How to clean a carbon steel wok

[@jordanrempel8401]

I watched a video on how to clean a wok and I don’t even own one

[@NeverBrokeeAgain]

Same😂

[@mfranck1]

You’re storing information.

[@johntazbaz1121]

Same

[@prepperdan]

Get wok

[@justacouplapaninis4986]

"Rub it out," got it!

[@bug_god]

turns out ive been doing it correctly all my life and i dont even own a wok.

[@tatersalad76]

​@@CTB1993 You need to remember to have something like a paper towel to get the excess stuff off

[@rlwalker2]

I pretty much use the same approach on my cast iron cookware. I leave as little oil on the cookware as possible. I haven't seasoned anything from scratch in years. The first time took 3 or so coats and that was it.

[@nikosfilipino]

Super late to the clip but one thing to note: If you're using peanut oil and you're worried about feeding a guest a potential allergen soap down your wok. it sounds stupid to even have to point that out i know but if there's one thing i remember from FOH at Panda Express it's that woks are clean this way but not to the point of being free of potential food allergens. I had lots of guests i had to explain to that none of the food was allergen-free or whatever, excluding the info that the woks weren't washed with soap in between use

[@thilohettmer861]

Good point, never thought of that. Will keep this in mind and ask guests before I use the wok

[@minghanphotography1838]

Follow most of these steps so thanks for confirming Kenji! I have a bamboo brush but really only use it if there's stuck on food bits. Otherwise, I use the scrubby side of a sponge with no soap added on. I might use Dawn dish soap once in a blue moon when I want to clean it out. Then, I heat the wok on high until all the water is evaporated. Sometimes, when I have no patience, I'll use a paper towel and dry out manually, and then move the sides of the wok around the fire to dry faster. Then, a little bit of peanut oil and rub around the inside. Then, another towel to rub the oil out. What I find interesting is that I can usually see a bit of smoke when I am doing this with my carbon steel pans, but not with my carbon steel wok.

[@CaptainBrash]

Holy hell, wish my season looked like that!

[@zsxking]

How do you store that bamboo brush? That thing is huge.

[@arnoldhey6515]

Your dog is so cute

[@mimicranch]

I admire the restraint in not making a Karate Kid reference

[@Lagittaja]

I do basically the same with my cast iron skillet. Though most often I rinse it when it still has some heat left in it, to get rid of any possible crusty bits. And then back on top of my electric stove to dry, the stove stays warm or even hot for fairly long due to the cast iron top. As far as oiling goes, after three years of use I don't really feel the need to oil it after every use. If you use cast iron/carbon steel cookware often enough or don't live in a crazy humid environment, I don't see a reason to oil it after use. You're still going to apply oil before using it and if you're not using soap when rinsing then you're not going to remove 100% of the oil from the surface. Drying it however is the most important thing.

[@MauiWowieOwie]

if it's been seasoned properly you absolutely do not need to oil it after every use. drying it is the most important part though, yes.

[@jenniferr3215]

Hi, for those of who messed up, could you share how to reseason a wok?

[@fifaisscripted]

Might be a bit late, but first, you basically have to burn it until the entire old nasty crust is gone. You can help the process by scrubbing it with steel wool and soap first. Then, when all layers are off, reheat it and apply multiple layers of oil until it is black and shiny again

[@jokay3732]

I got a metal mesh cleaning tool for my cast iron, can I use that on my wok or will that strip the wok too much?

[@AdamDempsey]

My pet peeve on cooking videos is not saying what kind of oil they are using.

[@fosterwaxman7120]

Neutral oil: anything like canola or grape-seed or anything with a high burning temp

[@OmniversalInsect]

Because it almost never matters.

[@BeLoud13]

@@OmniversalInsect Well, there exist oils with low smoking temperatures, which one would not use here, I imagine.

[@rdzy123]

Thank you

[@eddt6528]

What kind of oil

[@ashku27]

Good to see I'm doing it correctly

[@paramwaran8071]

Kenji, do you have a recommendation for a wok to buy? It would help. Your Serious Eats reco is really old and so is the Typhoon from Target!

[@nunyabidnes6010]

Joyce Chen. 14 inch. Carbon steel. Definitely no Teflon or other non stick coating 🙅

[@paramwaran8071]

@@nunyabidnes6010 Thanks.

[@paramwaran8071]

This was the Serious Eats recommendation of Kenji, but it is many years old. Is it still his recommendation?

