How To Clean And Season A Used Wok (Cleaning A Carbon Steel Wok)

Easy steps to clean a used carbon steel wok. I stripped the surface of my carbon steel wok when I put vinegar in it. Not to worry. In this video, I'll show you how to recondition your wok. It will be better than brand new. A good carbon steel wok should provide you a lifetime of Chinese cooking for you to enjoy.
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[@gayle472]

I was so heartbroken after using vinegar and ruining my brand new carbon steel wok. That you so very much for your help. Bless you.

[@ChineseCookingChannel]

You are so welcome. If anything else comes out, please let me know. A fairly good quality carbon steel wok will survive almost anything. Thanks for viewing my video on How To Clean And Season A Used Wok.

[@PandorasFolly]

From the southern United states and we use a lot of cast iron pans and I found the care is very similar to woks. One trick My grandma taught me is to keep a small jar of concentrated baking soda water next to the stove so when you're ready to clean the pan or if you aren't going to clean it till later toss in some of the bicarbonate soda water and them adds some regular tap water. This is of course to neutralize any acids left by the food that can damage the seasoning. If the pan is going to sit a while she would always add extra water or give it a quick rinse.

[@ChineseCookingChannel]

Thanks for sharing your tips for using baking soda on iron pans. Great to hear your grandma passed along her knowledge to you. Thanks for viewing my video on How To Clean And Season A Used Wok.

[@KeyserTheRedBeard]

magnificent upload Chinese Cooking Channel. I shattered the thumbs up on your video. Continue to keep up the excellent work.

[@ChineseCookingChannel]

Thanks for your kind words. Much appreciated. Thanks for viewing this video on How To Clean And Season A Used Wok. I wish all the best in your cooking adventures.

[@shamikakey2782]

Just tryed this & it worked perfectly.. thank you

[@ChineseCookingChannel]

Great to hear! Always good to have a clean wok. Thanks for viewing my video on How To Clean And Season A Used Wok.

[@corabragado2855]

Thank you for this cleaning a wok video. Now I know how to do it. 🙂

[@ChineseCookingChannel]

Great to hear. Thanks for viewing my video on How To Clean And Season A Wok. Happy cooking with your wok.

[@longfade]

Excellent, thanks so much. Appreciated and subscribed!

[@ChineseCookingChannel]

You're very welcome. Thanks for subscribing. Thanks for viewing my video on How To Clean And Season A Used Wok. Take care and stay safe.

[@adaywithaleks6556]

Thank you so much for your help sir! Appreciated.

[@ChineseCookingChannel]

You're very welcome. Thanks for viewing my video on How To Clean And Season A Used Wok. Take care and stay safe.

[@sasquatchdonut2674]

Ohhh that’s why my wok turned grey. I was cooking kung pao chicken and you of course use the Chinese black vinegar for it. Didn’t think to use my normal skillet lol

[@ChineseCookingChannel]

That happens with me all the time. But no harm done. Thanks for viewing my video on How To Clean And Season A Wok.

[@TheKamakuraGardener]

Great advice 👍🏾👍🏾👍🏾 Thanks 👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾

[@ChineseCookingChannel]

You're very welcome. Thanks for viewing my video on How To Clean A Wok. Your support is much appreciated.

[@k9healthy]

Thanks! Now a subscriber! I am new to carbon steel woks. I have used it for just about a month, but some rust marks appear on the outside bottom of the wok. How do I remove the rust marks? I did not season the outside of the wok. Also, after cooking with this wok, how do I clean it? Can I use dishwashing detergent? Thanks again 😊!

[@ChineseCookingChannel]

Take a paper towel or a cloth towel and put a few drops of cooking oil and rub the rust out. To clean the wok, I use a bamboo brush. You can use a sponge or a soft cleaning pad. Some people never use any kind of soap to clean a wok. Others use a mild liquid soap. Here's a link to of my video on How To Clean A Wok: kzbin.info/www/bejne/gHOkgp5rgdtlbbM Thanks for checking out my video.

[@mariodavia9403]

Liled your video A little more detail please Was the heat high? Was heat on when scrubbing with salt? Was heat on when using oil?

[@ChineseCookingChannel]

Thanks for the reminder. Usually I go medium, to high setting for the heat. I shut off the heat when scrubbing the salt. I forgot to mention to turn on the heat to at least medium to high when using the oil. Since this wok is not new and just needed re-seasoning I generally don't need to turn it on to super high heat. Thanks for your questions. It helps me to remember the details for the next video.

