It’s 14 inches across the top. The wok comes preseasoned so you can use it immediately.
You don’t have to season it yourself. It has a flat base that’s 5.5 inches, sits perfectly on my gas range and is very sturdy, there is no moving around while cooking. Use the largest burner on your range for this wok. The wok has two large loop handles so you can lift it easily. Remember the handles get really hot so use mits. It is of course heavy at 14 pounds, all cast iron pans will be heavy. This wok is definitely not for people who need lightweight cookware or have problems with their hands.
When you first get the wok, hand wash it in warm water and dry thoroughly. Then apply a light coating of oil with a cloth or paper towel. You want the wok to shine but not put too much oil so it’s sticky.
The wok can be used on gas cooktops, induction, electric, ceramic, glass, on your grill and in the oven. Of course you cannot put this in a microwave. Look at the size of this wok, it wouldn’t fit it a microwave anyway. You can use metal, wood or high-temp silicone utensils on this wok.
With this wok and cast iron in general, the heat should be medium or lower. On medium heat in under 5 minutes, the temperature would be about 400 degrees which is enough to cook most food. The wok will get extremely hot and if your heat is high, you may burn food. Don’t let the flames come up around the sides of the wok.
Even though the wok comes pre seasoned, when you cook eggs or other sticky food, put a little extra oil on the wok. The wok will become non-stick over time and you will need to use less oil over time. I made stir fry in this wok and it came out well. Because this wok is so large, you might forget about oiling the top like I did and my minced garlic and ginger stuck a little bit to the top sides. So remember to oil the whole wok well before cooking especially when you first get it.
I love the size of this wok, as you can see, it holds a lot of food. With stir fry, you will not get perfection in the beginning. It takes some practice, if the heat is too high and you don’t move the food around fast enough, it may get stuck on. If the heat is too low, you might get liquid in the stir fry which you do not want. Also, if you’re adding sauces, you don’t want them to burn or get stuck on. Lighter woks can be moved around while stir frying, this wok cannot because it’s heavy. Basically, you have to pay a lot of attention while you’re making a stir fry so it will come out delicious. Here I made some ground meat for weeknight tacos. The meat cooked extremely fast so it’s wonderful for a quick weeknight meal. I would say the only problem you might have is the size because it will take up room in your kitchen. My kitchen is pretty small and I tend to leave this on my range because I have no other space to put it. But since it is on the range, it get used a lot. It’s a good idea to figure out where this wok will sit before you buy it. I love cast iron and when this wok was back in stock, I couldn’t help buying it.
If you’re frying in the wok, don’t fill more than ⅓ of the wok with oil. I love fried plaintains so here I go. Hot banana gel, mmmmm!
Cast iron is designed to last a lifetime and it’s a great value. If you love cast iron, you absolutely have to get this like I did and add it to your collection of gorgeous black cookware.
After you finish cooking, when the wok is cool, wipe it down. Wash it hot water and a stiff brush if necessary. Dry and apply a light coating of oil. Yes, you can use some mild soap if you want but no harsh detergents. Reseason it once in a while when you need to. You can watch my other cast iron review video for reseasoning instructions.
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