area that cooks your food more quickly, and the steep sides prevent splatter while giving you space to push cooked food up the sides.
They come in a dizzying array of shapes and sizes, with different handle types and construction materials. Without trying them, it’s hard to know which is the best wok for your kitchen.
Here at Reviewed, we want to take the guesswork out of buying a wok, which is why we tested a dozen woks made from carbon steel, cast iron, and stainless steel. Some had a nonstick coating while others could be seasoned to create a nonstick patina.
While the testing results were close, the HexClad 12-inch Hybrid Stainless Steel Nonstick Wok (available at Amazon) emerged as the best overall wok. If you’re looking to take your wok cooking to the next level, you may want to consider the ZhenSanHuan Hand-hammered Iron Wok (available at Amazon), our pick for the best upgrade.
We didn’t hate any of the pans, though. They all made delicious bowls of stir-fried noodles, but the ease and comfort of a few definitely made them stand out as our favorites.
The HexClad Hybrid Wok is gorgeous and easy to use.
The hand-hammered ZhenSanHuan is the best upgrade choice.
Retains heat well and distributes evenly
Includes domed lid
Large surface area
Stainless steel rather than carbon steel
Flat-bottomed design
Nonstick
Too slow to heat up
Doesn't retain heat well
Pre-seasoned
Side spout helps pour easily
Heats up quickly
Struggles with heat retention
Flat lid
Cantonese-style (short) handles
Sears and deep fries beautifully
Sturdy
Extremely heavy
Difficult to maneuver
Traditional shape
Nonstick
Heavy for nonstick cookware
Heats unevenly
Sloped nonstick sides too slippery
Hand-hammered carbon steel construction
Attractive looking
Not ideal for electric stoves
Pre-seasoned
Heats up quickly
May not be suitable for an electric cooktop
Uncomfortable handle
Nonstick
Easy to clean
High heat damages the nonstick coating
Doesn't sear well
Heats quickly and evenly
Heavy
Difficult to season evenly
Rear handle gets in the way when tossing
Sturdy carbon steel construction
Good for searing meat
Not user-friendly
Too heavy
No user manual
Did you know you can use your wok as a deep fryer?
I’m Valerie, Senior Staff Writer on the Kitchen & Cooking team. A wok is a piece of cookware that means a lot to me personally, both as a practical cooking vessel (I use one every day) and a sentimental item, as I grew up watching my dad cook dinner using his carbon steel wok.
And I’m Lindsay Mattison, a trained professional chef and a vegetable lover. It’s not uncommon to find veggies taking up half of my dinner plate, which is hilarious because I was the pickiest eater as a kid! While I’m all about cooking up a sheet pan dinner or grilling my vegetables, high-heat searing is my favorite way to cook these gems. Using a wok to stir-fry vegetables is a nutritious, colorful, and delicious way to put dinner on the table—fast!
We put the woks through multiple cooking tests to find the best ones.
For our first round of testing, we chose highly-rated woks made from carbon steel, cast iron, and stainless steel. We picked a good mix of non-stick and seasoned woks to see if any particular design or construction stood out from the rest. In a second round of testing, we sought out additional woks from popular direct-to-consumer brands, as well as handmade woks that emphasize on craftsmanship.
To test their searing ability, overall ease of use, and durability, we stir-fried meat, vegetables, and noodles before tossing them all together to create a deliciously saucy bowl. We also heated the empty pans and measured for hot spots with an infrared thermometer and deep-fried potato chips to see how well the woks would retain their heat.
In the end, we were surprised to find that the woks were all on a relatively even playing field when it came to overall cooking ability. All the pans not only cooked beautiful food, but they were all easy to clean, too.
So where did the top pans pull away from the pack? They were lighter and had comfortable helper handles. We also awarded bonus points if it was easy to remove the food from the pan, too.
Woks are famous for high-heat searing in stir-fry dishes, but they are more versatile than just being stir fry pans.
They can do everything saute pans can do—and so much more. Woks are great for cooking down bulky vegetables like spinach, and you can deep-fry foods with a fraction of the oil required in a straight-edged pan.
And, if you have a dome-shaped lid for your wok pan, you can also use steamer baskets to make dumplings, smoke whole chickens, or pop popcorn without any splatter.
Given all the ways a wok can be used, it’s important to get the right one for you. Here are some things to consider.
Woks are made with a number of materials—each with pros and cons.
Carbon steel: The traditional wok material, carbon steel is a light-weight metal that’s effective at conducting heat. It heats evenly and retains heat well, but it requires a time-consuming seasoning process to prevent it from rusting. Once it's seasoned, though, it will develop a nonstick coating over time.
Cast iron: Although excellent at heat retention, cast iron woks take some time to heat up. Also, they’re heavy, so it’s difficult to toss vegetables. Most cast iron woks come pre-seasoned, and that seasoning will continue to improve over time.
Stainless steel: These woks have more heft than carbon steel, but they're lighter than cast iron. Like cast iron, these pans take longer to heat up, but they end up retaining that heat better than carbon steel. Since these pans don't have any coating, they're usually dishwasher safe, too.
Nonstick or hard-anodized aluminum pans: These pans are ideal for ease of cleaning, but the same coating that keeps food from sticking makes it hard to get a high-heat sear.
Traditional woks, which have round, wobbly bottoms, are not exactly compatible with modern American kitchens. You can purchase rings designed to support these types of pans, but they can elevate the pan too high above the cooking surface’s heating element, defeating the purpose of this high-heat, flash-searing cookware. Another option is flat-bottomed woks, which work perfectly with electric, induction, and gas ranges.
Seasoning carbon steel pans is relatively straightforward, but it does require a time commitment.
Most cast iron and nonstick woks come pre-seasoned, but you’ll need to season any carbon steel wok before its first use. The process is relatively straightforward, albeit time-consuming.
Start by scrubbing the pan with hot, soapy water to remove the manufacturer’s coating. Then, dry it thoroughly and set it over high heat. The wok will start to turn a blueish-blackish color.
When the wok is hot, coat it with a teaspoon or two of neutral cooking oil (such as canola, vegetable, or peanut oil). Hold a wadded-up paper towel with a set of tongs and rub the oil over the interior of the wok. Heat over medium-low heat for 10 minutes and wipe off the oil with a new paper towel.
Let the pan cool before repeating the oil-and-heating steps until the paper towel does not have any black residue (it usually takes about three or four times in total).
Once the pan is seasoned, you don’t want to use any detergents to clean the wok—that will remove the seasoning, and you’d have to go through the seasoning process again. Treat these carbon-steel woks like your favorite cast iron pan and rinse them with hot water before drying them thoroughly. After each use, rub them with a thin layer of cooking oil before storing to prevent rusting.
Lindsay is a professional chef, recipe developer, writer, and developmental editor. After years of working in restaurant kitchens, she turned to writing to share her passion for local, organic, and seasonal ingredients with home cooks and food enthusiasts.
Valerie Li Stack is a senior staff writer for Kitchen & Cooking. She is an experienced home cook with a passion for experimenting with the cuisines of countries she's visited. Driven by an interest in food science, Valerie approaches the culinary scene with a firm grasp of cooking processes and extensive knowledge of ingredients. She believes food speaks to all people regardless of language and cultural background.
Our team is here for one purpose: to help you buy the best stuff and love what you own. Our writers, editors, and lab technicians obsess over the products we cover to make sure you're confident and satisfied. Have a different opinion about something we recommend? Email us and we'll compare notes.
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