How to choose, season, use and maintain a wok

Mar 02, 2024

Thinking of upping your wok game but don't know where to start?

Maybe you've heard a wok is meant to be seasoned, but have no idea what that means.

Chef and restaurateur at Melbourne favourite, Phờ Nom, Jerry Mai is here to explain.

She also gives you her tips on how to choose, use and maintain a wok.

"If we season a wok well and we look after it well, it lasts for years and years to come," she says.

For Ms Mai a wok is an incredibly versatile and important tool in her kitchen.

"You can deep fry in it, you obviously can stir fry in it, you can boil and blanch things in it," she says.

"If I'm cooking a noodle I have one piece of equipment — my wok."

Because they are made of thin metal, woks get hot quickly, lending themselves to a "fast and furious" style of cooking which Ms Mai says is hard to replicate with other pans.

Seasoning a piece of cookware is the process of heating layers of oil into the metal to create a protective layer on top of the pot, pan or wok.

If you are buying a new item made from carbon steel or cast iron, they will need to be seasoned to protect them from rust and prevent food from sticking.

While you can buy non-stick woks which are ready to use, traditional woks require seasoning.

Non-stick woks can't reach the same temperatures as carbon steel, so to create 'wok hei' and get to the hottest cook, it's worth seasoning your wok at home.

Ms Mai says seasoning a wok involves a few really easy, but really crucial steps.

The first step is to heat up the wok. Put it directly over the hottest burner and rotate it around the flame until the metal changes colour from a light silver to a darker grey or black.

"There's a little coating of protection on top of the wok now from the manufacturer," Ms Mai says.

"When I heat the wok up it should change colour at some point — that just takes the first layer off."

When you have heated the whole wok, darkening all the metal, take it to the sink and rinse using warm water and a brush.

Now for the seasoning.

Dry your wok with a tea towel and put it back on the heat. When all the water has evaporated, it's time to add your first layer of oil.

"I would recommend just using a vegetable or peanut oil with a really good smoke point," Ms Mai says.

"No olive oils or anything like that."

Once you have added a small amount of a neutral oil to the wok, use some tongs and a paper towel to spread the oil so a thin layer coats the inner surface.

Then using the highest flame on your stovetop, heat up all the sides of the wok.

Ms Mai says this process seals the first layer of oil into the metal.

"Once you've got the heat on all the sides, we'll go back and rinse the wok again," Ms Mai says.

"Be careful, it's really hot."

Repeat this step two more times, so in total the pan will be coated in three layers of oil.

Now it's time to test your wok — Ms Mai likes to use an egg.

Once you've rinsed and dried your wok, put it back on the heat and add a generous amount of oil.

"When you are using a wok it's really important to get the wok hot, and to get the oil hot," she says.

"Otherwise, things will start sticking to your pan."

After cracking the egg in the hot oil, Ms Mai waits until the bottom of the egg is sealed and then tries to swirl it around the wok.

"I know I've done a good job here if [the egg] comes off the wok straight away."

To keep your wok in good condition, Ms Mai says it's important to rinse it using water and a brush — but no soap.

"No soap because you don't want to introduce chemicals to it," she says.

After it's been rinsed, Ms Mai recommends drying your wok straightaway and putting another light coat of oil on it.

"That will take the water off the wok, so it doesn't rust, and the oil helps to seal it again," she says.

If you forget and the wok begins to rust, Ms Mai says you can wash it with soapy water and repeat step 2 of how to season a wok one time.

"The more you use your wok, the more seasoned it will become as well."

For Ms Mai, a wok is designed for "fast and furious" cooking.

"When we cook in a wok, we don't just throw everything all in at once and then hope for the best," she says.

"Because it's not a stew… there shouldn't be a lot of water coming out of your wok."

She recommends parboiling firm vegetables like broccoli, and then adding one ingredient to the wok at a time.

"If I'm doing proteins I would stir fry my proteins first and bring that out, and then add my vegetables in and reintroduce my protein," she says.

"Why I do that is because I don't want the protein to overcook and get chewy and dry."

Ms Mai says you want to keep the wok hot and the ingredients moving, by either tossing them or moving them from the bottom of the wok to the top with a spoon or spatula.

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