How to Season a Carbon Steel Wok (The Best Way)

This method gets you the best Wok season, and in record time!

The Wok on the left is the one seasoned for this Instructable, the one on the right has only been used 4 times, this shows how quickly a patina can build!

A high power Wok burner, some paper towel, and whatever oil you wish to use. There are so many conflicting views on what oil to use & why, I will just say "Pick whatever oil you like.")

First picture is the new Wok, with the manufacturing oil still on the surface. It looks kind of shiny, but definately has a kind of "gray" look to it.

The second picture is the Wok getting a bath in HOT Sudsy water. I used a ScotchBrite Pad (green), which is actually fairly abrasive.

Rinse well with hot water, dry well with paper towel. Notice the black residue still left on the Wok even after a hot bath and rinse. (There was lots of it, I used a lot of paper towel, and turned it often)That is leftover machine oil from the manufacturing/storage process. If the Wok wasn't coated in this stuff, it would rust.

We are gonna get rid of this oil in the next step.

Notice now that the Wok looks nice and Shiny! (Most of the oil is gone, but, there is still a microscopic layer)

I have placed the Wok over high heat, on a 65,000BTU outdoor Wok burner. (Remove the wooden handles, if possible, else they will get scorched!)

In the first picture, you can see the bottom of the Wok turning brown, then black. Looks like you are ruining your Wok! Oh no, Now what???

Wait, look at picture 2, the Wok still has a brown zone, and a black zone, but now also has a brilliant blue zone. This is what you are looking for!

Keep heating the Wok (slowly moving it around on the flame) until you have turned the entire Wok Blue.

Wash the Wok again in HOT sudsy water, and rinse well.

Dry again with paper towel, but, now you will notice the paper towel is clean, no residue is left on the nice shiny blue Wok.

Heat the Wok over medium heat to ensure the surface is completely dry. (Especially the areas where the handles are attached) Time to apply our first layer of Seasoning!

While the Wok is still quite warm, but not hot enough to make your seasoning smoke, apply a liberal coat of seasoning oil to the entire surface of the Wok. Make sure to get a good amount of oil into any joint lines where the handles join the Wok body. When you wash your Wok, water will get into these joints and cause rusting if not dried properly.

While we are on the topic of handle joints, I definately recommend not getting a Wok with "Riveted handles". You will find the rivets constantly getting in your way when turning food with your spatula. Welded handles, or one piece Woks with formed in handles work better than Rivets.

Note that in these pictures, the Wok has not been seasoned yet, we have merely applied oil to a blued Wok.

Firstly, get some fresh paper towel, and rub down your Wok really well. You are actually trying to remove as much oil as possible, leaving a very thin layer covering the entire Wok.

Heat this over moderate to high heat, until the Wok is lightly smoking. (Or, better yet, put your Wok into an oven set to a temperature 50 or 100 degrees F higher than the smoke point of your seasoning oil. Leave the Wok in the oven for about an hour, then, turn the oven off, & leave the Wok until cooled off.)

You have your first layer of seasoning, now we are going to really "set" in, and get it good and hard.

Roughly chop an onion, or some scallions, or garlic chives, or similar. Use whatever you have, we are going to char these real bad, and then throw them out. (You can apparently also do this step with Salt? I have not yet tried Salt, so, cannot comment on how well it might work.

Heat the Wok until it is lightly smoking, then swirl 1 tablespoon of seasoning oil around the Wok. (Work quickly, so as to not overheat the oil.) Add your aromatics, and stir fry over high heat until they are charred black. Picture 4 is about what you want them to look like, perhaps a little darker. We had a minor emergency involving a Gecko jumping on my wife while she was absorbed with her Laptop, so, my onions ended up looking like picture 5. (A little too hot) You can see a very nice season developing in picture 4, but by picture 6, you can see where the season actually got burnt. (Yes, you can, (and will very likely) get your Wok Too hot, and burn your seasoning off.)

I took the green ScotchBrite pad after the Wok surface after I burned it, Picture 6 is the resulting mess.

A quick scrub with an abrasive pad and some soapy water, re-oil, another Onion, and it is ready to cook on!

The beauty of a carbon steel Wok, is that they are nearly as non stick as a teflon pan, and so much more durable. (Try getting a teflon pan to the smoke point every time you use it, see how long it lasts!!)

And, it will keep getting better the more you use it.

This wok, after 1 coat of seasoning, was used to make egg foo yung, and the eggs did not stick!