If you want one pan that can be used for everything, a wok is the way to go. From frying eggs in the morning to creating Cauliflower Fried “Rice” for lunch and Beef & Broccoli for supper, I can claim that a wok can do it all. And who doesn’t want to make it simpler to put a nutritious, home-cooked dinner on the table these days?
A classic Chinese wok is a bowl-shaped pan that resembles a hybrid between a frying pan and a big pot. Its broad, sloped sides and thin bottom are intended to cook meals with minimal oil at maximum heat. For me, a Chinese and Jewish chef, dietician, and many others, a wok is the pan of choice for stir-fries and fried rice. However, it is capable of much more.
“My wok is my most used pan at home, at work, and at our outdoor cooking events,” says James Kitchens, the Filipino American head chef at Adventure Dinner, a custom pop-up food company in Vermont that hosts around 150 events each year. “Whether I need to make a fast meal for my family, blister shishito peppers for an appetizer or reheat soup for an event, my wok is my trusted go-to.” A wok can braise, deep fry, steam, and boil.
When deciding which wok to buy, there are a few factors to consider. Considering these considerations, I evaluated 16 pans for the best price, weight, heat conductivity, comfort, and mobility. Here’s my favorite and the others I’d happily have in my kitchen.
Our Work Recommendations
Best Overall: Yosukata Pre-Seasoned Blue Carbon Steel Wok
What we like: This preseasoned, flat-bottomed, large-capacity pan makes wok cooking enjoyable.
What to know: It is somewhat heavier than other woks, but not enough to make it difficult to turn the food with one hand.
The Yosukata 13.5-inch pre-seasoned pan has everything you need in a wok: sturdy, flat-bottomed, and not too heavy. It also has a huge capacity and is pre-seasoned, so it’s ready to use immediately. But what distinguished the Yosukata from other woks was the vast surface area of the flat bottom—the section of the pan that lies on the heat source. This pan’s flat bottom fits perfectly on gas, electric, and induction cooktops, making it trustworthy and conductive in any range. The broad bottom made it the simplest to prepare a massive serving of fried rice, but it also functioned nearly like a frying pan for frying eggs. The handles are simple, and the substantial size allows you to prepare small or large amounts.
Yosukata blue carbon steel is heat treated at high temperatures, resulting in a little blue hue. This makes the wok more rust-resistant than untreated carbon steel. Don’t forget to pick up the Yosukata stainless steel lid, partially composed of tempered glass. Instead of removing the lid and allowing steam to escape, you can now gaze into your wok while steaming your dumplings or buns.
- Diameter: 13.5 inches
- Capacity: 5.2 liters
- Weight: 4.1 lbs
Best Budget: Helen’s Asian Kitchen Wok
What we like: The assist handle is also made of wood, which keeps it cool.
What you should know: This wok does not come pre-seasoned. Therefore, you must season it before usage.
Helen’s Asian Kitchen’s carbon steel wok is an excellent entry-level option. This wok features a flat bottom, high heat conductivity, a large capacity, and a wooden aid handle to carry it safely. The main drawback is that it must be seasoned, requiring extra care while cleaning because it is not blue carbon steel. Seasoning a wok is simple, but it frequently triggers the fire alarm (as it did for me several times when seasoning numerous woks). This wok reminded me of the robust wok from my youth, which I still use now. This is excellent work for the price, and it will last a lifetime with appropriate maintenance.
- Diameter: 14 inches
- Capacity: 3 quarts
- Weight: 4.2 lbs
Best for Beginners: Mammafong Pre-Seasoned Blue Carbon Steel Wok
What we like: It’s the lightest pre-seasoned pan in the group.
What you should know: The total capacity and Diameter of the flat bottom are lower, making it less stable on electric and induction.
Like the Yosukata, the Mammafong pre-seasoned blue carbon steel works well for fried rice and stir-fries. Its sharply slanted edges keep food focused on the heat source while stirring. While the capacity is far lower than the Yosukata, the wok’s small weight made it easier to operate. With slightly over 3 pounds and great pre-seasoning, this is the winner for Best Wok for a Beginner.
Some may say I should have used a nonstick wok initially, but I must disagree. Properly seasoned woks are inherently nonstick, and pre-seasoned ones are the same. Woks are also designed to be used at high temperatures, which are the enemy of nonstick. The Mammafong is exceedingly simple, and the blue carbon steel finish means it is ready to use right out of the box. With just one quick wash, it went straight to the burner with some oil to begin searing chicken for a stir-fry. One thing to remember is that the Mammafong has a relatively tiny flat bottom compared to other flat-bottomed woks, making it less stable on electric and induction stoves than on gas. This was not a deal-breaker for us, but keep that in mind if you own a flat-top stove.