[@TheMikeszone]

Hi Kenji, recently I've read your Food Lab book and was convinced to buy a wok, and from what I see this is exactly type what I need. Could you share what wok you are using?

[@emileoperalta121]

He said on Instagram that he bought that wok in 1999 from target. So I don’t think you’ll be able to find it.

[@jimmyquck]

do you heat it back up after applying the oil for another layer of seasoning?

[@gwenstacysmom]

Kenji, would a cotton towel be a suitable alternative to using paper towels?

[@magnusekberg6061]

@JKenjiLopezAlt can you tell me how you treat your wooden spoons?

[@Woodshadow]

Excellent. That’s the video I was looking for. But isn’t the wok still dirty? I feel like the paper towel would be dirty if I tried to wipe out the water that was in the wok with it

[@KurosakiYukigo]

A properly seasoned wok is completely nonstick, if you brush it out _nothing_ should be staying behind. The thin layer of oil is just there to keep its coating for next time.

[@mrentity2210]

I find paper towels leave all kinds of fibers behind that then get baked into the coating

[@rahhmennoodles338]

Yeah same. I dunno what to use instead though. What do you use?

[@subcatboy]

thanks kenj

[@gersonmolina7141]

Hey man been watching you since I was 15 I'm 21 now thanks for all the videos over the years

[@Uncmongus]

When do you take it Poland? THANK YOU VERY MUCH GOODNIGHT EVERYBODY!!

[@Rolegend504]

What was that lil device you ised to lite the burner

[@ibkristykat]

How do i tell if my wok is nonstick or carbon steel? Mine got a small fire in it when i added the oil at a VERY HIGH temp, and it does that RUSTING when wet and laid against something else. It's fine not laying on something else though. So it gunks up and doesn't go "nonstick" like a seasoned wok bc... well i never seasoned it. So i use a plastic scrubber with soap and sometimes use a steel wool to GENTLY scrub at the stuck food... bc i think legit it's carbon steel and food sticks. I thought i had a feeling something was wrong 😅😅😅... sighhhh 😢 now i gotta somehow start over

[@JKenjiLopezAlt]

Sounds like carbon steel. You don’t need to do anything special to season it. Just cook with it. It’s OK to scrub it. Don’t leave it out wet, heat it and run oil into it after each use.

[@ibkristykat]

@@JKenjiLopezAlt thank you!! It let it air dry. Think I'm gonna stop doing that at least and do it like you said on the stove to dry and a bit of oil to coat it.

[@slofty]

Maestro, what igniter are you using there?

[@macce223]

Can you do this with normal pans?

[@4tCa4mzUPqRZZo]

So won't the oil not polymerize since it was only on the heat for a few seconds?

[@JKenjiLopezAlt]

It won’t polymerize, no. But woks don’t build up thick seasoning like western pans do.

[@4tCa4mzUPqRZZo]

@@JKenjiLopezAlt gotcha, thanks!

[@alanpatrick7465]

Does this work on cast iron?

[@kizhax]

I usually don't every time either

[@gont183]

Anyone know what kind of wok he uses? Looking to get one after my upcoming move.

[@anthonyv2464]

He promotes the Joyce Chen carbon steel woks. Iirc this specific wok he bought from a target or something

[@khu7379]

where did he get his wok from?

[@michaelrutherford821]

Have you had any experience with induction wok burners?

[@David_Bruton]

He mentions it in his Wok book. Mostly the same as gas. Just break the stir fry up into even smaller batches

[@KK-oy6he]

What is best way, if possible, to save a rusty wok?

[@TheWhiteDragon3]

Take a scotch brite pad and sand all the rust off. Re-season. Simple, just time consuming

[@ThatsMrGat]

How do I clean my bamboo brush? @JKenjiLopezAlt

[@zestinii]

The only thing dangerous in my kitchen is my mom

[@alancaldelas]

What about a cast iron

[@lc9991x]

How do you store your wok (and carbon steel/cast iron) to keep it from greasing up anything it touches? Do you hang all of your seasoned pans from the wall?

[@aristidesalt9268]

That would be best, I just have a dedicated kitchen towels where it rests

[@Sumanitu]

It shouldn't be greasy if you re-season correctly. Use a tiny bit of oil. Wipe the oil up like you're trying to get ALL of it off. The whole point is just to fill in any microscopic divots in the surface of the seasoning so you have a smooth surface Then heat up the pan/wok til the oil is just shy of smoking. Once its cool to the touch it shouldn't be greasy and you can store it wherever

[@nicholin02]

how do i wash the bamboo brush?

