Woks are versatile kitchenware that many households use almost daily. Of course, they’re wonderful for stir-fries, but they can be used for steaming, sautéing, deep-frying, and braising. They’re great for quick cooking and tossing food, and also anytime you need to get a beautiful sear for a ripping hot pan.
When choosing a new wok, it’s important to consider the main material (we recommend carbon steel), the design elements, and whether you want a flat bottom or round one. To help you find the best wok for your kitchen, we enlisted the help of the Allrecipes Allstars—our dedicated team of trusted experts—to test popular models. They evaluated each wok on design, performance, maintenance needs, and overall value.
Credit: Amazon
Why It’s Great: Very well-balanced; outstanding performance; welded handle; makes tossing effortless
Grain of Salt: Might be too heavy for some; helper handle isn’t very useful
Allstar Nikki Russell found a lot to love about the Yosukata flat-bottomed wok after testing it in her home kitchen. She appreciated a welded (not riveted) handle and that it can work in almost any size household. Importantly, it heated quickly and uniformly cooked her recipes while being extremely well-balanced and making it easy to toss her ingredients around. “It stayed steady on the burner while tossing, which made me feel confident I’d never have to worry about it all ending on the floor,” says Nikki.
Flipping and moving your food around is an important part of wok cooking, especially when it comes to stir fries. The Yosukata’s flat bottom combined with a secure and comfortable handle made this painless for Nikki. Add in that carbon steel can handle high heat and create a beautiful char on your food.
Nikki did have some minor issues with the wok. While it leaves the factory pre-seasoned, you still need to do a complete seasoning prior to first use. Some might also find it too heavy for carrying. In the end, Nikki had this to say, “If you are looking for a wok to last a lifetime, I recommend investing in this one.”
The Details: 13.5-inch diameter; 3.8 inches deep; induction compatible; also available in a 11.8-inch diameter
Credit: Amazon
Why It’s Great: Great performance; ample cooking surface; can use to deep fry and boil; smooth handle and helper handle
Grain of Salt: Heavy for some
The Joyce Chen 14-inch flat-bottom work shows it’s possible to get a great, inexpensive carbon steel model. To help you manage the generous capacity, this comes with smooth birchwood handles on both sides of the wok.
After putting it to the test in her home, Allstar Lisa Lynn Backus came away a big fan of this, so much so that she ended her review with “The Joyce Chen wok is a keeper!” After a slightly stressful seasoning—it helps to have seasoning directions open on your phone—Lisa found cooking in the pan was effortless. It heated quickly with no hot spots, and beef, pork, and chicken all seared beautifully. It was also very easy to move her ingredients around the wok to ensure even cooking, with the ridges around the bowl helping to hold ingredients away from the center. Lisa was even able to deep-fry chicken wings and boil a batch of ravioli within the wok’s bowl.
After the recipes were done, the well-seasoned wok was easy to get back to clean. Lisa did find the wok a bit heavy and didn’t toss her food a lot, but she was able to use any type of spatula she wanted.
The Details: 14-inch diameter; 5.5 inches deep; induction compatible; also available in a 12-inch diameter and as a round-bottom wok
Credit: Amazon
Why It’s Great: Hammered surface helps hold food on sides of wok; heats uniformly; pre-seasoned; has a spout
Grain of Salt: Handle isn’t welded on; no helper handle
Cooking with a wok does sometimes have a learning curve, and some woks are easier to learn on than others. This set for Souped Up Recipes features a machine-hammered surface, a spout, and a wok spatula. The surface can help a beginner get the hang of moving cooked food up the slope of the wok when it no longer needs direct heat. The spout and spatula, which don’t usually come with a wok, generally make cooking and serving easier.
Allstar Nikki thoroughly enjoyed cooking with this and had barely any issues with the set. She seared beef, chicken, and shrimp easily before moving cooked slices up the slope, with nothing getting caught on the pan. Nikki also appreciated that the wok has a nice weight to it, but wasn’t so heavy that she couldn’t toss food around one-handed. Though it doesn’t have a helper handle, it wasn’t missed during testing.
The wok is seasoned before shipping and that layer of protection works well out of the gate, but you should continue to maintain the seasoning to prevent rust. Besides it lacking a helper handle, keep an eye on the handle, which is riveted and not welded on.
