YOSUKATA 13.5" Pre-Seasoned Flat Bottom Black Carbon Steel Wok for Stir Fry

OK, LISTEN UP! I m not a habitual review writer, nor am I a professional chef. with that being said, if you don't know the difference between fried rice, and REALLY GOOD AUTHENTIC TASTING FRIED RICE, then please skip this review. ok, where doing begin... I started making "fried rice" 20 or so years ago. mushy, oily, bland... every kind of wrong you can imagine, I feel shame. So, about a year ago I started my journey to elevate my fried rice game. bought a $25 dollar Wok, been using it for the past year with mixed results. I decided to buy the YOSUKATA 13.5 just to see iif it would make a difference, and I am blown away by the results. This is a quality wok, no rivets, nice fat wooden handle, seasoned non-stick coating , nice balanced weight , holds and distributes the heat. I absolutely love it. Now, I have watched well over 200 videos on fried rice cooking, and the Wok can only do so much. you need practice, technique, heat, patience, moisture control... just to name a few. But do yourself a favor, and buy this quality Wok, and you will quickly eliminate at least 1 point of failure, LOL. maybe I will splurge and buy the lid one day. HAVE A GOOD WOKKING DAY

This is the best wok I have ever owned. Sturdy but light weight, and completely non-stick - once properly seasoned. I've seen a lot of 1 star reviews for this product, which all appear attributable to improper preparation and use, so here are some tips to avoid the issues others have had with this wok. It is essential to properly prepare and season the pan per the instructions provided by the manufacturer. First, when washing in hot soapy water to remove the protective layer, dry immediately with a paper towel. If you see black material on the paper towel, wash it again. Repeat until no more black stuff comes off. I had to wash mine three times rather than the recommended two (right photo). When seasoning, heat the wok SLOWLY to avoid warping the flat bottom. Once it is warm add oil or lard, and gradually turn up the heat until the oil starts smoking, then turn the heat down to the lowest temp that will keep the oil smoking. Continuously wipe the hot oil around the entire inside surface of the pan - using tongs and a thickly folded piece of paper towel. Keep wiping with the oiled paper towel for at least 5 minutes, preferably 10, then turn off the heat and let the pan cool to room temp before wiping clean with a paper towel. Again, if black material comes off the pan - repeat the process until no more black stuff comes off (dark yellow / brown color is fine). The wok is then ready to use. I was a bit concerned when, during the seasoning process, a couple spots appeared at the bottom of the pan that were different in color and texture from the rest of the interior surface (left photo). However, these discolorations did not affect performance of the pan - which was completely non-stick from the first meal on. Where I differ a bit from the manufacturer's instructions is the recommedation that once the pan is properly cured, after cooking all you have to do is let the pan cool, rinse with warm water, and dry. This may be adequate when the only fluid added to the pan is cooking oil. But if you finish your stir-fry by making a sauce that comprises an appreciable amount of water (e.g. stock), that can adversely impact the not-stick properties of even a properly seasoned pan by "leeching out" some of the oil from the metal. In that case, if after rinsing and drying the color of the interior of the wok appear dull, or the surface is not slick to the touch, I recommend washing the wok gently with warm, soapy water, rinsing and drying throughly. Then warm the wok on low-medium heat, and throughly wipe the inside of the pan with a small amount of oil (using tongs and paper towel). Turn off the heat, let the pan cool, then throughly dry the interior of the pan with a clean paper towel to remove the residual oil. I use that lightly-oiled piece of paper towel to wipe down the outside of the pan (to inhibit rust), and the wooden handle. Final thought, if the above processes of seasoning, cleaning and maintaining the wok seem a bit much / tedious - you should probably buy a different product (e.g. aluminum or steel wok with a non-stick coating). If not properly cared for, your food will stick to a carbon or steel wok, and it will eventually rust. That's just the nature of the beast.

The perfect wok for my gas stove. It’s a pleasure to use with a small diameter flat bottom that really concentrates heat. The carbon steel keeps temperature and is light enough to keep food moving. Great for turning out restaurant level food.

I was so excited to receive this wok. I did a lot of research and over 75% off everything I read rated this as one of the best flat based, carbon steel wok. I don’t know if the problem was the fact that it was “pre seasoned” by the company, but it arrived with rust spots visible. The booklet stated that this could happen and gave me instructions on how to “remove the rust” and re-season. Making note that it could take up to 3-8 processes to have it fully seasoned and without rust or spots. The process of seasoning, after washing and hand drying, included heating wok, adding oil, rubbing the oil in the hot pan for 10-15 minutes. Then to heat in the oven for an hour. Then you have to let it completely cool before starting the process over again. Doing this once, twice or even 3 times would have been fine. (I own cast iron pots). But 8 times is ridiculous. But because I couldn’t get the spots and rust away, I had no choice to continue the process. I DID THIS 10 TIMES to no avail. It’s so disgusting to spend money on something that I put over 15+ hours of my time into trying to make the wok functional. (This took me a week) It’s my fault I didn’t complain to seller because actually I was hoping it would eventually look like it was supposed to look. So disappointed! I have never cooked in this wok. The pictures are only me repeating the “process” of seasoning. I think the pan was defective from the beginning because I couldn’t get rust spots off at all!

