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There's no better type of pan for high-heat cooking. Toy Cookware Sets
The word "wok" means "cooking pot" in Chinese and they date back 2,000 years to the Han Dynasty in China. Woks are not just great for stir-fry or fried rice, but any food that benefits from a large, consistent cooking area that heats quickly and evenly — they're great for braises, sauces, soups, deep frying, steaming and more.
Woks traditionally have rounded bottoms (that require a wok ring to help stabilize), very smooth, rounded edges and typically long handles that allow them to be shaken during cooking — some contemporary styles also come with lids that help with steaming and gently finishing food. While many woks are made of carbon steel, there are also cast iron, nonstick, aluminum, electric and stainless steel versions.
In the Good Housekeeping Institute Kitchen Appliances and Innovation Lab, we've tested more than 115 cookware sets since 2015. When it came to testing woks, we evaluated 12 woks in our Lab, narrowing down the picks based on design, weight, material and ease of use. We tested six models by making six batches of mushroom fried rice — capturing how fast each wok got to temp, the temperature of handles after cooking and whether we ended up with fried rice that had nicely browned veggies, crispy rice and fluffy scrambled eggs. Our top picks retain and heat quickly, are easy to clean and feature flat bottoms so they can be used on the average home electric or gas stove without a wok ring.
Read on for tips on using a wok from Grace Young, James Beard Award-winning author of Stir-Frying to the Sky’s Edge and The Breath of Wok, as well as information on the best materials for woks and accessories and tools you may need. Don't have access to a stove? Check out our guide to the best electric hot pots.
The Joyce Chen Professional Series 14-Inch Carbon Steel Excalibur Nonstick Wok offers the best of both worlds, a carbon steel wok coated with nonstick that makes clean up a breeze and carb steel that heats up quickly and retains heat until the very end of cooking. Did we mention it's also under $50? The large sloping walls allow you to evenly distribute your veggies throughout the pan for even browning and the helper handle helps you transport the wok to your countertop or dining room.
In our testing, we were impressed with how crispy the rice got with evenly browned mushrooms, wilted kale and fluffy scrambled eggs that didn't stick at all. While you wouldn't normally put a wok in an oven, keep in mind that this model is only oven safe up to 350°F because of the handle and helper handle's material.
New to cooking with a wok and looking to learn how to season and cook with one? This uncoated carbon steel wok from Joyce Chen requires some seasoning and took us about four hours to do so using the method listed in the included recipe booklet in our Lab. Besides a recipe booklet, it also comes with a wooden spatula and lightweight dome lid with a wooden handle and retails under $50. You can use the lid for steaming and finishing your recipes and the spatula can be used to gently toss ingredients in your wok.
This wok heated up faster than any other wok we tested and produced fried rice that was nice and crispy with a smoky flavor. One thing to note, speaking from experience: Upon purchase you have to assemble the handle to the wok and if you don't tighten it enough the first time, it can get loose during cooking.
This pre-seasoned wok from Yosukata is an affordable carbon steel wok with wide, sloping walls, a long, comfortable wooden handle and a carbon steel helper handle. The carbon steel material heated to 400°F in a minute on the stove and kept a steady temperature throughout cooking. In testing, this wok cooked up a well cooked fried rice with nicely browned mushrooms and lightly golden brown rice.
We did find that this wok took longer to get rice crispy, compared to other woks we tested and that there was a little bit of egg sticking to the material. While this wok is pre-seasoned, the brand suggests you perform a final seasoning on it before your first cook, which we did before making fried rice. Like other carbon steel cookware we've tested, this wok will form a deeper patina over time, which will increase its level of nonstick after continued use.
The Hexclad 12-Inch Stainless Steel Wok is versatile thanks to its stainless steel build and patented laser-etched hexagon nonstick coating. It delivers heavy-duty heat like a carbon steel wok, can be used and washed like stainless, and cleans up like a nonstick pan with little effort (if used properly). The wok can be used with metal utensils and we even put it in the dishwasher after cooking.
This wok was easy to use in testing, it got hot very quickly and while it smoked a little throughout the cooking process, it really browned the mushrooms and infused the fried rice with delicious smoky flavor. The kale was a little undercooked, but had a nice flavor and the eggs are creamy and perfectly cooked with no burnt pieces. While it's a smaller wok compared to other woks we tested, we found it to accommodate four portions of fried rice nicely.
