Teach me how to Wok!

March 26, 2012 2:46 PM

I recently got a wok (I've never owned or cooked on one before). I seasoned per the instructions that came with the wok, but it seems to be looking worse for wear. What am I doing wrong?

Pictures: with flash, without.

After seasoning it the first time, it looked fantastic, with the dark patina the edges still have. After cooking a few meals, the patina gave way where food was being cooked, and I'm left back where I started.

I'm completely ignorant here, so don't feel like you're insulting my sensibilities. Is this due to how I'm cooking (high heat, always)? Could it be how I'm washing (no soap, shortly after cooking)? Do I just need to re-season my wok every week or so?

posted by daboo to food & drink (15 answers total)

That is cast iron? it almost looks like copper but I'll assume it isn't. Fill it with soy or canola oil and deep fry for a half hour. Never wash it. When you've fried the heck out of your shrimp or tofu or whatever, dispose of the oil, and re-heat the wok and rub the remaining oil into the metal/clean with a rag. Never wash it.
posted by TheTingTangTong at 2:49 PM on March 26, 2012

TheTingTangTong - pretty sure it's a carbon steel wok

What are you washing it with? You should use a plaster scouring pad and not steel wool or the like.

When I'm done cooking, I give a quick rinse and scrub the bits with a plastic scrubby (no soap, of course), then I pop it in a burner, heat it up until dry and pop a new light coat of oil on it. Let it cool and store it.
posted by Cat Pie Hurts at 2:52 PM on March 26, 2012

Oh, also, are you cooking things that are very acidic (tomatoes, lemon)? That could take off the patina.
posted by Cat Pie Hurts at 2:54 PM on March 26, 2012

Yes, Carbon Steel, sorry for not specifying.
I've never used steel wool on it, only a plastic scouring pad.
Mostly peppers and onions, but occasionally tomato / tomato paste are in a dish.
posted by daboo at 3:09 PM on March 26, 2012

I bet it's the tomato stuff that's doing it. The acid scrubs the seasoning right off. It's fine, you can still cook with your wok, but it's never going to maintain the patina and because of the acid, it won't develop the non-stick properties that come along with good pan seasoning.
posted by Cat Pie Hurts at 3:19 PM on March 26, 2012 [1 favorite]

Yeah, keep tomatoes off of it for now, also keep anything vinegar or lemon out of it (i.e. marinated stuff). No soap. The high heat is fine, but follow the seasoning instructions from the guys above.

If something is stuck to the wok that you want to remove from it, scrub it with a brush of some sort, or scrape it off with something wooden. I assume you're using a plastic scouring pad that is more similar to a loofah in texture, and not one of those flat scouring pads. Those flat ones are pretty heavy duty and can scrub off your seasoning.
posted by jabberjaw at 3:37 PM on March 26, 2012

Alright, I'll certainly give that a try. After some time of this, if I build up a patina will I be able to use those ingredients again?
posted by daboo at 3:39 PM on March 26, 2012

Perhaps it wasn't seasoned enough from the beginning? I only ask that because in your photos the edges of the wok don't look that dark. I have a cast iron wok and most of the cooking area is pitch black and shiny. I used vegetable shortening to season it; when I first got the wok, I burned the shortening into the surface and scraped it around, then repeated a few times until the surface was black. I've never had problems with the patina coming off since, and I have even boiled tomato-based curries in it. Though after boiling, we will typically season it a little bit with oil.
posted by pravit at 3:50 PM on March 26, 2012

Also, have you used a wok brush before? As the name would imply they are used to scrape your wok clean. It is really just a bundle of sticks tied together at the end. You should be able to get it at a Chinese cooking supply store.
posted by pravit at 3:51 PM on March 26, 2012

Hm, maybe I'll try a bit of both. I seasoned it per the instructions I got from the wok shop:
a light coat of oil, 450 degrees in an oven for 20 minutes.
I may try seasoning it twice or more by this method next time.

I have a wok brush, and I've used it on occasion, but it isn't perfect, and I'll need the scouring pad to get a few hard spots.
posted by daboo at 3:59 PM on March 26, 2012

I did mine like 8 times, for longer. You don't have any wood on yours, which means you can just leave it in there for a while. Put some foil on the rack below to catch the drops.
posted by rhizome at 5:23 PM on March 26, 2012

The advice I've heard for carbon steel as well as cast iron is that more coats, thinner coats, and older coats of seasoning will be stronger. I'd definitely try more coats (as thin of a layer of oil as you can get, so it won't bead up), longer baking time, and cook with it a bit before trying very acidic dishes again. Also, don't forget to re-season it a bit on occasion.
posted by JiBB at 5:31 PM on March 26, 2012

Why are you scrubbing the pan? With our seasoned pans, we never scrub with any scouring pad. For really terrible stuck on scorched food, the worst we'll do is rub very granular salt mixed with the oil we use to season the pan (with a cloth or paper towel).

But if you've completely taken off the season (as it looks like you have), bake it per the instructions from the wok shop several times in succession.

Scouring pads do NOT go with seasoned pans.
posted by kalessin at 5:56 PM on March 26, 2012

Yeah, I was coming in to suggest what Kalessin is suggesting. For stuck on bits, I use some coarse Kosher salt and a little bit of water to make a paste. If you need to scrub anything, I have found the net from a bag of onions works wonderfully.

I just put a very light coat of oil on my wok (carbon steel) after every use, like 3 or 4 drops, and then put it away. I have no rust spots and it's seasoned very well.
posted by ThaBombShelterSmith at 8:11 AM on March 27, 2012

Yours looks exactly like mine did when it was just starting out. It's 25 years old and I still consider its seasoning to be a work in progress that needs attention after every use. Heat it up, then a few drops of oil, wipe it out quickly with a dry paper towel (careful not to burn yourself, seriously... this is probably why they say to do it in the oven and don't have you handling the hot wok). Your goal is to open up the micro-cracks in the surface with high heat, force any water in them to evaporate, quickly fill them with oil, and then let it cool and put it away. Give it a quick rinse before you use it the next time and use enough cooking oil. It will need less with time.

Those tiny surface cracks are key. They are going to happen no matter what, so use them to your advantage. If you let moisture in, it will rust. If you let oil in, it will season the pan.
posted by acorncup at 9:16 AM on March 30, 2012