Best woks for making authentic Asian food
If you’re making stir fried foods from Asian cuisines like Chinese food or Thai food, let’s face it, unless you have a good wok, you won’t really get the right authentic flavor. Cantonese Chinese people even have a term called “wok hei” (鑊氣) that translates to the taste that you can only achieve from the interplay of high heat of a wok and quick stir fry technique. While this level of intense high heat is generally not achievable at home, having a wok is part of the magic.
The best wok is one that has been seasoned for many years that food just glides around when you start heating it up and cooking with it. My mom has a cast iron one that she has bought since immigrating to the US in the 1980’s and it’s a family heirloom. If you don’t have one of those woks, it’s time to start investing in one to cook and season so that you can pass this coveted item down to your children one day.
Don’t bother buying non-stick or any fancy tech ones. You just need a good carbon steel one to season over time. Nowadays, gas stoves are also getting phased out and it’s a good idea to invest in a flat bottom design one that doesn’t require a wok ring so that you can put it over an electric stovetop.
And yes, buy a wok lid so that the wok can double as a steamer.
Here are our recommendations for the best woks. Note, all links go to our Amazon affiliate link.
This is the wok by “Made In Cookware” that we have. It’s made out of blue carbon steel, 12.5” in diameter, and has a flat bottom—so that you don’t need an additional wok ring to use over a gas stove. Like all carbon steel, you do have to season it after every use, but over time, your stir-fried food will start gliding as if it’s non-stick. The only downside with using this wok for over 5 years now is that it’s a little on the heavier side for me so that when I have to lift it, I sometimes want to use both hands. Great quality and it’s made in France.
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If you want a lower-end wok that still gets the work done, the carbon-steel series woks by Joyce Chen are also a good alternative. Another pro is that it’s lighter to use at ~3 lbs, and has an extra handle so it’s is more practical when moving food out to serve.
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Once you have wok, try out the recipes from our favorite Asian recipe sites.