Helen Chen’s Asian Kitchen Carbon Steel 14-Inch Wok with Bamboo Handles
Helen Chen’s Asian Kitchen Carbon Steel 14-Inch Wok with Bamboo Handles
Part of the Carbon Steel Wok Series by Helen’s Asian Kitchen the 14 inch Carbon Steel Wok with two-tone bamboo handle is a heavy weight at 1.8 mm of carbon steel. It is made for use on gas or electric burners and the pan’s heavy weight carbon steel body is designed for rapid, even heating and cooling ¿ a must for any stir-fry. Its generous size will enable you to make delicious Asian meals for your entire family. These heavy weight carbon steel pans will render superior cooking performance. This pan is perfect for creating such authentic Asian-style recipes as curried shrimp with lemon rice and Szechwan beef stir-fry. This pan features two-tone bamboo grip and helper handles. These bamboo handles are designed to be heat-resistant on the stovetop, so you can easily remove the pan from the burner without using potholders. Has a loop on the handle for easy hanging storage.Handsome, rugged, and classic in composition, this Asian Kitchen wok is an ideal tool for the high-heat searing and stir-frying called for in Eastern cooking. Created by Helen Chen, daughter of renowned Chinese chef Joyce Chen, the pan is made of durable 1.8 mm carbon steel. Substantial in weight and construction, it will gradually season to create an optimum cooking surface for veggies, seafood, and meat. Generous in size, the piece is a quick conductor and includes dual two-tone bamboo handles for comfortable, heat-resistant control. Flat-bottomed for use with gas, electric, and induction stovetops, the pan measures 14 inches in diameter and should be washed by hand for best results. A version with wooden handles is also available. –Emily Bedard
User Ratings and Reviews
5 Stars Very Nice Wok!
I purchased this wok about 1 month ago. I spent some time researching woks before I made the purchase, including going to stores to look at them, and reading reviews on the internet. I ended up choosing this one and am very happy with my selection. I like the fact that it has bamboo handles and thick carbon steel. It is also well made.
I looked at woks at stores and found that most of them were poorly made. At one box store there was one for about $20. It looked okay, but upon inspection, the metal was thin and the handles were not made well.
I also went to a cooking store only to find poor quality too. The wok I looked at was about $39. Very thin material.
I will agree with one cooking expert who said not to buy an expensive wok. You can spend up to $100 on one, but you don’t need one that expensive. In fact, a good carbon steel wok with decent thickness should cost you about $20 to $30. I got mine for a little over $22.
This wok is about the thickest one you can buy on the market. 1.8mm. I think Helen Chen sells another one that is 2mm thick too. The thickness of this one is just perfect. Compared to others I looked at, this one doesn’t flex when you pick it up.
As far as seasoning the wok. Use a gas stove. An electric stove doesn’t get hot enough. I initially used my electric stove, but was not satisfied with the glaze, so I got my white gas Coleman camping stove out. It worked just perfect! The electric stove works fine for cooking though.
If you have an electric stove, like I do, and need to season your wok, go to a friend’s home that has a gas stove, or use a camping stove like I did. Open all the windows, it does get quite smokey and the smoke will set off the smoke alarm.
In conclusion, I recommend this wok. If you like stir fry like I do, you will be very satisfied with your purchase.
Thanks for reading my review.
5 Stars Perfect
I did a lot of research on different wok’s and I am glad I chose this one. The width of the carbon steel is not thin like most of other woks which means it has some weight to it. It was easy to season and has been a pleasure to cook on. The handles do warm up but it’s nothing unmanageable. I’m very glad I invested in this wok.
2 Stars Missing Instructions
The wok itself is a beauty and is comes nicely packaged. The frustration is there were no instructions as promised as to the way one should season the wok. The cardboard insert was useless, so I mailed the Chen organization on April 1 upon receipt of the wok:
“Just received your beautiful 14-inch Wok with Bamboo Handles thru Amazon order ID 002-4096593-267xxxx
The cardboard cover states that ‘Full Use and Care Instructions are printed on reverse side’.
There are no instructions.
Kindly email the instructions for seasoning, etc.’
This is the April 6 and I’ve heard nothing. Found generic seasoning instructions for this type of wok and used those and have no idea if I did it right.
5 Stars Helen Chen Wok
I purchased a wok for my sister for Christmass. I purchased a non-stick coated wok. After receiving the wok my sister went on the net to see reviews of several woks. She decided not to keep the wok I bought because of cancer reports due to TEFLON coatings. After reviewing many woks on AMAZON, I decided on the wok by Helen Chen. After receiving it both of us were very satisfied with the quality of the product. Being the first wok we ever seasoned, we got it wright on the second try. It works great on a flat top electric stove.
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