Full disclosure, I teach wok cooking and also market a preseasoned cast iron wok set.

Assuming you have a gas stove? Is your ci wok a thin walled, lightweight or a heavy with flat bottom?

1) What should your wok 'feel' like after cleaning? It depends what you've cooked in it prior.
2) I used to air dry but now use paper towels because you never want to have it 'wet' and 'rust'. 3) I suggest you leave your wok on your stove at all times so it's convenient, you'll find you'll use it more for heating up leftovers, anything you cook in a pan, you can do in your wok!
4) the more you use your ci wok, the better the patina builds up and becomes a natural non-stick surface, so you actually need less oil.

Thank goodness you're here to set folks straight. I've never understood who advises using salt to season cast iron woks cause it makes them RUST! That's probably what the red dust is? Recently, I found a 'scientific based' site by Sheryl Canter that recommends using food grade flax seed oil for seasoning cast iron pans! WOW, WOW & WOW! I've been 'seasoning' for years but her tip makes a HUGE difference & made my woks look like museum quality. Here's the link to her site: http://sherylcanter.com/wordpress/201...

Hi cookware junkie, thx for mentioning my husband's amusing video, enjoyed by many. I only just found this thread when I was googling for something else. Thank you for tips on different sites that carry cheaper Iwatani stoves or woks. However, so many times, people buy a cheap wok and fail miserably at 'seasoning' it. Cheap woks don't provide the "technique" or 'skills' to use it properly, hence I included the DVDs, preseasoned wok and I always ensure folks have the right heat source to help them be successful. A gas stove does the trick! Reason I like Iwatani is I used cheaper stoves and the knob breaks with no replacement knobs or the ignition stops, not worth it. Iwatani is sturdy and reliable, never fails, enough said.

BTW, Iwatani swapped out their 10,000 btu with a 12,000 btu and scares most folks using it. It's really quite powerful and focuses at the base of your wok which is exactly where you need it.

If you live near an Asian market, the canisters are cheapest there, under $2 each vs hardware or boat stores which are rip offs. They think because you own a boat, you can be charged 3 times the amount, ridiculous. Enjoy using your portable gas stove, it makes cooking FUN. No more frustrations with screaming heat or cold, slow start with electric. You can have the heat EXACTLY how you want it, what a concept!

One thing you haven't mentioned is 'washing out' the factory oil PRIOR to seasoning. If your wok is from China, it is crucial to wash that out first. I've heard people get sick from seasoning without doing so.

Even though Grace Young and I differ in our opinions/philosophy about which woks we like, she does a great job of showing how to season a carbon steel wok here:
http://www.culinate.com/articles/feat...

Apologies for not following up on this thread. I agree there are 2 camps: those who love carbon steel and those who love cast iron, however...

Proof is in the pudding...
Numerous folks who have used carbon steel and converted to cast iron share my view that texture and flavor of food cooked in a cast iron wok is very different. They were surprised with their great results.

I don't own a restaurant but teach wok cooking using a cast iron wok. Personally, I do use my cast iron wok for cooking dishes that contain acid, I've made stews with tomatoes and sherry in it. I'm a bit of a rebel, so I tend to do things in my wok that traditionally folks probably don't do as Chemicalkinetics mentioned. It may be dry immediately after using with acid but because I use my wok daily for cooking most anything, even if it's warming up store bought roast chicken, it builds up patina quickly. Do not be afraid to use your cast iron or carbon steel wok for cooking acid stuff, as long as you build up patina again.

