I was really hoping some of you wok seasoning specialists would chime in with your wisdom.
I donât even know what your photo is. Is that the bottom of your wok? What have you done to it?
Ok, Iâm not so great at keeping my wok seasoned well, but Iâll jump in. It looks like youâve got an uneven buildup of schmutz in the center-right, not even seasoning. You may need to scrub it well and start again. What happens when you heat up the pan on high (dry)? You should get wisps of smoke coming from the bottom of the pan fairly evenly, but if that darker area smokes more, and especially if that smoke smells acrid, thatâs not seasoning, itâs crud. Does stuff seem to stick on the darker (blackened) areas more than the rest of the pan?
The splatters also suggest to me that itâs not evenly seasoned. The bottom of a well-season wok should be darker than the rest, but the coloring should also fade (I believe the kids call it âombreâ these days!) gradually from center/bottom to outer/top, not be splotchy.
2 Likes
Thank you so much for your very helpful input. I donât think itâs schmutz or food â I wonder if the coating itself is starting to flake off, which probably means I should replace it. The wok has always been cleaned meticulously after each use, but not re-seasoned every time.
Is that black stuff a build-up of something? Does it feel sticky or tacky?
Nope, neither.
Really all that matters is that itâs non-stick. Everything else is cosmetic. If it works, it works! If it does start to flake off, though, you should scrub it well and re-season.
1 Like
OK, will do! Thanks again for your help. This wasnât an expensive wok by any means, but if all it takes is a good scrubbing & re-seasoning Iâll hop right on it. Good project for this Sunday 
Is it a carbon steel wok? What is the handle?..Does it have wood or plastic on it? I ask this because if it is an all metal wok, seasoning it in the oven works great. Is it a traditional round bottom or flat bottom wok?
Itâs hard to see from your picture, but it looks as though your wok is not adequately seasoned, and that there is some burned on schmutz on the bottom. Regardless of its etiology, I would thoroughly clean it with soap, water, and like a green scrubbie pad. Dry thoroughlyâŚ
Reseason it⌠I use the Sheryl Canter method for my cast iron and carbon steel, and have seasoned several woks in the oven this way. But itâs relatively easy to season a wok on the stove. It just takes some time, a lot of heat, and there will be smoke. Sheryl Canter likes to use flaxseed oil, but that means going out and buying some. You can simply use whatever cooking oil you use at home. I think the real nerds like flaxseed oil because of polymerization, yadda yadda yadda⌠I have used flaxseed oil, but now just use whatever I have that I cook with. I think the real key to seasoning is not to put a thick coat of oil on the wok and then heat up the wok. I use the thinnest layer possible, (put on some oil, rub it off as much as possible with a paper towel, but youâll still have a thin layer of oil.) If youâre doing an initial seasoning, or a reseasoning as you are, I would apply several layers. It should be baked on, not sticky at all, and of course, no flakingâŚif you have that, youâve put on too much oil.
After seasoning it, use it, use it, use it. The more you do, the better it gets. Try to avoid rice, noodles, or sticky sauces for a while so that your seasoning layer builds up, if your seasoning layer is not built up, they will stick to the wok, and youâll scrub off more seasoning when you wash it to try to get those stuck bits off.
Helpful hints, and pardon me if I am repeating things you already knowâŚheat the wok up to cooking temperature before you add oil. I am of the school that never uses soap on carbon steel or cast iron, just hot water and a brush. I wash my wok as soon as I am done using it. When youâre done washing it, I would suggest drying the wok and adding a small coat of oil to it before putting it away.
I use a wok probably 4-5 times a week, rinse and brush it to clean it, never dry it and never oil itâŚbut since itâs used as often as a good cast iron skillet, it has a healthy seasoning coat to it, and itâs pretty darn non stick. I also use a wok for deep fryingâŚit seems to add to the seasoning.
I wish you the best, and if I can add or answer any specific questionsâŚyou know how to find me.
Do you have an electric or gas stove?
2 Likes
Thank you kindly for your elaborate & useful post. You & @ricepad have been incredibly helpful with this.
Iâm pretty sure itâs a carbon steel wok. Wooden handles, so the oven is out for seasoning, but I donât mind doing it on the stove. In fact, that may just be a project for todayâs rainy day.
How nice to have such knowledgeable members in our forum who never hesitate to share their wisdom with the rest of us 
Is the surface white enamel over CI? Or is that white look just a trick of the lighting?
Nope, no enamel. Just a simple carbon steel wok, terribly badly seasoned 
Ah. Iâd boil water in it a while and see how much of the dark scale I could loosen off (if any), scrub the devil out of it with chainmail, and start over.
ETA - When I decide itâs time to completely re-do CS or CI, I run it through an oven burn out cycle. But you said yours is similar to Danâs and it doesnât look like the wood can be removed without damaging it?
That is correct.
You might want to consider wrapping a wet towel and aluminum foil around the wooden handle so that you can season it in the oven (which I find the best (and easiest) method for seasoning)
Last time I re-did my wok â which also has a wooden handle â I cleaned it out using a blowtorch. Worked great! Kind of fun, too. Definitely something to do in a well ventilated area.
1 Like
Iâve got one similar to this (stock image). Pretty good for searing steaks, but a pan is still a bit better. I might give it a try the next time I re-do a CI (the Matfer is next in line as Iâve been abusing it with fajita fixings).
I mostly use it for starting campfires. I also found it good at warming my tank when adding refrigerant to my AC units.
That thing is a beast. I was previously using an Iwatani torch head, and now I have more of a welding-style torch from Bluefire. I donât cook a lot of steaks so no comment there, but I use mine constantly for quickly blistering veg (just used it for a bunch of green beans last night) and fairly regularly for various little tasks such as melting a bit of cheese on top of something without having to wait for the oven.
For the oven seasoning method, very thin coats (several) of oil or you might get drip marks as the oil heats up and moves.
Woks are relatively easy to season on the stove top, using the thinnest coating of oil and doing multiple coats. Then I canât stress enough to use it, use it, use it. Use it for more than stir fries. And for a while, when you use it, it might be worth it to put a thin coat of oil on it after youâve used it, heat it up again till it smokes just to add to your seasoning layer.
I think seasoning has its initial layer so you can use the wok, but thatâs just the beginning, it needs building on. I was hesitant to believe people when they wrote that their woks were non stick, but I can personally attest that with prolonged use, my wok is now more non stick than the old ânon stickâ skillets that my wife wonât give up on using.
2 Likes