The Details: 12.5-inch diameter; 3.74 inches deep; induction compatible; also available in a 13.4-inch diameter
Credit: Amazon
Why It’s Great: Thicker steel yet still responsive to temperature changes; hand-hammered; can use without a wok ring
Grain of Salt: Heavy
While flat-bottom woks are easier to use on most home stoves, round-bottom versions let you have more flexibility when cooking. It’s generally recommended to use a wok ring—either a metal version or one that came with your range—but if you don’t have one, you can still enjoy cooking with the Craft Wok Carbon Still Pow Wok.
Allstar Lisa Lynn tested the wok on her gas range, and enjoyed that swirling oil and moving food around the pan is much easier with a round bottom. It wasn’t easier to toss food though, as the Craft Wok is heavier due to its thicker steel design. That thickness allows for better heat retention, yet it’s still thin enough to be responsive to heat fluctuations from the burner. Importantly, this wok cooked every dish quickly and evenly.
Lisa Lynn wasn’t the biggest fan of its unfinished wood handle, though this does mean you can stain and finish the wood to your liking. Additionally, food can get slightly stuck on the hand-hammered surface, so be sure to add oil (and maybe wait a few uses) before cracking an egg into it.
The Details: 14-inch diameter; 4.3 inches deep; not induction compatible; also available in a 12-inch diameter
Credit: Amazon
Why It’s Great: Heats quickly and evenly; pre-seasoned; available in three sizes
Grain of Salt: Some sticking; smaller cooking surface
The Mammafong wok is “luxurious” as Lisa Lynn put it after testing. The blue carbon steel wok is pre-seasoned very well for easier maintenance, it performs beautifully, and has a well-angled, balanced handle for your mid-stir fry flips. In fact, Lisa Lynn’s only qualm about it was some slight sticking that happened was adding egg to her fried rice. “This wok is 100% worth the price for its performance and especially the baked-on pre-seasoning,” she says.
We did notice that the wok’s flat cooking surface is only 4.5 inches in diameter, which you might find too small for your needs. If you need a bigger area, you could size up to the 16-inch wok, which has a 7-inch cooking surface. At around 3.3 pounds, this is one of the slightly lighter woks we tested. If you’re a fan of flipping food, you might find this more comfortable to cook with than others.
The Details: 14-inch diameter; 3.8 inches deep; induction compatible; available in a 12-inch and a 16-inch diameter
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Credit: Allrecipes
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Credit: Allrecipes
Our Takeaway
An unparalleled performance and great design make the Yosukata 13.5-Inch Carbon Steel Wok Pan our top choice for woks. The inexpensive Joyce Chen 14-Inch Carbon Steel Wok is another great performer and has an ample cooking surface.
How to Pick the Right Wok
Material
When choosing a wok, most enthusiasts recommend buying one made from carbon steel, which has the best attributes of both cast iron and stainless steel. It’s durable, lighter in weight than cast iron, can create a good sear, and responds quickly to temperature changes. Those last two aspects are handy since you can sear ingredients, but also move them up the wok’s slope to a cooler section and can quickly stop cooking by taking the wok off of the heat. As with cast iron, you will have to maintain the seasoning to keep the surface nonstick and avoid rust.
You can also find woks made from cast iron and stainless steel. Cast iron versions will last a lifetime and are good for searing, but the heat will conduct throughout the bowl and it will retain that heat for longer. Plus, the entire wok will be very heavy. Stainless steel is also great for searing, but food can stick to the surface and there’s no way to build up seasoning for a nonstick wok.
Nonstick woks are great for beginners since they require minimal maintenance and are typically the most inexpensive. Keep in mind that nonstick should only be used over medium or low heat, so you won’t be able to sear.
Design
In addition to the material, a wok’s design will determine whether you enjoy using it, or if it will stay in your cupboard. The main aspects to consider are the bottom, the handle(s) and the wok’s diameter. For the latter, a 14-inch wok is large enough for multi-serving recipes, while a 12-inch diameter works great for smaller households.
When it comes to the main handle, look for a comfortable angle with a large-enough wooden surface before the metal connection. Additionally, if you’re not the DIY type, look for a finished wooden handle instead of a rough unfinished one. We recommend metal helper handles over wooden ones, since they can char and become brittle over time.