Full disclosure - I learned to cook from my mom who introduced me to using a cast iron wok which resulted in my teaching wok cooking (over 17 yrs.). I also market a Kit with a 15" thin walled, lightweight, preseasoned, round bottom cast iron wok set and instructional discs. I have gotten to know a LOT of woks while I was doing R&D for my project. Your wok looks like a thin, steel wok that was already black when you bought it right? This is not carbon steel. It looks too overall 'black'. If it was cheap, I would just buy another wok but this time, get a thin walled, 3 lb. CAST IRON wok. If it's not convenient, practical and accessible, you won't end up using it. Also need portable butane gas stove if you have electric. Flat bottom woks on electric doesn't solve problem of instantaneous heat control - CRUCIAL for wok cooking. Hope this helps. Would like to hear your decision how to resolve this problem. Also like to know if your wok was already black when you first bought it? I've seen these.

sueatmo, the manufacturers of Teflon non-stick warn on their site: NOT to use above medium heat and to open wiindows to ventilate. Many small bird owners lament their birds have died from the toxic fumes.
I've been through all the different permutations and I found the portable gas burner to be the perfect answer to the heat problem.

Hi CarbonSteel, great to hear you're excited about Asian wok cooking!
Full disclosure, I have been teaching wok cooking for over 20 yrs. and have joined numerous forums on Chow and other sites about this confusing topic. My husband and I did a lot of research because many of us who live in S.Florida have electric stoves, whether it's glass or coil.
1. NO, you cannot use wok ring, it will scratch the glass and negate your warranty. This is answer from tech support and manufacturer of most glass tops in USA, Schott : http://bit.ly/deBpIe

2. how did you "season"? stovetop or bake? "seasoning" is the most important process to set up your wok to use for life. But many folks don't get this right as sueatmo discovered and when people are not successful at their first attempt, they throw in the towel and are discouraged. That's why I "preseasoned" my cast iron woks so people can start using their woks right away and have fun instead of wasting their time 'seasoning' with no guarantees they are successful.

3. it's not only distribution of heat but electric takes a long time to heat up and cool down. As chemicalkinetics notes, the wok ring makes the heat further from your wok surface. As sueatmo mentions and hits it on the head, she found electric never gives out enough heat for wok cookery! It's when you add food into your wok, the heat just lowers so much and that's why folks get the "soupy" veggies or "boiled" meat. The 2 biggest complaints I hear.

Electric stoves require a different technique to wok cooking: you have to physically lift your wok off if you want to cool it down. This makes cooking a 'weight lifting' exercise and not enjoyable esp. for small people like myself.

4. while I'm at this, the straight sides of the wok is not a natural stir fry motion and food gets stuck in the corners making cleaning it a chore. Many have told me this. When they converted to using a cast iron wok, they couldn't believe the difference in texture and flavor.

A simple and cheap solution is to purchase a portable butane (NOT propane) gas stove which sits on top of your electric stove. Many folks who have this setup incl. myself love this. I've included a photo of my wok/stove setup on my electric coil stove in my home kitchen. It works beautifully. My stove is an Iwatani 12,000 btu which has heat focused in the center instead of spread out like most commercial or residential gas stoves and really cranks out some serious heat! Even folks who own residential gas stoves noticed my stove is more powerful because there's a limit to how much the gas company are allowed to open the valves.

Sorry, this is so long, I wanted to cover all your points. Hope this helps.

Wiiliam Wong wrote about Golden Gate Bakery selling moon cakes, probably too late: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/w...

My thin walled cast iron wok is also traditional and have been used in Asian homes for decades. Carbon steel are mostly used in restaurants because they bang them around and don't break as easily as CI. You don't need a 40K gas stove when cooking homestyle because we don't use a ton of oil in a big wok like a restaurant. Most Asian markets don't stock this particular thin walled, lightweight CI wok anymore because restaurants want carbon steel. I have terrible problems sourcing distributors of this wok and even the spatula. Many folks really appreciate the fact I've put so much thought in getting all the right utensils so they will have success when they start. Unfortunately, not all online retailers are honest and claim they are selling lightweight CI when they are NOT! It's really a disservice to people who don't realize what they are getting into. I've had numerous complain carbon steel rusts easily and food sticks. I have used it myself when I was doing R&D and hate the smell of steel when cooking. Also, it doesn't perform as well as CI when stir frying and end up making my veggies soupy and not crispy, crunchy like CI.