[@beverlyfitzgerald7675]

@chinesecookingchannel Dan Seto: Since I’m stuck having to cook on and season cast Iron cookware and all my carbon steel woks, when my first wok arrived (Yosukata 11.8 inch), I had no way to season it by tempering the steel over a high gas flame. Had to just do the stovetop aromatics discard and cook with it (since late last January). Even though I carefully and faithfully do after-every-use wok care, this excellent quality wok still lacks the stability that the initial tempering creates by heating that wok to about 700° F. (turning that steel blue). Since you are actually a NEIGHBOUR, living in the lower mainland of B. C., my guess, probably in Richmond, I’d be happy to show you if you happen to drive South the the city of Lynden, the beautiful seasoning results after I tempered my newest, a 14 inch, carbon steel flat bottom, hollow handle Pow wok (3 days ago). Followed that with the three separate aromatics discard ancient Asian seasoning method. After that, did 3 separate oven seasoning layers with the ultimate 550° F. Results: a beautiful, polymerized patina. Back to the Yosukata issue: tomorrow, will strip the seasoning with vinegar and baking soda, wash, towel and stovetop dry. Then, will wait until I can take it to my friend’s house to properly temper the steel on his gas stove. It only took me 1/2 hour to do the Pow wok. Then let it cool completely and finish the rest of the process at home. Thanks for your excellent video.

[@ChineseCookingChannel]

The oven method of season is very good. I've heard some good things about the oven method and some wok brands actually recommend the oven method to season a wok. You're right about using a gas stove for the initial seasoning. I seasoned 2 new woks using a a portable gas stove. Those videos are posted on this KZbin channel and my other KZbin channel under "Dan Seto". The results with the portable stove was o.k. but not as good as using a high power propane stove. Later on I did take my 2 woks and seasoned them again on a high powered gas stove in a commercial kitchen. I'll be posting those videos at some point. I got a free old and rusty carbon steel wok from Craigslist .a few years ago. After cleaning off the rust on the wok, I will be seasoning the wok in my oven this time. How long did you put your wok in the oven each time? Thanks for sharing your experiences seasoning your woks. Your tips are very beneficial to me. Much appreciated.

[@beverlyfitzgerald7675]

@@ChineseCookingChannel Nearly forgot, if you happen to shop at the Bellingham Washington COSTCO store, they have the best price on Scott Blue Paper SHOP towels. Package of 10 rolls for $19.99 on line but maybe less In Store. I haven’t bought them for a long time, paid $14.95/package, In Store. By the way, Recently bought a 15,000 btu butane gas burner but am waiting for the foldable metal mesh top table to set it on so I can cook when the electric power shuts down.

[@ChineseCookingChannel]

@@beverlyfitzgerald7675 Great to hear you're bought a butane gas burner. It should be good to do some nice Chinese cooking., especially stir fry. I was going to buy one last summer but I should try and buy for this summer.. Thanks for the tip about the paper towels. I'll see if they have them at our Costco up here.

[@janezaspa9802]

What is that brown stain on the paper? Is it a rust? Every time i cleaned my seasoned wok after drying i applied oil but still there is a brown stain on the paper towel.

[@ChineseCookingChannel]

Sometimes it can be rust if you have not oiled your wok after every use. A lot of times it the burned bits on the surface of the wok. It's common when you cook with a carbon steel wok. It will be less of this when you cook more with the wok. Thanks for viewing my video on Cleaning A Carbon Steel Wok.

[@user-rb1xv7iw2c]

is there anyway to do this without having soo much smoke in the house? my mom doesnt let me season my wok if theres a lot of smoke she said ppl thought our house was on fire any tips?

[@ChineseCookingChannel]

Maybe don't turn on the heat too high when you are pre-heating your wok. Shut off the heat when you are scrubbing the wok. Alos, I have a portable stove which I use outdoors. Thanks for viewing my video on How To Clean And Season A Wok.

[@user-rb1xv7iw2c]

@@ChineseCookingChannel thanks for replying also my new work is black it doesn't have any label so I don't if it has non stick coating or not do you know how to spot the differences?

[@h9ooo]

@@user-rb1xv7iw2c If its black its prolly already pre seasoned or have a non stick layer

[@BaileyJacksonTaylor]

So I seasoned my wok today but the black coating started to peel off...have I done something wrong? I read that I overcooked my seasoning? Is that true and how can I fix it please? It has about 4 table spoon size pieces off the wok that now shows the silver carbon steel instead of the black coating

[@ChineseCookingChannel]

The seasoning that I do is for a carbon steel wok. It might be that the coating is some other material. I have heard of, but haven't seen, woks that supposedly have a carbon steel coating over some other kind of metal. The process usually starts with silver color and after seasoning, it become brown and then eventually become black. Check out some of my other videos under "Seasoning A New Wok" in this channel and in my other channel, under Dan Seto, to see example. If you can email me a picture of your wok now, I might be able to tell you what kind of wok you have. If it's misleading information, you might be able to get a refund.

