Winco Chinese Wok with Integral Handle, 16-Inch, Black, Medium

THIS WOK HAS A BLACK PROTECTIVE COATING THAT IS MEANT TO BE REMOVED.I ordered this wok knowing that it was not seasoned, and doesn't ship as raw steel with just oil coating. While the black protective coating could trick you into thinking it is a pre seasoned wok, I assure you, you must remove it, as it is some type of lacquer meant to inhibit rust until you are ready to season it.People have many different methods they use to do this, I have watched videos of people simply burning it off, or using a lye based oven cleaner, but neither of those sat right with me just because I was afraid chemicals would be left behind afterwards. This is how I did it.I put heated white vinegar in the wok, you can see the color of the bare steel where it has made contact and splashed around. Eventually I realized I'd need a lot of vinegar if I was just going to try to soak the finish to dissolve it, so I took it to my outdoor propane burner and heated it on low, knowing I'd at least end up having to burn the bottom coat off, but would be able to scrub the interior with more vinegar and remove it without burning. The rim and the handle were the most difficult parts, due to a thicker coat and uneven surfaces where the handle welds are. I ended up scrubbing with a blue brillo pad and paper towels while most of the vinegar was being heated in the wok, turning it and tilting it to contact all the inside surfaces. The handle required a little bit of 400-600 grit sandpaper to break up the coating and then it was also able to be scrubbed off. After I made sure I'd removed everything from the interior and handle, I immediately washed the whole wok in hot soap and water, scrubbing off the gritty dissolved coating, and the flash rust caused by the acidic vinegar (make sure you don't wait to scrub it after you are done with the vinegar.)After the wok was dried I took the bare steel back out to the outdoor burner and turned it up to high heat, and again tilted it and rotated it to both burn everything off the exterior but also blue the steel so it would season better. Once it stopped stinking like chemicals I oiled the handle and let it cook off over the flames. I then washed the whole walk again inside and out, brought it outside a third time, and heated it, removed it from the heat, wiped on a very thin layer of cooking oil, and then wiped off as much as possible with paper towels. Back on the high heat burner, moving the wok frequently until the oil layer stopped smoking, and I repeated this step a few times before adding some cooking oil and frying some chopped onions. I've since used it a dozen times for stir frying, heating corn tortillas like a comal. It works great for everything, and cleans up easy, I just take it to the sink hot and spray it off with hot water, if any little bits have stuck they come right off with blue scotchbrite.It's important after cleaning a carbon steel wok to apply heat to dry it, do not just wipe it off and assume it's dry, you'll probably end up with some rust that way. So back on the burner to hot, this time on the gas stovetop inside, after it's hot, turn it off and again apply a thin layer of oil, removing any excess, it should have a little shine but no visible oil. The next time you use it, heat it until the old oil stops smoking, add your cooking oil, and do whatever.This wok is well made for a home kitchen, it's about the largest that will fit on a regular home range, though because it is so large you will not be able to fully utilize it without using a higher BTU outdoor burner, so cook in small batches if you're using it indoors. After seasoning it looks great, has a very nice interior surface, and heats very evenly.I would absolutely recommend this wok to anyone willing to do the work, you will not find a good preseasoned wok at this price, so you will either need to be willing to work or spend more for something else.Hollow handle gets hot, but you could make a wooden extension if you were so inclined, I likely will make a detachable wood handle for the outdoor burner, but indoors it would add too much bulk to allow for ease of use, in my kitchen anyway.

Piece of junk. Finish came off after one use and seller refused refund. Back to Walmart since Amazon can't cough up 30 dollars for selling trash

So you need to burn the coating off of the wok to season it. I am not sure if indoor cooktops can do this plus the smell is strong. With an outdoor wok burner (Powerflamer 160) this was easily done. Once I got the coating off, seasoning the wok was simple and quick when your wok can get to 800 in under 20 seconds. No issues with the wok and keeping it seasoning. I think the people that had issues probably did not get the original coating completely off. Only 1 slight negative is that I wish the handle was 1" longer. It gets pretty hot since my wok burner is so powerful.

Great PRICE!, but don’t last for commercial grade cooking with high heat with WOK

This is the real deal. NOTE THAT COATING MUST BE BURNED OFF before use. This is the authentic genuine article. It is the same product made by the same factory that is sold at the Chinese mega store near me, It comes out to just about the same cost.For those who are used to going into a department store and buying a wok - THIS IS NOT IT. The coating is a mixture of polymers (plastic) and oils meant to protect the metal during transport. Bare carbon steel will rust spontaneously depending on the temperature and humidity and all GENUINE AUTHENTIC woks are made prepared in this fashion. The coating is not meant to be non stick. Inevitably, those that complain the coating comes off are not aware of this and unknowingly have ingested plastics and oils.It is thin like it should be. Again, those that are expecting a non-stick wok from a department store are unaware of this. There's probably a good bet who make this error are also expecting a flat bottom (in addition to a nonstick coating and a thick metal).This wok is meant to be heated up for about an hour to burn the coating off. It will smell of burning plastic and rancid oils while doing this and spew out loads of black smoke. This is why most people do this outside if they don't have a ventilation system that vents to the outside.After burning off the coating, it needs to be seasoned. If seasoned properly, it will have a non-stick dark brown/black coating. This coating is necessary if someone wants their fried rice to have the texture of take-out. The non-stick coated ones are not able to produce the correct texture on the rice - plus the thickness of department stores are not efficient enough at transmitting heat.Ask any take-out (or sit down) place and they will tell you they use 22" or greater woks - but also with the thin wallls and they came with a protective coating and they needed to be seasoned.Furthermore, cleaning is done with a special tool (usually a bamboo brush) and no soap is ever used to clean the wok.Why only 4-stars? Because I originally had a 14" and thought this bigger one would be good enough. Turns out, I needed an even bigger one. I decided to drive the hour or so to the Chinese mega-store. There I saw this exact model along with an 18" one. I bought the 18" one and use that now. I might occasionally use the 16" one if preparing for only 1-2 people.If you are expecting something like a frying pan with taller walls this isn't it. A frying pan with taller walls is what fits the non-stick, thicker walls product found at department stores. This item is a whole new ball game.Those expecting a taller frying pan will rate this very low - claiming the coating came off after 2 uses and also might say something like the walls are too thin or even comment how it doesn't sit flat on the oven.I primarily use an induction burner that has a round shape to accommodate the bottom of the wok.This is the real deal and those looking for a genuine authentic wok for authentic cooking that need a 16" wok will find this fits the bill exactly. But at the same time, these people will already know about the protective coating that must be burned off and won't find the walls to be thin at all. This would be perfect for those who know what they are buying and also want a 16". It was almost perfect for me, but I needed an 18".Genuine woks generally do not come with instruction manuals.

Exactly what I was looking for and nonstick. 😏

Buena frabricacion buen material cumple con lo dicho

I purchased this on 1.23.2021 and used around 20 times. Enough said look at the picture