Staub 40509-898-0 Cast Iron Wok, including Glass Lid and Removable Grid Insert, Suitable for induction, Ø 37 cm, 5.7 L, Cherry Red

First a little background info, so you understand my dilemma in choosing a wok. I have spent a very long time researching woks again recently. I have read reviews on the US, German & French Amazon websites, plus elsewhere, for this and other makes of cast iron woks. I have had to ask lots of questions to piece together fragments and build an overall picture of this wok and others & then select which would be best.Basically, a cheap carbon steel wok, seasoned correctly, washed between uses using only water, and used often to build up a patina is hands down the best wok for stir-frying ......if you have gas! Alas, I live out in the Scottish countryside devoid of gas but with a 4 oven oil fired Aga. I’ve grown up with Agas, freelanced for the Aga Company as a demonstrator and run an Aga cookery school from my home, they are fantastic cookers but you cannot stir-fry in true Chinese style on an Aga and get that “Wok-Hei” (smoky flavour) which is so sought after. Why have I waited all these years to sort out this gripe? Well, I am taking a Professional Plant-Based Cookery certification course, stir-frying as been on the course, this gave me the shove I needed to get on and sort out a new wok & system which works. Stir-frys are quick, healthy and great for plant-based eating and you can control and minimise the oil used in them by making your own at home.So, the next best thing to a carbon steel wok and no gas is a Staub cast iron wok and a single induction plate. After 40 odd years, I can now stir fry properly with this new set-up, hurrah!Here are the details about this fabulous Staub wok. This big boy is a beauty. The diameter across the top, excluding the handles, is 37 cms. The base, which is in contact with your heat source, is 14 cms across and the wok stands 9.5 cms high. Internal volume/capacity is 5.7 litres. (I did consider the Chasseur wok on Amazon but its internal volume is only 5 litres). The Staub comes with a glass lid but don’t necessarily expect the metal draining rack or wooden chopsticks to be with it (these are shown on the Staub website as being sold with your wok, but many are sold through Amazon here which come from France, Italy or Germany, & they don’t seem to always ship with these from all the reviews I have read. Mine came in about 2 days from Kochform Company in Germany).The interior is beautifully rounded, as a wok should be, yet it has a flat base on the outside for good conduction, clever stuff. Staub are a French company with a long history of producing top-notch cast iron cookware. The outside is enamelled - there are a choice of external colours, red, charcoal or black - and the inner is black cast iron ready for you to season. Do season as Grace Young explains in her wonderful book Stir-Frying to the Sky’s Edge, it’s the best way to season I have discovered (she also has a very informative Stir fry class, Art of the Stir Fry, on Craftsy.com, which explains about choosing a wok, seasoning and gives great stir-fry techniques & tips).It’s important to heat your cast iron wok slowly to start with, no quick changes of temperature, cast iron must be treated with care in that respect. Once it has warmed up slowly, you can then up the temperature more rapidly to get a good hot sizzle going, the heat is conducted very well through the cast iron from the base of the pan and up the sides, being least hot near the top rim. This lets food get a rest from the intense heat in the base as you flip it about, just as should happen in a carbon steel wok. It is a pleasure to use this wok, the rounded base makes it very easy to get under the food and flip it with your wok shovel. After cooking you will need to remove all of your food from the pan straight away or it will continue to cook in the residual heat, this is one drawback of cast iron over carbon steel, it holds its heat. Allow the wok to cool down. Never, ever plunge the wok into cold water while it is still hot from your stir-fry or you risk cracking it with the metal being shocked between 2 extreme temperatures. Let it cool down then soak with warm water inside if bits have become stuck on, no soap, just water and a soft sponge to clean. Thereafter, I wash the outer with soapy water to keep the lovely enamel finish from discolouring where runs of oil would burn on the next time I heated it up. I allow the wok to dry on the gentle heat on my Aga warming surface, before storing.Remember cast iron will rust if you put it away wet/damp or store it somewhere damp. The handles on my wok get warm to hot, but not red hot, but I would use oven gloves if they were to get too hot to lift. There are silicon slip-on handles available from Staub, sold here on Amazon, which fit this wok & I may yet treat myself to those.Some people in reviews complained about this wok being very heavy. I was expecting not to be able to lift the box, as with its lid it weighs 7 Kg, but I find it fine to lift, while the strength in my fingers has gone now at age 60 for opening bleach bottles and such like, I have no problem with this big wok, I just think of it keeping my arms nicely toned when I use any of my cast iron pots.I chose the NuWave PIC Gold single induction plate, sold on Amazon. Again a great amount of research and investigation to gather all the info on induction plates, just like I did with this wok. As a Home Economist, trained in food and nutrition and with over 40 years of experience in the field of cooking I am used to appraising cooking equipment and always check details very thoroughly before I buy. Cheap, badly made, poorly designed equipment does not last, drives you mad and is a waste of money. I expect my purchases to give years of excellent service, do what they are designed to do and some and finally, they should look good. I have attached some pictures and highly recommend this beautiful wok to you, particularly if you are an Aga owner or someone without gas searching for that perfect stir-fry combo as I was. Coupled with the induction plate I can stir fry in style to my heart's content and keep a good hot constant temperature. Note: this wok is designed to work on gas, electric and induction hobs.

A year down the line I'm very happy with my purchase

Keeps the heat and makes stir frying a pleasure

The delivery damaged the lid, and there is defect inside the wok. The package should have been more protective.Already requested for a refund.

The Wok is great but now no glass lid wouldn’t buy make again

too too heavy，

Love love love Staub wok! Heats evenly and does not stick. Easy cleaning is a plus!

J avais un wok en téflon ( mauvais pour la santé) j ai opté pour ce wok en fonte....le descriptif ne mentionne pas de cadmium ou de plomb donc beaucoup plus sain....la cuisson des viandes n est pas sèche et bien dorée...les légumes braisés sont parfaits...les aliments cuits restent chauds très longtemps...la largeur du wok donne de l aisance pour cuisiner.....il faut bien respecter les consignes prévues ( petit feu au départ,entretien ...) Pour l instant ,certains aliments " collent" par ex les crêpes, mais ce problème devrait s arranger avec le temps...je suis très satisfaite de mon achat !! Très bel article, je ne cuisine qu avec lui !

Erstaklassige Qualität! Größe reicht für einen 4-Personen-Haushalt. Obwohl unbeschichtet, klebt nichts an, weder Reis noch Nudeln. Super Wärmeabgabe. Übergang von der heißen Stelle zum Rand absolut plan.

Muy fácil de usar y de limpia. Mucho mejor de mi wok antiguo.

Works well, very sturdy.