- Diameter: 14 inches
- Capacity: 3 quarts
- Weight: 3.3 lbs
Best Round Bottom: Craft Wok Traditional Hand-Hammered Carbon Steel Pow Wok
What we like: This is if you’re looking for an original, authentic wok.
What you should know: Because of its spherical bottom, this pan only works with gas and requires a wok ring. It also requires seasoning.
Traditional Chinese woks feature spherical bottoms and sit directly over the heat. (When I was growing up, my family had a stove with a round top grate that could be removed so the wok could be as near to the flame as possible.) To cook traditional Chinese dishes at home, you’ll need a circular wok and a wok ring, which fits on top of the grate and holds the wok like a bowl. Look for a wok ring designed specifically for your stove (rather than a generic one) so that it retains the stove burner and does not slip. This round wok had the best size and weight of any I tried, and it’s also beautifully gorgeous. The Craft Wok must be seasoned before use, but the hand-hammered slanted sides provide optimal heat zones for food to move around and cook evenly. When preparing fried rice, I found that this pan required slightly more oil than others, but the more you cook with it, the better the seasoning becomes.
- Diameter: 14 inches
- Capacity: 2.2 quarts
- Weight: 4.6 lbs
Best for Cooking Outdoors: Lodge Cast Iron Wok
What we like: The cast iron evenly conducts and retains heat, making it ideal for the grill.
What you should know: It’s hefty and requires both hands to move it.
The Lodge cast iron wok is robust, meaning it won’t move until you want it to. Furthermore, because it is composed of cast iron rather than carbon steel, it will retain heat for an extended period. This heavy-duty pan is the best option for cooking outside on a grill or over an open fire. This wok is also pre-seasoned, so it’s ready to use as soon as you start the grill.
The Lodge wok’s weight prevents you from shaking and flipping the pan like a standard wok. Because it’s such a thick pan, it lacks the wok hei that the other woks provide because of their thinner build. (Wok hei, which translates to “wok breath“ or “wok energy“ in Chinese, refers to the charred, smokey flavor produced by cooking at high heat.) That being said, I loved utilizing this pan instead of our square grilling basket since it allowed me to grill all the vegetables I wanted without having to cook them in batches.
- Diameter: 14 inches
- Capacity: 5 quarts
- Weight: 12.8 lbs
The Bottom Line: The Best Wok
This is the first time I have suggested every pan I tested, although each of the 16 woks has unique advantages and disadvantages. When the pans were compared side by side, a few characteristics stood out: weight, handles, pan size, and pricing.
The carbon steel pans from Mammafong (view at Amazon), Yosukata, and Craft Wok (view at Amazon) were equally matched in terms of heat conductivity and mobility. Still, the Yosukata (view at Amazon) won out because of its broad, flat bottom, high capacity, and pre-seasoning.
Choosing a Wok
Like any other pan, the wok you choose should contribute to your culinary success. What makes a beautiful wok? Search for these five traits.
14-Inch Diameter
An excellent wok is lightweight, simple to handle, and has ample surface area to cook and stir. I prefer a wok that is around 14 inches wide. Smaller woks can only hold a small amount of food, while larger ones become challenging to manage.
Carbon Steel
When it comes to picking the best wok, both home cooks and chefs choose carbon steel. Woks are also available in stainless steel, cast iron, and nonstick, but carbon steel is more robust and conductive, allowing for faster and uniform heating.
Flat Bottom
Most people choose a flat-bottomed wok because it can be used on gas, electric, and induction burners without a separate utensil. However, if you want to prepare the most genuine Chinese cuisine, get a circular-bottom wok with a wok ring.
Two Handles
A second handle, sometimes known as a helping handle, helps you lift the wok without straining your wrist from the weight of the pan and its contents. This is especially useful if you attempt to slip food onto a dish rather than scooping. Ideally, the assist handle would have a heat-resistant hardwood handle. However, the assist handle is frequently made of metal, so use a strong pot holder because woks may get quite hot.
Naturally Nonstick
A correctly seasoned wok generates an even, nonstick seasoning free of PFAS, which is included in many nonstick pan coatings. If you dislike the seasoning procedure, get a pre-seasoned pan and use it like any other carbon steel or cast-iron pan, wiping it dry after each wash.
Our Wok Tests
To determine the best wok, I ran 16 pans through the identical set of recipe testing. If the woks did not arrive pre-seasoned, they were seasoned before being tested with a fried egg, boiling water, fried rice, and stir-fried Chinese greens. I used the same components in the same proportions for each test to compare volume. The differences between most carbon steel pans were relatively minor, except how rapidly they boiled water—the cast iron pan took far longer than the carbon steel.
