Q & A
Why Carbon Steel?
Carbon Steel can withstand temperatures up to 1200F, is lightweight, and responds to changes in temperature extremely quickly. It’s among the safest and most versatile cooking surfaces, as it can be used on the stovetop, in the oven, on the grill, and even over an open flame.
What Is it Made From?
Much like Cast Iron, Carbon Steel is an alloy, or metal mixture, made up of iron and carbon. Its main distinguishing features, however, is its weight—the percentage of iron to carbon makes it both lighter and more durable than its Cast Iron counterpart.
What Is the "Black Layer"?
The “black” comes from the Nitriding process which is a heat treatment process that increases the corrosion resistance and durability of the carbon steel wok.It would be faded around 3 month to 6 month. But it is NOT a coating.
Is it Non Stick?
While Carbon Steel does not come out of the box with a non stick coating, over time it will build up a non stick patina. The more you use your pan, the faster it will build up a surface that can handle even the most delicate, flaky fish. After the initial seasoning, we recommend cooking fatty foods, like bacon or steak, to fast-track your way to a non stick surface.
What happens when some of the patina/seasoning dissipates, cooks away, flakes off?
All is fine...remember, you cannot ruin your wok and whatever you do to it will be salvageable. Since your wok is new, the patina is not solidly " baked" or "burned" into the metal. Wok will season beautifully and eventually with use and time will be totally seasoned. You can restore the patina by stir frying a handful of pungent veggies, e. g. chives, scallions, onions, ginger, shallots, garlic (chives wok the best) with little oil, until charred. Discard charred veggies and wipe wok with paper towel which will be black, wash wok with hot water and good to go. Woks are forever; the older and more used the better. If you dont use it, you lose it.
How to Clean The Wok?
- Rinse the wok in hot water while gently scrub away food particles with a nonmetallic scrubber.
- Rinse the wok till its clean. (No soap)
- Dry the interior and exterior of the wok with paper towels.
* Wipe the inside of the wok with a small amount of vegetable oil as frequently as youd like.
If you do not use the wok daily/often, please do the following extra steps for storage
- Place the wok on the stove top and turn it on to medium to medium-high heat.
* Do not apply oil as the oil may deteriorate over time.