I am thrilled to find a community of cast iron enthusiasts because I am one too. Quickly scanning through the comments, I notice most have the heavy skillets or woks. I also inherited a wok from my mom until my hubby dropped it and it broke. But it doesn't take long to start up the patina on a new one, I took a photo of 2 new woks I've been using for just a week and they're already looking good. What most don't realize is that just because a wok is thin walled and lightweight doesn't mean it's not good quality or as good as the big, heavy ones, or shiny designer woks that don't function as well. They think it's inferior or an ugly duckling but for small people like myself, I cannot pick up a 15 pound Lodge wok on a nightly basis! In fact, many complain it's the weight that makes people dread using it! I've been on many of the boards here and just want to disclose I teach wok cooking and market my cast iron wok because it was so difficult to find this particular one in America. I stress that woks are so versatile, you can use it for cooking everything, not just Asian stir frys. It's like an adjustable size pan, so you only need one because you can cook a little or a lot. So, I encourage them to use it as much as possible because it will build up the patina faster.

I think I know the "black dust" you're talking about. It's 'fond' when your heat gets too high and the food gets hard at the bottom of the wok. When you clean it off, dust remains, it's happened to me before. Just gently use the green scrubber to scrub off, wipe oil on it and use, it will 'go away' when you start using again. Try it.

One more suggestion - when your food starts cooking down, turn your heat down a bit. When the flames go outside of area of your food, it starts smoking.

If you are using a gas stove, whether it's outdoors or indoors - use the SMALLEST burner. It helps focus your heat in the center of your wok instead of spreading the flame wide. I had personal experience of this when I cooked at my friend's recently. It made a HUGE DIFFERENCE when I switched from the big to smaller burner.

I'm very glad you got the two handled wok because it keeps it light and balanced! My friend had a carbon steel with one long handle as you can see in photo. This wok had all the things that make wok cooking a chore and dangerous. The handle kept tipping when it had food in it, so I had to constantly hold it and didn't dare leave it to get garlic, had to get someone to add in. Between not getting enough heat and the material of carbon steel which doesn't retain heat well, all contributed to making my veggies "soupy".

I disagree you don't need non-stick properties of cast iron. Cast iron is PERFECT for stir frying not just everything but especially your veggies, it gives them a crispy, crunchy texture that even picky kids love. Many parents tell me their kids who don't normally eat their veggies love them cooked this way.

You've done your homework! I think Michael's is a DEFINITE! Everything I've had there is top notch, EXCELLENT. Try the beef cheeks, they melt in your mouth and if you are into watching him cook, there's a "chef's counter" for a few. You have to make reservations NOW
because they get booked. Smart to miss Asian restaurants since there's not much to speak of (I'm Asian).

Great sandwich, snack place is Le Sandwicherie, 229 14th Street, Miami Beach, (305) 532-8934. There are only bar stools and an open counter BUT they make your sandwich FRESH with good ingredients and the BEST salad dressing. They'll let you have a squeeze bottle to add more on for yourself, yummy. If you read reviews about the sandwich being small, I disagree, my husband and I share one, it's enough and they are very reasonable.

Do not miss eating on Lincoln Rd., another restaurant we call our "home away from home" is the Cafe at Books and Books, so great people watching. Their portions are large, so again we share an entree. Our all-time favorite is the Cuban pork sandwich with Yuca fries (eat first while they are hot, crispy and tender inside) and mojito dip and a large field greens salad. Another favorite is lamb meatloaf with smash potatoes. They also have a good selection of sandwiches and I think these are available night and day, so you get to eat reasonably. Visit the Art Center on Lincoln Rd at Meridian to see artists open "galleries" and end evening with ice cream or sorbet made fresh at Frieze on 1626 Michigan, just down and off the side of Lincoln. You can also have a drink at Segafredo Cafe.

Have fun, sitting under the stars in January so you can brag about it when you get home and make them envious.