Each wok was tested on gas, electric, and induction stovetops. The flat-bottomed pans worked on electric and induction but lacked the optimal high-heat sear I could get with gas. Round-bottomed woks, as expected, do not function with electric or induction cooktops, and a wok ring cannot be used with them.
We Also Considered
Calphalon Signature Hard-Anodized Nonstick 12-Inch Flat-Bottom Wok with Cover (View on Amazon): This wok was the best of the nonstick alternatives, but it was still smaller than I preferred and only safe up to 500°F, which is much below the recommended temperature for traditional Chinese high heat cooking. Cooking the fried rice in this pan did not produce the crispy pieces that give it texture, but it was the simplest to clean due to its nonstick coating. If you never want to season a pan and prefer nonstick, the Calphalon is your wok.
Made In Cookware 12-Inch Blue Carbon Steel Wok (View on Amazon): While the Made In fared better on induction than some of the other woks, its greater weight, significantly lower capacity, and awkward handle were turn-offs. I could barely create half a batch of fried rice, and the angle necessary to hold the pan caused my wrist to cramp. It also costs more than the more prominent, pre-seasoned woks.
Joyce Chen Classic Series Carbon Steel Wok (View on Amazon): For $27, this wok has a lid, a bamboo spatula, and a recipe booklet, making it a contender for best budget wok. However, compared to Helen’s Asian Kitchen wok, it felt slightly flimsier when I cooked the egg and rice. The handle wasn’t as pleasant to grasp, which is vital when shaking the pan during stir-frying. However, this wok is an excellent value for the money and performs almost as well as woks that cost three times as much.
Zhen San Huan 34cm Seasoned Wok (View on Amazon): This round bottom wok cooked the stir-fried greens, fried egg, and fried rice just as well as the Craft Wok, but at nearly four times the price, the Craft Wok was the clear victor. Furthermore, the Zhen San Huan wok lacks a helping handle, which is disappointing because moving a wok full of food is tough without one.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you season a wok?
Like cast-iron pans, woks can be unseasoned or pre-seasoned. Our best option is pre-seasoned, but if you want one that has to be seasoned, it’s simple to accomplish. Grace Young, the “Poet Laureate of the Wok,“ taught me the perfect way to season food. Here’s her how-to.
- Clean a carbon-steel wok using soap, hot water, and a steel wool pad. Rinse and dry thoroughly.
- Heat the wok over high heat until a drop of water on the surface evaporates instantaneously.
- Swirl two teaspoons of peanut or vegetable oil into the pan.
- Add 1/2 cup sliced unpeeled ginger and one bunch of scallions cut into 2-inch pieces.
- Reduce the heat to medium and stir-fry the mixture, pushing it against the edges of the pan as you go.
- Continue to stir-fry and massage the spice all over the pan for approximately 15 minutes.
- Remove from heat and allow to cool. Remove the scallions and ginger. Rinse with hot water. Your wok is now ready for use! And it will get better with time.
What can I cook besides stir-frying and frying rice in a wok?
Woks may be used to steam, boil, deep fried, and braised foods. To steam, use a bamboo steamer (see at Amazon) or steaming rack (view at Amazon) inside the wok and a wok lid. These are very useful for cooking steamed dumplings and seafood. You can also braise in a wok.
How do I clean my wok?
Cleaning a wok is quite similar to cleaning a cast iron pan. Avoid using soap or anything abrasive, such as a scrub brush, as they may ruin the seasoning. Clean it with hot water and a gentle sponge. A wok should not be washed in the dishwasher. If you have any hard-to-release food, fill the wok with about an inch of water and slowly heat on the burner until the food is freed off the surface. Rinse the pan thoroughly, then dry it with a clean kitchen towel or heat it on low until the water has evaporated. Air-drying a wok can cause it to rust.
Can I use a wok on induction and electric stoves?
Yes, flat-bottom woks operate on induction and electric burners, but without flames licking the wok’s edges, the food does not cook as well as on a gas stove.
Our Trusted Expertise
Breana Lai Killeen, M.P.H., RD, is a Chinese-Jewish chef and dietitian with over 15 years of experience generating editorial and digital content for leading food and kitchen companies. She learned to cook over a wok with her mother when she was eight. For this post, Breana tested 16 woks from top brands in her kitchen.
Brierley Horton, M.S., R.D., Senior Commerce Editor, edited and reviewed this article. She usually uses her wok to make fast kimchi fried rice. She also has 15 years of experience reporting, writing, and editing on food, nutrition, and health issues.
0 Comments