Lodge BOLD 14 Inch Seasoned Cast Iron Wok; Design-Forward Cookware

Lots of details went into the design. There are lots of cast iron woks for sale out there. Most of them are made overseas and you have no idea what type of metals got melted into their cast iron. Lodge has been making cast iron pots, pans, griddles, and Dutch ovens forever and they make them in Tenessee.A few details distinguish these from others.1) lies flat upside down. The handles of a lot of woks stick up. This makes them tilt while upside down. They also will not hang nicely on a wall hook [if that's how you want to store it. Also, when you want to cover it with a lid that is perhaps too large, it won't work because of the handles sticking up. The Lodge handles are on the same plane as the top of the wok. They are also big enough to get your fingers around them. [Use heatproof gloves when hot]. They are integrated, i.e. cast in place, not riveted, so they won't break off.2) Large disc on base to keep wok stable and retain heat at the sweet spot. Most wok cooking is done at the concave bottom portion [about 1 cup of oil's worth]. This area needs to be as hot as possible. The Lodge has a thick plate there to retain heat so that when you put the food inside, it doesn't lower the heat [like what happens with thin carbon-steel woks]. This disc also makes it possble to use this wok on electric stoves. Try to concentrate the gas on this center area. This means you might put the wok over a smaller burner than the large one that has a huge spreader disc [which makes the flames bypass the bottom of the wok and heat only the sides - this is counterproductive].3) Preseasoned with vegetable oil and ready to use. Many foreign-made woks are shipped slathered in machine oil to prevent rusting. They've been on a boat for months and this is necessary. Vegetable oil would have gone bad (rancid). This is why they use machine oil. The first thing you need to do with machine-oil preserved woks is to give it a soapy bath to remove all the machine oil. Now it's prone to rust! You will then have to do several "seasoning" rounds of drying, rubbing with thin layer of oil, and baking in an oven 350 for an hour. Repeat until you have a nice patina that won't stick. Much frustration happens when this seasoning is washed off and the wok rusts. Since the Lodge is preseasoned with vegetable oil, a gentle rinsing is all that's needed before using. Still, I washed it mildly, then applied a thin layer [with my fingers] of flaxseed oil or you can use olive oil [don't use a paper towel with flaxseed oil]. It should feel like rubbing in sunscreen in that you are not trying to have any runs or drips. Preheat oven to 350 and bake upside down [good thing it lies flat] on the rack for an hour.4) Now you're ready to cook! Because the Lodge retains heat, make sure all your ingredients are lined up. You'll have to go fast and remove the food fast. Turning off the flame will not cool it immediately. After scooping out the food, put water inside and let it cool.5) To preserve the seasoning, don't use soap. Just scrub off any particles and rinse well. Dry it, and apply a very thin layer of olive oil [no dripping]. Set it on the stovetop and heat it up only enough to evaporate any water vapor. Then let it cool naturally before putting it away.6) If your wok gets rusty, do not throw it away. You can rehabilitate it [watch Lodge video] or if you don't care to do so, donate it so someone else can use it for the next 100 years.Final note: the food I cooked tasted better than with my carbon steel wok. This is because I drizzled the sauce down the hot sides and kept flipping the food until the sauce kind of got dried into the meat and veggies. After scooping it out, I was left with an almost clean wok! It also cooked faster so you get that Wok Hei, or Wok Chi. Because it heats more evenly than a carbon steel wok, I did not get as much oil smoking and burning because I didn't need to wait super long for the oil to heat up in the center [where it would burn on the sides].This product is full of American ingenuity as it takes a centuries old product and improved it with these design details.

Very good quality, heavy, sturdy, easy to use and clean. Enjoy cooking with this wok.

Wonderful 100% 5 Star

There have been some comments here on Amazon about how the Lodge cast iron wok is not good for traditional Oriental stir frying, because you can't hold it in your hand in the manner of a lightweight wok. This is both an advantage and a disadvantage. The disadvantage is for those who want to practice stir-frying in the "wok hei" manner by holding the wok over a hot flame and tossing your food around. The Lodge wok is indeed too heavy for this type of cooking; its heavy iron construction requires you to cook in a different manner. However, there is a definite advantage to this wok, one that is especially apparent if you live in a typical American home with an electric stovetop or weak gas range. An average kitchen stove simply cannot produce the blasting heat required for Oriental "wok hei" stir frying. A light hand-held wok will not work on electric stove in particular, because you can't rest it on the coiled burners; while a wok ring will prevent a round-bottomed wok from contacting the burners on the electric range. Many American homes and apartments have this kind of stove. What can you do when you want to stir fry in a wok, but your stovetop isn't right for it?Fortunately, this is the advantage to using the Lodge cast iron wok! As other reviews have noted, this wok has a flat bottom that lets you set it directly on the stovetop heating coil of your electric stove, allowing it to absorb a lot of heat and get very, very hot. The most important factor to consider is that a thin wok transfers its heat directly to the food, requiring a very high source of heat; while this thick, heavy iron wok retains its heat, absorbing it from the stovetop and building its temperature higher and higher as it sits there on the red-hot electric heating coil. If you let this cast iron wok sit on the electric stovetop for too long, it will actually become TOO hot for decent frying. Your oil will heat up immediately when you pour it into the wok, and it may even burst into flame -- even oils with a high smoke point, such as peanut oil. Since you don't want to accidentally set your kitchen on fire, it is VERY important to remember this as you prepare to stir fry on your electric stove. Many Oriental stir fry recipes call for the wok to be set on "high heat" or on the "highest setting" of the stovetop. The heat retention properties of a heavy cast iron wok allow you to heat your wok to the proper temperature for stir frying, without turning your stovetop to its highest setting. In most instances, it is only necessary to heat up your stovetop at a setting of about 75% to 80% of maximum, or a setting of between 7 and 8 on a typical dial of 1 to 10. After between five and ten minutes, the Lodge wok will be hot enough to stir fry. Take a few drops of water on your fingers, and flick them onto the surface at the bottom of the wok. If the water sizzles and dissolves in about two seconds, the wok is hot enough for cooking. At this point, you can pour your oil into the wok, and start frying!Wok purists bristle at the thought of using a heavy wok, because it can't be properly held in one hand in order to flip the food and keep it in constant motion. Because the wok is so heavy, you can let it sit firm on your stovetop, while repeatedly bringing your wok turner into the food to keep stirring it and moving it around the wok. If you feel it's necessary to use your free hand to keep the wok sturdy on the stovetop, you can do so. Or, you can take a second utensil, such as a spatula, second wok turner, or a "hoak" (an oversized wok stirring and serving scoop), and use it to toss the food in the wok as it fries, in the manner of tossing a salad.The Lodge cast iron wok is a natural evolution from the thin Oriental wok, and it is especially suited for the modern American kitchen with its electric or induction burners. This is indeed different from the centuries-old techniques of Oriental stir frying, but it is the best way for you to get a tasty, well-cooked stir fry in your modern kitchen, in the "wok hei" style of cooking.

The BEST wok to cook nice crispy veggies in just a few minutes. I love it.

Rough enough to use as a nail file, but that was expected. I sanded and polished it and the Lodge 15" wok I purchased at the same time. Pleasantly surprised to discover the pizza pan inverts and is a suitable lid for the wok.

American made cast iron. A great size, I made stir fry for 6 people and had plenty of room. Cleaned up easily.