[@BaileyJacksonTaylor]

Chinese Cooking Channel oh no so it is a carbon steel wok and I put it through the whole process of washing the manufacturing oils off it first then heating it at high heat so the steel turns “blue” and then I rubbed some avocado oil around and inside the wok and heated it again so it started to smoke and then form a brownish colour cause the oil was making a non stick coating over the wok and I repeated a few more times over etc.... I did some more research after I sent you the previous message and I found that I may have just over “cooked” the seasoning . So instead of leaving it a brownish colour I thought it was meant to be black straight up after you season it so I let it sit on the stove for AGES 😅 until it turned black...then it stared to flake off....I am going to use it today so I will see how it goes. I’ll get back to you about it soon :) I don’t mind emailing you, but maybe it will be good for people to see the comments on here that they may be able to refer to for answers?

[@BeyondTheMind007]

my wok is smothered in rust. Could i use a grinder/sander to sand all the rust off, and return it back to the normal metal colour, the rust is pretty bad

[@ChineseCookingChannel]

I'll be doing a video on restoring a wok that has lots of rust on it. I got the wok for free on Craig's List but I haven't gotten round to restoring it. Hopefully I will be doing the video soon. In the meantime, I can explain to you how to restore your wok. I am assuming you have a carbon steel wok. First, sprinkle the wok with "Dutch Cleanser" or a similar type of cleaner, such as "Bar Keep". Add a little water and scrub out the rust and any build-up on the wok, using steel wool or similar scrubber. Rinse the wok with water and repeat several times if necessary. You can do the same cleaning process on the outside of the wok as well. I like to use dish washing liquid to do the final cleaning. Then heat up the wok on the bottom and all the sides. Add 2 to 3 tablespoons of cooking oil and using tongs and paper towel, spreading the oil over the entire inside surface of the wok. Do this process 2 to 3 times. The outside of the wok does not need oiling. Stir fry some chopped onions and/or green onions to help reseal the wok. Discard the onions and/or green onions. You can also grill some fatty meat, such as pork betty, to help seal the wok. Check out my video on How To Season A New Wok. After the cleaning process with the steel wool, the rest of the video is the same process. If you have any questions, please let me know. Thanks for viewing my video on How To Clean And Season A Wok.

[@BeyondTheMind007]

@@ChineseCookingChannel Oh that's awesome, if you could let me know once done, that would be stupendous

[@richards2072]

Some Chinese recipes call for some vinegar to be added. Is that ok because there's already food in the wok?

[@ChineseCookingChannel]

It's probably not a big deal if you have food in the wok and you add vinegar. It will strip som of the wok where the vinegar made contact, but after a few times cooking you won't even notice where the vinegar made contact. Thanks for viewing my video on Cleaning A Wok.

[@yorganyog]

I used metal tool in my iron wok. I season etc at first. It seems scratched in some parts. Should I worry about?

[@ChineseCookingChannel]

I'm not sure about iron woks but with a carbon steel wok, the scratches will eventually fill in after awhile. When you clean and season a wok like in this video, it helps to speed up the process. Thanks for viewing my Seasoning A Wok. Good luck with your wok.

[@yorganyog]

@@ChineseCookingChannel thank you so much for the attention. Best regards.

[@BeccaL2016]

i got a new wok and seasoning it, but some black pieces came off , why is that?

[@ChineseCookingChannel]

The black pieces is food, water and juices burnt on the surface. That is normal. It will be sticky and rough on the surface for awhile. Just continue to cooking with your wok. Only use the salt to remove the burnt pieces when there is a lot of burnt pieces. After awhile, you don't need to use the salt that often. Eventually your wok will develop a hard black surface. I use my woks everyday, so it speeds up this process. If you have any more questions, please let me know. I also have other videos on wok cleaning, so if you get a chance, check them out. Thanks for viewing my video on How To Clean And Season A Used Wok.

[@rdelino]

Can you recommend a good carbon steel wok brand or will any do? Ideal size?

[@ChineseCookingChannel]

My wok is a "Dexam" brand. It's similar to the "Joyce Chen" brand on Amazon. If you live near a chinatown or Asian supermarket, you can find good but inexpensive carbon steel woks. I have a 10 inch wok and a 14 inch wok. The 10 inch wok is only good for cooking for 1 or 2 persons. The 14 inch wok is heavy but has lots of room for cooking. I would probably buy a 12 inch wok because it's easier to flip and large enough for everyday cooking. Thanks for viewing my video on How To Clean A Carbon Steel Wok.