This is a nice wok, it is heavy and deep. But it is also thinner around the edges and heats up quickly and evenly. Perfect for stir fry. However, even after seasoning it according to the directions and using it as such, it has started to blacken at the bottom and things start to stick, almost like the coating has started to come off (marks on the bottom looking like when the teflon comes off of the nonstick pans). I have handwashed it and dried immediately and re-seasoned after each use which has only been about 2-3 so far. Not sure this is supposed to happen, it has never happened with my other woks I really wanted to like this pan based on reviews, but im taking off one star for this. I am hoping after more use, it settles in and gets better with time.

I like it. I did have to use a regular sponge with the green abrasive side to polish more the edge of the pan because it felt a bit too sharp. So ..it's not a big issue for me. I just polished with abrasive damp sponge until it got less sharp. I did the steps for washing and for creating the "patina" surface. I took it outside in the backyard on the grill flames, to make it hot until the color turned blueish on the inside. It was already a bit blueish (fire tempered) when it arrived. So, make sure that you wash it as directed, and heat it up before using thick paper napkins to treat the inside with oil to create that 'Patina" surface. And....run the fan on high and open the windows or door at your kitchen before you start oiling the hot wok....because you'll get a lot of smoke from burnt oil. But i love it now to make steaks , fry onions, etc. I dont worry about scratching it . I clean it up after every use and apply the process again to keep building that 'PAtina". Strong handle and built. IM using an electric stove, so it fits well on it. I didnt buy it with a lid. I have an older lid from another fry pan. I can say that it's not for those who want light fry pans or who have weak hands. But its weight is normal for the size of steel. If you prefer something that is not heavy, and you dont want to spend a short time to prepare the "Patina" surface, then it's not for you. Not for people with weak hands because even during washing you have to handle it safely. But it's a wonderful wok if you like the benefits of it (big for cooking lots of food, long lasting) and you're confident.

Amazing high quality brilliant to use, we both love this wok. Quality manufacturing, heating and cooling is so fast, it is faster than regular fry pans or microwaving. Very light for handling, though a large size. The seasoning is brilliant as well. Totally love this product.

This is a fantastic product! The wok heats evenly and clean-up is a breeze. The product is heavy duty and easy to use and nonstick. It comes with easy-to-understand instructions.

Très bonne qualité. Bien suivre le mode d'emploi. Pas de nettoyage agressif, bien sûr. Le manche reste bien solidaire du wok, ce qui n'arrive pas toujours avec les bas prix. Je n'ai pas eu besoin de "reculotter" ce wk depuis que je l'ai (1 an ½) Je fais aussi mon fish and chips dedans, entre autres.

Have overcome initial trepidation: it has turned out to be a kitchen stalwart.

Guys, if you think that carbon steel woks are the same as non-stick cookware, you are wrong. Carbon wok is a specific product that you need to know how to use. Follow the instructions on how to season, store, and follow all maintenance rules for the wok, and it will serve you for many years. I was surprised to see a lot of bad reviews about the wok rusting and peeling. I read the manual carefully, and it clearly states that the wok has a tendency to rust because it does not have any chemical coating, how to avoid rusting, and what to do if it has rusted. Same thing with peeling. It's in black lettering: “Warning! The cooking of acidic foods, boiling or steaming may alter the seasoning and react with the steel (peeling off and the appearance of gray stains). If this happens, please re-season.” Personally, I'm going to strictly follow all the recommendations listed in the instructions because I don't want to fail and ruin such a beautiful wok. I hope everything will be OK. First, I washed off the technical protective oil with hot, soapy water, using a non-abrasive sponge. Then I proceeded to the seasoning process on my electric stove. I preheated the wok at medium and then increased the heat, added oil, reduced the heat, and spread the oil around the wok with a paper towel and spatula for about 5 minutes, let the wok cool and wiped the excess oil with a paper towel. And my wok was ready to cook a delicious dinner for my family. I'm also pleased that the wok is very capacious. To sum up, great heat distribution, good for cooking a large amount, not too heavy, easy to clean. The color was slightly different from what was shown in the picture. More dark gray than black. But nonetheless, it looks and performs well. Great product at an affordable price point.

Excellent addition to my kitchen, works as described but provided care is taken to season and prepare the wok. Well worth the steep price.

At first I was not happy as I followed the instructions on the WOK and was not happy seeing that the more I washed - the black residue was not going. I was worried if there were chemicals that could harm. But then I emailed the support team from yosukata.com and their response and guidance was amazing. They provided all the assurance that this was carbon steel and they indicated that some washing scrubs leave their black marks and they were right. I followed their instruction that was available on YouTube in seasoning and cooking it - and I was amazed. My First dish itself was breeze - none of the food stuck if you follow the right instruction which is heating the wok and then adding your oil. This is high quality stuff and though there are black marks or spots - but guess thats how carbon steel works. Totally Satisfied and highly recommended to by this brand because you get AWESOME Support on your queries within 24 hours.