4 Best Woks of 2024, Tested and Reviewed

Woks are believed to have been invented more than 2,000 years ago in China during the Han Dynasty. There are many theories as to why woks were invented and remain so popular today: One is versatility; the wok can perform many cooking techniques using the same ingredients. Another theory is portability and design; in the past, tribal people would use a wok as their only cooking utensil because of its versaility and ability to hold a lot of food at one time. The design of the wok makes it a popular choice as a daily cooking utensil because it cooks food quickly and requires just a small amount of oil.

During testing we found that our favorite woks shared some key characteristics. When it comes to the design of the wok, the long handle shouldn’t be angled too high as it may obstruct a wok lid from fitting properly. We also preferred a wooden rounded handle as it provided the best grip during tossing. If the wok is light enough, a helper handle isn't necessary. Additionally, there shouldn’t be a deep angle where the flat bottom meets the sloping sides as you might hit the corner during stir frying and chip off the seasoning. Finally, we prefer carbon steel for most woks as the material heats up and browns food faster than any other material.

How We Tested

First, we took all woks out of their packaging and looked for a manual or instructions on how to maintain the wok. We washed or seasoned all woks according to package instructions.

Nonstick and stainless steel woks were washed with with soapy warm water. Carbon steel woks were washed under soapy warm water to clean off the “plastic” coating, which protects the wok from rusting during shipping. Afterwards, we dried and seasoned the carbon steel wok by heating it up until it smoked over high heat. Once it was smoking, we turned off the heat and spread a thin layer of neutral oil (like vegetable or grapeseed oil) using a paper towel. We followed instructions to clean cast iron woks with warm water, dry, heat over high heat until smoking (to evaporate more moisture just in case), add 1 teaspoon of neutral oil, spread a thin layer of oil with a paper towel, and heat over high heat until smoking again.

We also measured the diameter of each wok to confirm the size was accurate to the label on the packaging.

Every single wok went through a test of cooking Chicken Teriyaki with stir fried vegetables. We chose Chicken Teriyaki since it involves a sticky teriyaki sauce that would help us determine how nonstick the pans could be, browning chicken, brown mushrooms (for stir fried vegetable), and stir frying bok choy, carrots, and broccoli from raw to keep the crisp but still tender texture.

Nonstick woks only need soapy warm water to clean and dry with a towel. As for carbon steel and cast iron woks, the cleaning is a bit more involved as they require seasoning. When it comes to seasoning a wok, we started by washing the wok in warm water only (no soap as it can remove some of the nonstick coating or patina), dry with a towel, heat over high heat until smoking, add 1 teaspoon neutral oil, spread thin layer of oil using a paper towel only on the inside of the wok, and heat over high heat until smoking again. This protects the wok from rusting over time and creates a thicker nonstick coating.

What To Know Before Buying a Wok

Is a flat bottom or round bottom wok best?

The two different wok bottom designs are flat or round bottom. The flat bottom works well with any stovetop burner rack since it will be stable while cooking. Some flat bottom woks can have a large diameter flat bottom that looks almost like a sauté pan with high sloping sides. Round bottoms will need a wok ring to support the wok on the stovetop.

As for heating, flat bottom woks will have more of a concentrated heat source in the middle (typically the entire flat bottom and some sloping side), while the round bottom will have a larger heat ring that can cook and caramelize more food faster compared to a flat bottom.

The main thing to consider when buying which type of design is whether you need or want to have a wok ring on top of your existing stovetop. If you’ve purchased a flat bottom wok, test it on a cold burner by putting some weight on one side and let go. If the wok leans to the side too much, you may need a wok ring to stabilize the wok so it is safer to cook with.

What's the best wok material?

Early models of the wok were made of cast iron metals, which made them durable and long lasting, but heavy to carry. Modern woks are made from carbon steel, which makes them durable, nonstick, and light to pick up compared to cast iron.