[@pinkeangst]

With the wok

[@CelestialLites]

Another bamboo brush

[@BellanGracie]

I try removing as much I can under running water, but if it’s still dirty or greasy, I dissolve a tiny bit of Dawn in a glass of water and put the bamboo brush tines down into the glass and let it soak for about 15 minutes, then rinse it off and let it air dry. It’s not perfect, but it gets a lot of the grease/oil off.

[@patrickkelly5004]

Outstanding! I recently bought a carbon steel wok for my Chinese wife for her birthday, and included the bamboo cleaning tool.

[@wg7297]

what if anything is stuck to it?

[@GeezNutz]

Then you didn't season it enough in the first place. Scrub it out and re-season it a few times.

[@farisalhusain7079]

@@GeezNutz No need to burn it

[@orellaminx3530]

No way that got hot enough to not end up sticky to the touch.

[@plus1truth]

LOL You are more Asian than me

[@plincly]

“Rub it out”, I’ve been cleaning my wok for years and didn’t even know it…

[@bigredracecar27]

DM me, I will show you how to rub it out properly

[@fillintheblankstare]

What about all the soot on the bottom of the wok?

[@fillintheblankstare]

Well I eventually answered my own question, my gas mixture was bad, and I had a very yellow flame which caused the soot. Got my flame nice and blue, no more soot!

[@facts_people-n]

Samsung stove?

[@BatPotatoes]

Basically cast iron care. I don't do the last oiling, it's just going to bead up on the pre-heat the next time you use it, one more thing to worry about while you're prepping. My home isn't humid enough to cause surface rust on my seasoned cookware even after months

[@cmcsdf]

Have you experimented oiling it after heating off the moisture and letting it cool completely? My carbon steel stays super sticky and oily if I oil while hot

[@00bsdude]

I had that happen, turns out I was leaving too much oil in. Reeeeeeallly get in there with the paper towels, nothing should be left cuz the coating your leaving should essentially dry in the heat with how thin you should leave it. It will feel weird, but I promise, try it

[@gedachtnis6274]

It's dirty and black with oxidized and polymerized oil.

[@David-we5nr]

Why does kenji use a lighter

[@philipp594]

How do you keep the brush clean?

[@TonyApuzzo]

you rub a wok on it

[@philipp594]

@@TonyApuzzo Doesn't work so well, over time oil and other stuff sticks to it.

[@potapotapotapotapotapota]

I just have a sponge

[@mfranck1]

Crust on the bottom

[@xZOOMARx]

after cooking with a wok i always rub one out

[@88feji]

But without soap detergent, won;t there be microscopic food remaining and will start growing mould ?

[@Smallpriest]

Wait that's it? That's so simple

[@gale212]

Looks like a basic cast iron routine

[@alexfaulk6683]

It’s an Asian cast iron skillet

[@eatlikealocal]

Carbon Steel, not Cast Iron.

[@kirksulu]

Is this a nitride carbon wok?

[@SpoilerAlert__]

Kenji must own stocks in woks

[@kontaa]

Wonks

[@masterexoticstarantulas7570]

I see them feet

[@cannedpineapple2702]

What do I do if after I seasoned my wok the first thing I did was make eggs? It's all rough on the bottom now :(

[@qsdfcvgyjmkl]

If eggs stuck to your wok it means either it wasn't hot enough before you put it in or your seasoning didn't fully polymerize during the seasoning process. If it's all rough, I think it's probably the latter, as a well-seasoned wok will still be smooth even if it was cooked on a low heat. You should probably try to scrub all the roughness off and re-season the wok, this time making sure that it's only a very thin layer of oil and that your wok is hot enough during the process.

[@MisogynyMan]

I just whack it with a hammer and the dirt comes off

[@MylesMarrero]

Same process for a cast iron skillet?

[@johnmartinez7440]

But...why?

[@panero718]

Why is your toe painted red bro ? 🧐 your left foot has one painted to nail ! Thanks for the advice on how to clean the Wok 😒

[@The_Drumple]

so just like an iron skillet

[@lizardman1303]

That expensive looking stove needs a lighter to start

[@ColtKiller818]

How to clean a kok

[@antoniobrown8726]

Hell soon as you finish just run in it

[@Driverstone]

You noticed you just wasted. A ton of water

[@Wishuponapancake]

.0000000001% of the amount just nestle wastes, but go off queen