Clean and Care

Clean and care

by Nagy Lajos | Sep 28, 2021

Woks, these versatile pans with 2000 year of history are hand made only with natural materials. This means healty, chemical-free cooking, but they also needs a little bit of love and care to serve you for a lifetime.

Our tips will help you to maintain or restore your wok.

1. The biggest enemy of your wok is: WATER

Traditional, hand hammered woks are made from carbon steel, which is a great material with many advantages (fast and even heat distribution, lighter and easier to handle) but they are NOT STAINLESS STEEL. This means that they are very sensitive to water (just like other utensils like cast iron pans). If they are in contact with water for a longer time – if you leave them wet and let them dry by themselves after washing them up, if they are stored in a moist place, or if they are not used for a longer time – they can begin to rust.

This is natural and this doesn’t mean that your wok is broken or defected. You only have to clean them, remove the rust (with a steel sponge or a some salt) and season again. Than they regain their orginal state within a few minutes.

Here is our video on restoring a rusted wok: easy and fast, and the wok becomes like brand new

Our tips to prevent rust:

Try to avoid detergents as they may remove some patina. Best if you only use water to clean your wok
Dry your wok with a paper or textile towel EVERY TIME after you washed it.
After you dried your wok wipe it through with oil with a paper towel

2. The seasoning may wear off

Either it is the original factory seasoning or you seasoned you wok by yourself the patina coating may wear off. It can happen if you burned something and had to rub the surface too hard, you washed your wok with detergents or if you used acidic ingerditens like vinegar, lemon or tomatoes.

But nothing to worry about. All you need to do is to re-season your wok. Here is our short video that helps you with the basic seasoning and daily care.

Frequently Asked Questions about Clean and Care

Should I use detergent to clean my wok?

Once your wok has been seasoned, it shouldn’t be cleaned using detergent. Instead, hot water and a cloth should be sufficient to remove any burnt-on food. If your wok does go rusty, or you find it difficult to remove burnt-on food, you may need to use detergent. However, you will then need to re-season your wok before you can cook with it again.

Can I use metal utensils with my wok?

We recommend using a wok chuan, which is a metal spatula. It’s not only OK to use, it’s an essential part of Asian cooking! Wooden utensils just don’t have the right shape or weight conducive to proper stir-frying.

Is the cookware dishwasher safe?

No, the harsh chemicals in dishwasher detergent will remove the natural coating and make it rust. Hand washing is recommended. Remember to wash the wok in hot water only. Do NOT use detergent or put it into a dishwasher.

Why has my carbon steel wok started to rust?

Your carbon steel wok may develop rust due to humidity or infrequent use because it is a natural material. The seasoning can sometimes appear blotchy, feel sticky, or develop spots. Don’t worry, this is all completely normal. Just re-season and keep cooking, the patina will develop eventually. Check out our latest video tutorial on how to restore a rusted wok.

What to do when my wok starts to rust?

Give the wok a thorough clean! 1. Add 2 tsp of oil and 1 tbs of kosher salt. 2. Scrub all over. 3. Repeat as needed. 4. Rinse thoroughly in hot water. 5. Use steel wool if necessary. 6. Once you have removed the rust, it’s time to re-season!

The handle on my wok seems to have loosened slightly, what should I do?

Handles and knobs may loosen after some time due to the continual heating and cooling of the fastening. If this occurs, carefully tighten the screw using an appropriate screwdriver, be careful not to over-tighten.

I love dropping my hot wok in the sink and watching it steam, is that bad?

Yes. You should always allow your wok to cool before putting it in the sink or rinsing it with water. This will help maintain its shape and even cooking capabilities.

goes here. Edit or remove this text inline or in the module Content settings. You can also style every aspect of this content in the module Design settings and even apply custom CSS to this text in the module Advanced settings.

Should I avoid cooking acidic food?

Yes and no. Cooking tomatoes and other acidic food in your seasoned wok will remove some of the patina. However, this lost patina will be reacquired after one or two uses. We recommend to avoid cooking with any acidic ingredients such as vinegar, lemons and tomatoes for the first few uses.

Still have questions? Check out our Frequently Asked Questions or ask us in email, on phone or via any social media channel. We are happy to answer you!