The Greenpan Barcelona Evershine Ceramic Nonstick 12-inch Wok is a unique nonstick wok option, with a ceramic coating that is dishwasher-safe and oven-safe up to 600°F. We found the ceramic nonstick coating to be very slippery during testing, making it hard to create a well of rice for scrambling eggs inside and other ingredients couldn't cling to the walls either for dispersing ingredients evenly.
However, cleanup was a breeze and the taste of the fried rice was good, with a crispy texture that had that nice wok smoky flavor to it without any ingredients being burnt or overcooked. The eggs showed a bit of sticking at first, but quickly moved around after cooking and the pan retained enough heat to fully cook a fluffy scramble. We also did find the handles started to get pretty hot to touch and do recommend using an oven mitt when tossing your ingredients in the wok.
When choosing the best woks we searched the internet for all available options, focusing on flat bottom woks to ensure that most people can use them without having to purchase a wok ring for their stovetop.
We also spoke with Grace Young, James Beard Award-winning author of Stir-Frying to the Sky’s Edge and The Breath of Wok, to learn the best materials for woks, accessories and tools, cooking tips and how to properly season a wok if needed.
We then rounded up 12 woks based on years of testing over 115 lines of cookware. Our team of analysts evaluated the 12 woks in our Lab, narrowing down the picks based on design, weight, material and ease of use.
We seasoned any wok that needed seasoning and washed each wok according to manufacturer's cleaning instructions. Woks were also weighed and we evaluated any claims that were listed on the packaging
Six woks were tested, by making six batches of mushroom fried rice — capturing how fast each wok got to temp, the temperature of handles after cooking and whether we ended up with fried rice that had nicely seared mushrooms, wilted kale, crispy rice and fluffy scrambled eggs.
✔️ Weight: Most of the woks on this list are around four pounds in weight, which can feel even heavier once filled with food. From our testing experience, we've noticed that materials like carbon steel and cast iron which retain heat well do tend to be on the heavier side. If the weight of a wok sounds like it would be heavy for you to manage, look for one with a helper handle so you can hold it with both hands, distributing the weight.
✔️ Size: Woks range in size from 12-inch to 14-inch. If you're cooking for a larger family, stick to a 14-inch wok, but a 12-inch wok would work perfectly fine to feed a family of two or a side dish for four.
✔️ Handles: The majority of woks on the market have a long handle, so that you can maneuver the wok without being too close to the pan. The material can vary based on the brand, but we found wooden handles to be the coolest to touch and stainless steel to conduct the most heat. We also recommend looking for a wok with a helper handle on the side, so that you can shake or carry your wok with two hands.
✔️Lid: Some woks come with lids for steaming or finishing ingredients in your wok. We prefer a domed shaped lid over a flat lid when it comes to woks, so that there is better air flow and ingredients aren't compressed while cooking.
Each material type has its pros and cons. These are the most common materials and what they're best for:
✔️ Carbon steel is the most traditional material used for making woks and is the best for achieving restaurant-quality stir-fry. Carbon steel woks are Young's choice: They heat up quickly and evenly, and if cleaned and treated properly, they become nonstick over time. Beginners may find them difficult to use and care for because they need to be seasoned before use, and ingredients can stick to the wok if not using the right amount of heat. Be careful with washing: It's best not to use soap, and they shouldn't be thrown in the dishwasher. Carbon steel may flavor the food a little, which some people find unpleasant, though others say this means it's properly seasoned.
✔️ Cast iron requires a bit more time to heat, but it retains heat very well. Like a carbon steel wok, a cast iron wok also needs to be seasoned before the first use (and as needed) to help prevent sticking, though some are sold pre-seasoned. Like a carbon steel wok, it will become nonstick over time if treated properly. Cast iron tends to be very heavy, which may make moving the wok difficult. In such cases, a wok spatula may be used to stir the food; it has a shovel-like design, ideal for moving food around quickly and easily.
