How to Season a Wok: 9 Steps for Seasoning a New Wok

A wok is a round-bottomed cooking vessel from China. Many Chinese dishes call for wok cooking, like stir-fry recipes and fried rice, as well as anything requiring deep frying. Wok cooking uses specific tools, like a wok spatula (chan) and a ladle (biāo). Many wok pans have a wooden handle, which allows you to easily maneuver the pan and toss ingredients as you cook. A carbon-steel wok and a cast-iron wok are the most common, but there are also aluminum or stainless-steel woks with non-stick coatings. A non-stick wok doesn’t necessitate a traditional seasoning process.

Seasoning a new wok is much the same as seasoning a cast-iron pan. The main reason for seasoning a wok is to create a naturally non-stick surface. For cast-iron skillets or carbon steel woks (not stainless steel), the seasoning process creates a patina, which protects the inside of the pan. It prevents rust and corrosion and ultimately improves the non-stick capabilities of the wok each time you cook food in oil in the wok.

Seasoning a new wok for the first time is a crucial step to take before cooking anything. Here are the steps for seasoning a wok on the stovetop:

1. 1. Clean the wok. Follow the manufacturer's instructions for cleaning the wok. Some are dishwasher-safe, but you should hand-wash the wok with soapy water to remove any residues or factory oil on its surface. Dry the wok completely.
2. 2. Preheat the wok. Place the wok on a gas stove over high heat and heat the wok. This step causes smoke, so take proper precautions like opening windows and turning on the exhaust fan. Move the wok around the burner so the flame hits all the sides of the wok and not just the bottom of the wok. The wok changes color when you expose it to heat.
3. 3. Do the water test. To test if the wok has become hot enough, splash a few drops of water into the wok. If the water evaporates immediately, the wok is ready. If it doesn’t, continue to heat the wok and repeat the water test as necessary.
4. 4. Let the wok cool. After a successful water test, remove the wok from the heat, turn the heat off, and wait until the wok is cool enough for you to touch.
5. 5. Coat the wok with oil. Once the wok is cool enough to touch, add oil to a paper towel or soft kitchen towel and rub a thin layer of oil onto the inside and outside of the wok. Use a cooking oil with a high smoke point (oils that can withstand high temperatures of 450 degrees Fahrenheit or greater), like peanut oil, canola oil, grapeseed oil, or vegetable oil.
6. 6. Reheat the wok. Place the oiled wok back on the burner over medium-high heat until that part of the wok stops smoking. Move the wok all around the burner to make sure all parts of the wok get to a smoking point and then stop smoking. The surface takes on a matte finish and dark color when you’ve properly seasoned it.
7. 7. Rinse the wok. Using hot water, rinse the wok and use a wok brush. This cleans the wok without removing any of the seasoning.
8. 8. Return the wok to the stovetop. Over high heat, place the wok back on the stove to remove any remaining water particles from the rinsing process.
9. 9. Store or re-season. The wok is ready to use at this point, but you can also repeat the above steps one to two more times if you want to achieve a stronger protective coating and a better non-stick surface.

A seasoned wok is a somewhat delicate piece of cookware with a few important care instructions. To care for a carbon-steel wok or cast-iron wok, follow these tips:

• Avoid soap. When cleaning the wok, avoid using dish soap or any other sudsy material. Soap removes the desirable patina, which could have been building up over a span of years in the case of an older wok.
• Cook regularly in the wok. Load up a weekly meal plan with Asian dishes like stir-fries, scallion noodles, or orange chicken to regularly season the pan. Each time you add oil to the pan and heat it up, this re-seasons the wok.
• Dry the wok completely. After rinsing the wok to clean it, make sure to dry it thoroughly. Use a clean and dry kitchen towel or place the wok on the stovetop over medium heat or high heat to cause any remaining water to evaporate.
• Opt for soft sponges. If there are bits of food stuck to the wok, briefly submerge the wok in boiling water, then remove the wok from the hot water and use a soft sponge on it. Abrasive sponges, like scouring pads or a steel scrubber, will scratch the wok and break through the layer of patina and seasoning that has built up over time. That buildup protects the wok and prevents food from sticking.
• Use proper wok tools. There are specific cooking tools you should use with a wok that are less angular than other metal cooking tools (which tend to scratch the patina). Wooden tools are also a good idea, as they won’t scratch the wok’s surface even if they do have sharper edges.

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