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#1 T-fal Specialty Nonstick Jumbo Wok Cookware
This bargain is a great choice for anyone just starting to cook. Its nonstick interior impressed our tester, who commented that “even the most stubborn ingredients—like thinly sliced mushrooms, diced onions, and grated garlic—slid right off without leaving any residue or burn marks.” This feature, along with its lightweight aluminum construction, could be the perfect boost for home cooks who want to stir, flip, steam, and do so with confidence.
The generous 14-inch diameter of the wok was appreciated by our reviewer. This allows you to cook multiple portions at once. The long handle and silicone helper loop keep it cool provide another safety feature. A flat base makes it easy for anyone to use a gas or electric stove.
#2 Hand Hammered Carbon Steel Pow Wok
Professional woks have rounded bottoms. This allows chefs to heat them up to high temperatures using burners that shoot flames straight up, rather than in a circular pattern. If you’re serious about your wok game and have the ability to modify your home stove (a wok ring like this one, which costs only $8, replaces the grate and metal disc on a gas stove pretty easily), you’ll need a round-bottomed wok, too, instead of the flat-bottomed ones designed specifically for home use. Chef Amelia Kang of MáLà Project recommends the Pow Wok, made from conductive carbon steel. “It’s suitable for quick, high-temperature stir-fried dishes,” she says. “The flavor is better, but it’s also easy to burn the dishes if you are not fast enough.”
#3 Joyce Chen Carbon Steel Wok, 14 Inch
“The loops on metal woks get superhot, and you need pot holders to handle,” says Matt Rodbard, founder of Taste and the co-author of Koreatown: The Cookbook. However, wooden handles can be avoided. Plus, it makes it easy for him to “flip it and use it as a fast ‘lid’ for quick steaming in my stainless-steel pan.” Sohui Kim, chef at Insa in Brooklyn, is also a fan of this model. “It can handle a ton of vegetables,” she says. “I especially like it for greens that start so giant in volume. You can add everything in and then move them around easily as they shrink.”
#4 Lodge 14 Inch Cast Iron Wok
There are actually two types. All the ones on this list so far are Mandarin-style, meaning they have an extended handle, similar to the standard pans you’re used to. This one is a Cantonese Wok. It has two smaller handles on either side. These handles are meant to pick up the whole thing and not move it around the stove. This wok is also cast iron, so it’s heavier than its carbon-steel counterparts. “Nothing retains heat like cast-iron,” says Jew, “even carbon steel. And with a home stove, you’re simply not going to get the same level of heat that you do in a restaurant.” That’s a particularly good attribute when it comes to fried rice, he notes, the success of which depends on the grains staying hot throughout the whole cooking process.
#5 Anolon Triply Clad Stainless Stew-Fry Wok Pan
Stainless steel is popular for many reasons. It is durable, resistant to stains, damage, can withstand metal tools, and non-reactive properties. This smaller, flat-bottomed (for gas, electric, or induction stoves) stir-fry pan ups the ante with three-ply construction around an aluminum core for the quick heat conductivity you want in a wok. Even more important, this pan is suitable for use with a You can make it smaller wok—as this one is under 11-inches—are high heat-retaining walls to keep your veggies from going on the lam. Standing tall at 4.75 inches, that’s more than enough to keep your meal-to-be contained between its sloped sides and flat bottom.