Woks & Stirfry Pans

I own a traditional 14" carbon steel and a 12" nonstick wok of another brand. I wanted a 14" nonstick since the 12" just always seem too small. I chose this Circulon wok based on its size and the reviews. This is a very solid wok and the nonstick surface is awesome! Here are my pros and cons. Pros: It heats evenly and can withstand the high gas heat of my stove to help create "wok-hey" that's pretty close to the carbon steel. Amazing! I mentioned nonstick surface is awesome! It's replaced my nonstick frying pan for over-easy and scrambled eggs because it only needs a few drops oil to keep everything nonstick and sliding free! Clean up is a breeze too. I've made sugary sticky dishes that cleans right up without any fuss. Amazing! The size of the wok is perfect for stir frying. Plenty of room to move food around without worrying about things flying out of the side. Problem solved! But the size can also be a con (see below). Cons: The main reason why I gave this 4 stars and not 5 was because the design of the long handle is a bit flawed. The design makes it awkward when gripping the handle while stir-frying. The hand has a tendency to slip further down the handle to the narrow part where the silicone protection ends and the metal gets extremely hot! It would have been better if the silicone went further down or Circulon made a heat-resistant long handle. Or even better, make it into the smaller loop handle like the other side and more heat-resistant. Either way, Circulon has to do a better job in making the entire handle heat proof. I get around this by using a pot holder on the handle to protect my hand. It's a little heavy so if you flip your food, you'll need both hands (use pot holders!). I don't mind the weight so much but it could be a concern for those without a lot of arm strength. The wok should be handwash only. Again, not an issue with me since I always handwash my nonsticks. But the nonstick surface is so easy to clean, I don't really see this as a problem. Like I mentioned before, this wok is large, a good and a bad. Some might have difficulty storing it or cleaning it in a small sink. Not problems for me but it should be pointed out. Overall, I love this wok and thoroughly enjoy cooking with it even with the cons, which are minor for me. Makes me want to buy more Circulon Elite nonstick pans. If you have the room to store this, I highly recommend this wok."..."  Read more

I'm an avid home cook and blogger and have been looking for a wok for my stir fry dishes. I chose this one because I wanted to put my own seasoning on the pan. I also liked the tempura cooling rack it comes with, and the stir fry shovel. I really like the large cooking surface this wok provides, stir fries are so much fun with it! The protective coating that the factory applies is really difficult to remove as its clear - and the instructions for removal aren't that great. All in all I'd buy this wok again, it heats quickly and transfers heat evenly, has a large cooking area and the accessories it comes with are very helpful in a stir fry. Cons would be the labor intensive removal of protective coating and the lack of good instructions on how to do so."..."  Read more

Ive read a couple reviews and it seems some was having trouble removing the protective coating on the inside of the wok. While the instructions are ok, it fails to mention that while the bottom of the wok reaches a certain temperature with the oil which make it easy to use a paper towel and wipe the coating off with a little pressure, the sides do not reach that same temp so what happened is the coating only gets warm and the paper towel tend to drag and stick instead of removing it. Here is the trick, use about 3 Tble spoons of oil or more and lean the wok on its side directly over the flame so it heaths up just as much as the bottom then wipe with 12 paper towel folded (should be fully saturated) continue around the entire wok heath and wipe until you feel the paper towel feels smooth on all areas. repeat if you want and your done. DO NOT USE SCOTCH BRITE PAD Apart from the initial cleaning, its been perfect use it at least 3-4 times a week making lots of Chinese dish sweeet"..."  Read more

Been stir frying for years, but in a skillet/frying pan. There is NO comparison between stir frying with this wok, and a skillet/frying pan. Made my world of stir fry cooking totally better. I would rather use a round bottom wok, but have an electric stove, and was a tad concerned about getting the flat bottom. Glad I did. Also glad I opted for the preseasoned wok. Went with the 12 inch because I only ever really stir fry for no more than two people, and this size is ideal. Highly recommend this wok. I just love it!"..."  Read more