Mr. Bar-B-Q Cast-Iron Wok
by MR. BAR-B-Q
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List Price: Our Price: $44.00 Availability: Usually ships in 3-4 business days Category: Kitchen See more product details |
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Kitchen and Housewares Reviews of Mr. Bar-B-Q Cast-Iron Wok
Customer Review: Cast iron woks are better
Summary: 5 Stars
My wife and I love this wok and use it every day. The cast iron is easy to take care of and distributes the heat very well. The feature we really like is the true "wok shape." What I mean is the shape is like a bowl within the wok, but the bottom is flat for resting on our electric stove. (And it sits VERY steadily because of the weight!) This really produces good results with all kinds of stir-frying--no sticking and quickly, evenly cooked dishes.
I have to say that before we were using the Joan Chen carbon steel. I got uncomfortable with the way (even after a year) it kept rusting even when oiled, always leaving a thick residue of oxide on paper towels when we wiped the pan. I figured this was going into our food. The new cast iron wok is just like a cast iron skillet: it really doesn't throw off a lot of oxide when cared for properly.
A few tips: scrub like crazy with good stainless steel or brass before using it the first time, then boil some soapy water in it and repeat. This gets rid of the machine oil used for shipping. (Good instructions are included.)
After the first several uses, rubbing the inside down with oil and then heating the wok in the oven at 350 degrees for 20 minutes will ensure a good start to the seasoning process. From then on, keep the wok from rusting while stored by heating it a little before rubbing it down with oil.
NOTE: I'm ordering another one today, May 3, 2008, for a Chinese friend who had lunch with us and fell in love with the wok. I see other customers have had problems with cracks and figuring out how to remove the shipping oil...I will report back when the new one arrives!
OK! I've now received two of these in great shape (5/6/08). No strange machine oil. Fantastic deal!
Customer Review: Cast-Iron Doesn't Peel
Summary: 1 Stars
Dear Consumer,
I will try to be as unbiased as possible in writing this review to be as fair as possible to Mr. Barb-B-Q.
The wok arrived in one day, which was great. I was impressed by its weight and solid structure. I did however notice a 2x4 inch raised ridge (defect) along the bottom of the inside cooking surface. I thought nothing of it and figured it wouldn't effect the cooking.
As directions said, I applied a thin layer of vegetable oil to the whole pan and baked it for 350 in the oven. I wanted to get another coat on so I used peanut oil this time to help get the desired flavor seasoned into the pan. The second time it came out uneven. After cooking on it and then lightly washing it, I placed it on the stove to dry by heat and applied another coat of oil. This is where everything went wrong.
The inside surface begun to crack, blister up, and peel off. The more and more I tried to gently reseason it, the worse it got until there were actually potholes on the bottom surface revealing bright shiny metal underneath. It is my understanding that cast-iron does not do this. It is my understanding also, that cast iron is very durable and would not crack or peel like this.
When calling Mr. bbq customer service, they assured me that all their woks are made with 100% cast-iron. I am now thinking that their manufacturer in China plaid Chinese joke on me by covering up a defective wok surface with some sort of black polish.
Bottom line is, if you are worried about products that come out of China, I might think twice as I did about getting a replacement from this company. Who knows what type of chemical coating I ingested. At least I only did it once.
Customer Review: Cautiously optimistic
Summary: 4 Stars
Caution: don't buy accessories until you receive the wok. The product description says 16"x16"x5" (soon to be corrected, I am told) . Its actual size is 14.25"x14.25"x4". I bought a lid fit for a 16" wok at the same time and of course it is too big. I am not going to bore you with the exchange and return trouble I had. I am writing off more than $15 on these transactions.
Optimistic: I am keeping the wok! It is a nice cast iron wok. 14.25" round is usable; I wish it is bigger though. I used to use (bigger) cast iron woks in China and I surely miss them. I hope mine doesn't crack like the other reviews say.
Customer Review: Chips
Summary: 1 Stars
Cooked with this about 3 times now the bottom is starting to chip off. I only used a wood spoon when I cooked and used water and a soft sponge to clean it with. Sending it back and getting the one that's 10$ more.Customer Review: Cracked after 3 uses
Summary: 2 Stars
wok quickly cracked after 3 uses (that is counting the seasoning as well) very heavy, made of cheap metal, save yourself the troubles and go with carbon steel woks.