[@beverlyfitzgerald7675]

@@ChineseCookingChannel The best choice for currently made carbon steel woks is by YOSUKATA. The ones to avoid: Craft, Mamafong, Joyce Chen, Made In (all of these performed badly in a recent test review report done by Chef J. Kenji Lopez Alt and Tim Chin of Serious Eats. Another excellent choice are the USA Made carbon steel woks from the Wok Shop of San Francisco Chinatown. I have 2 of their woks, purchased in March and April 2023. Excellent quality woks but be prepared, the shop and their team is very small and they’re over burdened with more orders than are manageable with a store that’s always jam packed with customers 7/7 days. The Pow hollow handle wok is in extremely high demand and is ALWAYS out of stock. Many times, orders for that model end up getting lost in the shuffle. It took me 3 months and two tries to finally buy and receive delivery on that pow wok. Their woks are made in their shop, on a steel lathe. They’re “spun” woks, that creates a fine line circular pattern on the walls of the wok. Hammered flat bottom woks are not appropriate for some electric burner stoves and never for induction stoves because it’s next to impossible for them to remain completely flat. Good luck.

[@mooran227]

What should I do when rust appear in the bottom of the wok? I washed it and and some parts didn’t get wiped dry the next day it has rust. Should I re-season it like how you did in this video?

[@ChineseCookingChannel]

I just take napkin and put a little cooking oil (1 tablespoon) and rub out the rust. Just out of habit, I rub a little cooking oil on the surface of ther wok every time I cook with it. This way, if you go days without using your wok, it will be well oiled and rust free. Thanks for viewing my video on How To Clean And Season A Wok.

[@chefsoni7524]

I had frying pan and removed coating by soaking in vinegar as I find coating a nuisance. Then I season it. Now its great. Can same be done to wok??

[@ChineseCookingChannel]

I have cooked recipes using vinegar and it strips off the vinegar. But I reseason it easily. So if your wok is a carbon steel wok, it should be o.k. Tha nks for viewing my video on How To Clean And Season A Used Wok. Take care and stay safe.

[@chopin65]

The same thing happens in Italian cooking. The acidity in tomatoes destroyes seasoning in carbon steel pans and cast iron cookware. Like you say, it's not the end of the world.

[@ChineseCookingChannel]

Yes, something to keep in mind, but easy to correct. Thanks for viewing my video on How To Clean And Season A Used Wok.

[@theozuretti6091]

I have a carbon steel wok. Today I accidentally left it in the water with detergent, and the black grease at the bottom came off so we can see the white steel now. Also there are scratches on the sides. What should I do to make the whole wok black again ?

[@ChineseCookingChannel]

Nothing to worry about. Follow the procedure on this video, but you can skip the rubbing the salt if you like. Just keep cooking with your wok and the black surface will gradually form again. Put a thin coat of cooking oil every time you use your wok. Check out some of my other wok cleaning and seasoning videos on my other channel, under "Dan Seto" for more ideas. Thanks for viewing my video on How To Clean And Season A Used Wok. If you have any more questions, please let me know.

[@jonniethursday9921]

why is there a brown stain on the paper towel after you oil the pan?

[@ChineseCookingChannel]

It's the burned bits that is on the surface of the wok. It's common with a carbon steel wok. After you use your wok for a long time, there should be less of it. Thanks for viewing my video on How To Clean And Season A Wok.

[@user-vt9wy1zb7z]

Hello, is the process of greasing a frying pan once a month ???

[@ChineseCookingChannel]

The whole process in this video is done whenever you need to. I only do it about once every 3 months. Put oil on the wok after every time you use it to keep the wok from rusting. Thwaqnks for viewing my video on How To Clean And Season A Used Wok.

[@user-vj2gw4ze7o]

What about the outside of the wok. Do we need to re-season it too?

[@ChineseCookingChannel]

You can re-season the outside of the wok if you like. I generally don't, except take a small amount of cooking oil to rub out any rust spots with a napkin. Thanks for viewing my video on How To Clean And Season A Used Wok.

[@ronsimonegoyena2431]

What do I do when my oil layering in my wok is peeling off when I cook? Now theres a big mark in my wok without seasoning

[@ChineseCookingChannel]

If you have a carbon steel wok, then the peeling is no problem. Even if it looks blotchy, it'ds still o.k. It takes awhile for the surface to solidify. Just keep on cooking and the surface will get better over time. Thanks for viewing my video on How To Clean And Season A Wok.

[@ronsimonegoyena2431]

Thats great. I was worried cause it my first time to have a wok

[@jerrodc85]

0:40 what kind of oil?? Haha

[@ChineseCookingChannel]

Haha. It sounds like what you think I said but I don't know if I said that. But it sure sounds like it. I'm sure no one would know where to buy that kind of oil Haha. Thanks for pointing it out to me. I played it about 6 times and had a good laugh. Thanks for viewing my video on How To Clean And Season A Used Wok.