• Carbon steel is a special type of steel with a higher concentration of carbon then other types of steel. It is also very light compared to stainless steel pans. Carbon steel pans, including carbon steel woks, require seasoning as they tend to rust very easily. Carbon steel woks are very popular as they heat up quickly (some up to 700 degrees F), have a natural nonstick coating when seasoned properly, and are light enough to pick up with one hand.
• Stainless steel does take a little longer to heat up compared to carbon steel, but can heat evenly. Since stainless steel pans have an aluminum core that retains heat, they can brown food nicely just like the carbon steel, but it will take longer. Stainless steel does not have a nonstick coating, so it will need more oil compared to carbon steel pans. Stainless steel woks tend to be very heavy, so it will be difficult to toss the food in the air to get the wok hei flavor. We did not find any stainless steel woks to outperform our top picks.
• Nonstick woks are very good for beginners. You can adjust to using the sloping sides of the wok, practice tossing with one (or two) hands since nonstick material tends to be on the lighter side, and best of all, nothing sticks! There are a few restrictions when it comes to using nonstick cookware: Do not cook over high heat, do not let the wok smoke, do not use any metal utensils, and do not shock the pan in cold water after cooking. When working with nonstick woks, we found food took longer to brown, we used less oil than other materials, and nothing stuck to the pan — even sticky sauces.
• Cast iron is a heavy material and you’ll need two hands to pick up a cast iron wok — a helper handle comes in handy here. Cast iron woks have the same characteristics as cast iron pans with a larger surface area to cook food. In a cast iron wok, you can toss very easily using a spatula or wok turner, but the wok will not move due to its weight. The cast iron heats up slowly, but when it’s ready, cooking goes very fast due to superior heat retention. Nothing sticks to the cast iron due to the natural nonstick coating developed through proper seasoning.

A note about handles: Some woks have wooden handles and metal handles. Some of those handles will be round or have angles. We prefer woks with wooden rounded handles to maintain a good grip while holding the wok in one hand, and using the other hand with a spatula to transfer the food onto a plate. We found rounded metal handles slip and it can be dangerous while transferring hot food to a plate.

How to Use a Wok

Toss the wok to acheive wok hei.

In addition to a fun performance for dinner guests, tossing a wok adds an important element in Chinese cooking called wok hei (directly translates to “wok air”). Wok hei refers to the subtle smoky or caramelized flavor that food gets when it’s tossed in a wok and catches some of the smoke from the burner. This is the flavor every Asian family looks for in stir fried dishes they order at a restaurant.

Use a wok over a gas stove or open flame when possible.

Woks are traditionally used on gas stovetops because it can help with the wok hei flavor as the food gets tossed in the air. Gas burners also reach higher up the sides of the wok compared to electric or induction burners. You may be able to use flat-bottomed woks on induction or electric burners, but it will not achieve the same result as cooking over a flame.

Woks can be used for steaming, deep frying and braising meats.

Our tester uses a wok to steam food including dumplings, buns, whole fish and more. When steaming, use a small metal rack (like this steamer rack) and a large wok lid. Fill the wok with water just up the top of the steamer rack, add the wok lid and bring to a boil. (Always place the item you want to steam on a heatproof plate to keep the plate from breaking due to the high heat.) When your food is done steaming, use a pair of tongs and oven mitts to remove it from the wok.

You can also use a wok to deep fry. It requires a bit less oil than deep frying in a Dutch oven. Plus, the oil heats up faster due to the thinner carbon steel material, and thanks to the high sloping sides, it can be a cleaner frying experience.

Our tester's family also uses a wok for stewing lamb, braising pork belly, pan frying whole fish or chicken, boiling dumplings, blanching vegetables, searing a steak, and even smoking a quail. The possibilities are truly endless.

Can a wok be used in the oven?

Woks with wooden handles are not designed to go in the oven. And it is very dangerous to place a round bottom wok in an oven with flat racks. We don't recommend putting any kind of wok in the oven, ever.

3 Cooking Tools You Need for a Wok

Thanks to the versatility of a wok, you’ll need some tools to make the most of it. These are what our tester recommends.

Wok Turner

You will need a spatula to stir fry or move food around in the wok. We recommend this wok turner as a beginner spatula, as it’s easy to maneuver with the wok’s design.

Wok Ladle

You may have seen professional chefs use a ladle as their way of stir frying their food. For many home cooks, it is an adjustment as scooping the food out of the wok is done by picking up the wok with one hand and moving the food with the ladle to a plate or bowl.

Wok Ring

If you purchase a wok with a round bottom, you may need a wok ring to support the pan while cooking.

Related Links:

6 Things You Should Know When You Buy Your First Wok

How to Season a Wok

Jet Tila's 10 Secrets for Cooking with a Wok

25 Best Stir Fry Recipes