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After extensively researching the best woks available today, we selected 8 of the most promising options to test side-by-side. We ran each pan through a rigorous testing process to evaluate cooking performance, ease of use, cleaning and maintenance, quality, durability, and storability. After thorough testing in our kitchens, we crunched the numbers to assess their overall performance. This comprehensive review covers a variety of wok sizes, price points, and materials. We curate the data from our test to make it easy to choose a model that fits your needs. Whether you are new to cooking or looking to up your stir-fry game, we have just the wok for you. The best woks can do it all, but only a wok can turn out stir-fry as it's meant to be: with vegetables that are vibrant, blissfully blistered, yet tender-crisp; meat that captures a little browning without drying out; and dishes with little oil but a lot of naturally extruded flavor. Not only does a wok allow you to cook high-volume ingredients—like the vegetable-heavy dishes Asian cuisine is known for—by virtue of its tall sides, but its sloping sides also catch heat in a blooming pattern, creating different zones. Where the flames hug the bowl is where you sear; up toward the edge is where you keep warm and dry.
To avoid such circumstances and deliver the best wok, these are pre-seasoned, so it reaches in a ready to use & considerably better condition. The seasoning is performed by professionals using high-quality food-grade vegetable oils to make it safe for use. Which is the best: Pre-seasoned Carbon Steel or Cast Iron wok? After more than a millennia, traditional hand hammered woks remain the wok of choice for chefs and home cooks alike. When using a flat-bottom wok on a ceramic glass top stove, you’ll need to be a bit more patient, as you have to wait for your wok to completely heat up before adding in your food. (Proteins and veggies should go in a single layer on the bottom of the wok to prevent overcrowding.) You’ll have to wait again for things to get charred, but it’s worth it to have a crispy stir-fry. L.A Hubilla is a freelance commerce writer for PEOPLE specializing in home and lifestyle content. She also tests products for a variety of digital outlets including Travel + Leisure, People, Byrdie, and InStyle, among others.
The best wok overall: Yosukata carbon steel 14-inch flat-bottom wok
Another standout was this carbon steel wok from Joyce Chen. This wok also has a flat bottom that works great for balancing on stovetops. It features two wooden handles which made maneuvering while cooking quite easy. The two handles also made transferring our cooked dishes from wok to plate seamless. We did find this wok pretty heavy for tossing food consecutive times, so using a chuan or large metal spatula is the best way to maneuver food in this wok. This is an often posed inquiry. however, one with a basic reply—indeed, pre-prepared cookware is totally protected. Looking for the best wok to buy is fun if you are opting for Yosukata, but what’s even better is seasoning the wok, and, ultimately, cooking something with it. We have various resources to help you get started and even feel like a pro at wok cooking.
Our PEOPLE Tested team researched the most popular woks and rounded up 18 for this test. We spoke to professional cook and writer Tim Chin to get some expert insight on appropriate tests we could perform in our lab, and we gathered a group of professional chefs to put these woks to work. We observed and cooked with each wok to evaluate them in four categories: Seasoning: Pre-seasoned woks are easier to maintain. Look for one that has been seasoned with vegetable oil or sunflower oil, as these are healthier alternatives.The shape of the wok was ideal for stirring and redistributing food: Even with a full pan, it was easy to keep an even distribution. The size of the cooking surface was excellent and efficient for cooking around the intentional hot spots on the sides of the wok. It’s even oven safe, which is a plus. Cleaning was a breeze, and with some more seasoning over time, this wok will have you cooking like a pro.
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