✔️ Stainless steel woks are gaining more popularity. While stainless steel takes some time to heat, it has good, even heat distribution. Traditionalists may oppose stainless steel woks because they can be heavy and don't respond quickly to temperature changes the way carbon steel woks do. They're durable, however, and don't need to be seasoned. Stainless steel woks are often combined with other types of metal, like an aluminum core, to help them heat up quicker. They're also usually dishwasher safe.
✔️ Nonstick woks are a no-brainer for the entry-level cook: They don't need to be seasoned, and they're easy to clean — just don't use a scouring pad or anything abrasive. They also eliminate the hassle of ingredients sticking to the wok, making them a popular choice. Nonstick woks can't be heated too hot, so it's hard to get a sear on meats and veggies, which means you may not be able to mimic the flavor you would get at a restaurant. Low and steady wins the race with nonstick, which some might argue defeats the purpose of using a wok, which is traditionally used at high heats. Note that you may not be able to use metal utensils with some nonstick woks.
Before cooking with a carbon steel or cast iron wok, you'll need to season it to make sure food doesn't stick. To season:
✔️ Use a high-smoke-point oil. If you’re going to use your wok at high temperatures, use an oil that can withstand the heat without burning like grapeseed, peanut or canola oil.
✔️ If using a seasoned wok, preheat it before cooking. If you don’t preheat the wok, the ingredients will stick. To check whether your wok is at the proper temperature for stir-frying, says Young, “heat the empty wok until a bead of water vaporizes within one second of contact, being careful not to overheat.” Take note, if using a nonstick wok, you’ll want to use a lower temperature to prevent the nonstick coating from getting ruined.
✔️ Use flavorful ingredients and high heat to achieve "wok hei." Young translates "wok hei" as “breath of wok” and says it’s a Cantonese phrase that’s used to describe a perfectly cooked stir-fry, infused with a delicious, rich, concentrated flavor and smoky aroma. According to Young, it’s a common misconception that achieving wok hei is only about high heat: “If the ingredients are not inherently flavorful, there is no taste to accentuate when stir-frying.”
✔️ Make sure all your ingredients are prepped, dried and organized ahead of time. Woks cook food quickly, which means you’ll need everything ready to go nearby, including sauces and aromatics like ginger and garlic. Be sure to evenly chop any proteins and vegetables so they cook evenly, and have them set aside. Young also stresses that it’s also important to dry your produce well, otherwise you risk a soggy stir-fry.
✔️ Don’t overcrowd the wok. Having too much stuff in the wok can cause the ingredients to steam rather than sear. If necessary, cook in small batches, set the cooked food aside to prevent overcrowding and then mix everything together at the end. As a good rule of thumb, Young suggests cooking a pound of food at a time in a 14-inch wok
Side-by-side Lab testing of woks was completed by Eva Bleyer, who has professionally tested all kinds of kitchen equipment, from oven ranges to juicers to kitchen scales to blenders. Eva has tested over 20 different cookware sets in her time at the Good Housekeeping Institute in the Kitchen Appliances and Innovation Lab.
This guide was written by Jamie Kim, a consumer products expert with over 17 years of experience in areas of product development and manufacturing. In her free time, she enjoys cooking, traveling and working out.
This guide was overseen by Nicole Papantoniou, who has run the Good Housekeeping Kitchen Appliances and Innovation Lab since 2019; she oversees all GH content and testing related to kitchen gear. A trained cook and published recipe developer, she conducted GH's most recent side-by-side cookware test.
Jamie Kim is a consumer products expert with over 17 years of experience in areas of product development and manufacturing. She has held leading roles at both mid-size consumer goods companies and one of the most notable and largest apparel brands in the world. Jamie has contributed to several of the GH Institute Labs, including Kitchen Appliances, Media and Tech, Textiles and Home Appliances. In her free time she enjoys cooking, traveling, and working out.
Nicole (she/her) is the director of the Good Housekeeping Institute's Kitchen Appliances and Innovation Lab, where she has overseen content and testing related to kitchen and cooking appliances, tools and gear since 2019. She’s an experienced product tester and recipe creator, trained in classic culinary arts and culinary nutrition. She has worked in test kitchens for small kitchen appliance brands and national magazines, including Family Circle and Ladies’ Home Journal.
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