I just added a list of Organic Farmers in Miami/Hollywood area in Chow List. It is frustrating here, I was very spoiled on fresh markets where I grew up in Hong Kong. You could smell each vegetable's distinctive aroma, it was so fresh. I really miss that.

Lucky you. I just got back from a family reunion in Penang, Malaysia and must say I enjoyed the food there much better than Singapore (more commercialized). What I did was Google and found bloggers who live in Penang who gave me suggestions for local places to visit.

I totally agree with your philosophy about eating at mom-and-pop places. If you end up in Malaysia, definitely track down Quai Teow at food stalls. It is one of their signature dishes, it's wide flat rice noodles stir fried with eggs, shrimp, char siu (roast pork) and chives. Very moorish, you can't stop eating it and keep wanting more.

Unfortunately, I've not been to Thailand or Vietnam but hope to soon but there will be tons of food markets and they're always eager to tell you about their foods.

Do give Tiger Beer a try, great with spicy Asian food, it's from Singapore but is widely distributed in Asia. It's a light lager and very delish, won many awards in England where they know a thing or two about beers.

Here's a photo from a Penang fresh market to get you going.

You're right, thin walled cast iron is brittle BUT being lightweight is so much better. You'll get a laugh out of my husband's video on all the mistakes he made when he first started cooking in my wok! He dropped and broke my wok because it had water in it but with cast iron, it is so quick and easy to build up the patina, we just started using a new one and because we use it everyday, it didn't take long.

We submitted this video to youtube and he's had 15,000 views and quite a few chefs have left humorous comments:
http://www.eleanorhoh.com/video-Wok_C...

I must have missed mentioning the cast iron wok I use is lightweight, only 3 pounds and has thin walls. I can hold it in one hand even with food in it! Lodge, Le Creuset and Bodum's cast iron woks are over 10 pounds, look beautiful but make cooking a chore because of all that heavy lifting. I know lots of people who thank me for introducing them to my lightweight, cast iron wok. It has made cooking fun again.

Always happy to talk about the benefits of cast iron pans/woks. Dupont, the manufacturer of non-stick pans warn not use above medium. That's why a lot of people get "soupy" stir frys. You need high heat. So, as long as you're just doing your omelets, it's O.K.

My mother introduced me to using this thin walled, 3 pound wok and I've been thanking her ever since. It's actually quite difficult to find in America, so my students love that I've tracked it down.

I don't understand why you have to keep reseasoning your carbon steel wok? Unless it has gone rusty. A few students mentioned theirs did and also cruddy. The one on Wikipedia looks disgusting. That's the beauty of cast iron, the more you use it, the more patina it builds up and becomes a natural non-stick surface and lasts a lifetime.

I just braise on my gas stovetop, it's perfect because of width and depth of the wok. I've not used my wok in the oven yet but I want to try baking bread using Mark Bittman's recent recipe. Talking about Mark, I wrote to let him know about my setup because it's torture watching his videos when he stir frys using that wood spatula and on that glass electric cooktop. Need 3 essential components for successful stir fry - high heat, good wok and fresh ingredients. He responded that it was a brilliant idea! But, I've not seen him put into practice yet.

Full disclosure, so I don't offend anyone. I teach wok cooking and started selling a preseasoned cast iron wok set because people have so much trouble finding the right wok. Glad to hear you have cast iron pans! Are they the heavy ones? Le creuset is beautiful but heavy. If you're small like me, it's makes cooking a chore to keep lifting up and down on a daily basis.

I am a big believer that you can cut down on all the clutter, the saying, "the French have a pan for every sauce, but the Chinese can carry their whole kitchen under one arm."

Get one medium size pot for soups and stews and then a cast iron wok which can be used for cooking most anything except curries and acidic foods. At least that's what my husband and I do. We have a wonderful setup with an Iwatani, 10,000 btu portable butane gas stove which sits on top of our electric burner (it's useless for wok cooking).