Round-Bottom Woks vs. Flat-Bottom Woks: Woks have been made traditionally with round bottoms, and that’s the style you’ll see in commercial kitchens. The roundness makes it easier to toss food, but it usually requires a wok ring for stability. Flat-bottom woks work better in households since they can work on all types of ranges without additional tools, even if you’re slightly limiting the cooking style.
About Our Tests
We sent several top-rated carbon steel woks to the homes of Allstars Nicole “Nikki” Russell and Lisa Lynn Backus for thorough testing. They used each wok for weeks, incorporating them into their routines and cooking various recipes in the woks. Here’s what they looked for:
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Design: Is the wok well-balanced? Are the handles comfortable to use? Can you easily toss food while cooking? Is the surface rough or smooth?
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Performance: Did it heat quickly and evenly? Is it stable on your cooktop? Did any food stick to the wok? Was it easy to maneuver while cooking? Were you able to achieve a good sear? Did you have enough cooking surface for your recipes?
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Cleanup: Was it easy to clean? Did you have to season the wok frequently during testing? Was there any protective coating?
Common Questions
How do you season and care for your wok?
Both carbon steel and cast-iron woks require seasoning before cooking to make sure food doesn’t stick. Think of this process as creating your own natural nonstick surface that can withstand high temperatures. Here are step-by-step instructions for seasoning your new wok:
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Clean your wok. Hand wash your wok using dish soap, very warm water, and a sponge. This will help to remove any of the machine oil applied to prevent rusting during transit.
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Heat your wok. Fire up the stove and heat your wok on high heat for about 10 minutes. Rotate the wok to ensure all sides are evenly heated. Don’t worry if the color begins to change, that’s completely normal.
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Oil your wok. While your wok is still hot, use a paper towel or rag to apply a small amount of high-smoke point oil, such as vegetable oil. Cover the entire surface area of the wok with the oil. Then use a rag or paper towel to wipe away as much of the oil as you can.
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Keep your wok hot. Allow the wok to sit on high heat for an additional five minutes. You’ll notice the color of the wok will begin to change once again, and this is a good sign. Go ahead and turn off the burner and let it cool. Your wok is seasoned and ready to use. To continue building the seasoning, repeat these steps as many times as you’d like.
To protect the coating you worked so hard to achieve, you should avoid cleaning your wok with any abrasive sponge or cleaning tool. After each use, use warm water and a nonabrasive sponge with a small amount of dish soap (don’t use any cleaning agent stronger than this) to hand wash it. Immediately dry your wok before storing it to avoid rusting.
What recipes are better when made in a wok?
Wok hei, the smoky flavor that can only come from a hot wok, is great for your weekday stir fries and fried rice, but it can improve so many recipes. We love using a wok for homemade beef and broccoli pad Thai, and gochujang chicken, but you can experiment with any dish that needs a little complexity like paella.
What’s the difference between a wok and a frying pan?
Woks are similar to frying pans in that you want them to have a nonstick surface, you usually have to cook fast, and it’s lightweight for easy flipping or tossing. But woks are specifically designed for that easy tossing, frying, and flipping, as the slope side guides food back towards the center. You can also move cooked ingredients up the slope, away from the heat, so that it doesn’t burn. On the flat bottom of a frying pan, all your ingredients will continue to cook as long as they’re in the pan. And it’s very easy to accidentally flip your meal onto the stove.
Why Take Our Word For It?
Associate Editorial Director Siobhan Wallace covers kitchen gear and product reviews for Allrecipes. She utilized the testing insights of two Allstar cooks, as well as her own experience with the Yosukata 13.5-Inch Carbon Steel Wok Pan, to create our list of recommendations.
Nicole “Nikki” Russell, known on Allrecipes as Soup Loving Nicole, tested woks in her Arkansas kitchen. She regularly tests kitchen products for us, which has recently included baking sheets, casserole carriers, and air fryers.
Lisa Lynn Backus worked in hospitality for 30 years, and now lives in Las Vegas. In addition to woks, she’s tested non-toxic cookware sets, ceramic cookware, and rice cookers.
Want to know more about the Allrecipes Allstars? Learn about their favorite recipes, kitchen hacks, and product picks.
