Winco Chinese Wok with Integral Handle, 14-Inch, Black

For $15 this 14 inch wok is an excellent value.It needs to have the shipping coating removed before seasoning. I use a propane torch now to get that done on coated woks. Easiest and fastest way I’ve found after trying several other methods along the way. After that you can start to season the wok to make it basically non-stick.It’s light for it’s size as it’s a thinner gauge but performs well on my residential gas stovetop.I have Yamada single handle woks but they are 12 inch. Wanted something a little bigger. Yamada’s are Japanese and prices can be high. But they are hammered and the hype about that I feel justified. They are my favorite so far. I didn’t want to spend that money💸 for another single handled one. I all ready have 15 and 16 inch double handled ones.I haven’t been disappointed with my Winco cookware I’ve purchased in the past. It is usually budget priced. The reason I have purchased Winco products is usually the low price. To pay a little and be disappointed or shell out a lot more money to only be disappointed as well. Can go either way. A lot of times the budget stuff works just as well as uber expensive in the actual cooking of things. That’s just my opinion developed over the years. It’s the cook.So.This wok caught my eye because of the very low price. Or maybe I might just be a wok hoarder. I have about a dozen woks from cast iron to aluminum. From 12 to 20 inchs. Anyway. Glad I picked it up. It’s light compared to the smaller Yamada single handled woks I have. I was worried 14” would be too heavy to easily manipulate with a single handle. So it’s lightness for size is a plus for me. It is a thinner gauge though than those single handled ones.There are no problems with construction I can see. Good weld on handle.I think some of the negative reviews I’ve read have no idea what they actually have to do in prepping it for seasoning or what it takes to make it non stick through seasoning.It isn’t plug-n-play.And for those that don’t know it’s not dishwasher safe either.And carbon steel rusts.

I love this wok. You can beat the price and it's working flawlessly for me. I heat this thing up as high as I can and it remains completely non-stick due to the seasoning process.Yes - there is an initial set up required. You have to burn off whatever the factory coating is. You can't skip that step. But once you burn it off it's gone. Then watch some videos on how to properly season the wok and you'll be ready for action. The handle is metal and it gets very hot. I wear one glove while cooking since the handle gets hot. I think even a wooden handle would get super hot at these temps too.The food that's coming out of this wok is amazing. Super happy with it.

This is the real deal. NOTE THAT COATING MUST BE BURNED OFF before use. This is the authentic genuine article. It is the same product made by the same factory that is sold at the Chinese mega store near me, It comes out to just about the same cost.For those who are used to going into a department store and buying a wok - THIS IS NOT IT. The coating is a mixture of polymers (plastic) and oils meant to protect the metal during transport. Bare carbon steel will rust spontaneously depending on the temperature and humidity and all GENUINE AUTHENTIC woks are made prepared in this fashion. The coating is not meant to be non stick. Inevitably, those that complain the coating comes off are not aware of this and unknowingly have ingested plastics and oils.It is thin like it should be. Again, those that are expecting a non-stick wok from a department store are unaware of this. There's probably a good bet who make this error are also expecting a flat bottom (in addition to a nonstick coating and a thick metal).This wok is meant to be heated up for about an hour to burn the coating off. It will smell of burning plastic and rancid oils while doing this and spew out loads of black smoke. This is why most people do this outside if they don't have a ventilation system that vents to the outside.After burning off the coating, it needs to be seasoned. If seasoned properly, it will have a non-stick dark brown/black coating. This coating is necessary if someone wants their fried rice to have the texture of take-out. The non-stick coated ones are not able to produce the correct texture on the rice - plus the thickness of department stores are not efficient enough at transmitting heat.Ask any take-out (or sit down) place and they will tell you they use 22" or greater woks - but also with the thin wallls and they came with a protective coating and they needed to be seasoned.Furthermore, cleaning is done with a special tool (usually a bamboo brush) and no soap is ever used to clean the wok.Why only 4-stars? Because I originally had a 14" and thought this bigger one would be good enough. Turns out, I needed an even bigger one. I decided to drive the hour or so to the Chinese mega-store. There I saw this exact model along with an 18" one. I bought the 18" one and use that now. I might occasionally use the 16" one if preparing for only 1-2 people.If you are expecting something like a frying pan with taller walls this isn't it. A frying pan with taller walls is what fits the non-stick, thicker walls product found at department stores. This item is a whole new ball game.Those expecting a taller frying pan will rate this very low - claiming the coating came off after 2 uses and also might say something like the walls are too thin or even comment how it doesn't sit flat on the oven.I primarily use an induction burner that has a round shape to accommodate the bottom of the wok.This is the real deal and those looking for a genuine authentic wok for authentic cooking that need a 16" wok will find this fits the bill exactly. But at the same time, these people will already know about the protective coating that must be burned off and won't find the walls to be thin at all. This would be perfect for those who know what they are buying and also want a 16". It was almost perfect for me, but I needed an 18".Genuine woks generally do not come with instruction manuals.

This is NOT a lid. This is a bowl turned upside down with two holes drilled in it - and no actual handle attached, as I see happened with other reviewers as well. The rim is a curved bowl rim, not a crafted lid rim like a normal lid would have in order to provide a seal with a pan or wok. Would give zero stars if I could. Returned this immediately.