Flat Bottom Wok

Lately, I’ve been running through woks. On the cheap end, the $10+ wok from 99 Ranch is okay. If it doesn’t work out, you’re only out 10 bucks. No big deal. However, the wok is really light and the non-stick surface, while decent, is not durable. The last one I had only lasted a few weeks because someone (not me) first scratched the non-stick coating by using a metal spoon or other utensil while cooking and then later burned some vinegar in the wok so severely that it hardened and bonded with the non-stick surface. Just scrubbing the wok with a Dobie Cleaning Pad managed to exfoliate the non-stick coating from the wok.

Wok #2 was the Sur La Table 14″ Nonstick Wok. This was my first time using a carbon steel wok. The rest of my cookware is anodized aluminum. Anyways, while the carbon steel wok heats up very quickly, I was not impressed with the non-stick surface. This wok had the stickiest non-stick surface that I’ve ever encountered. Unfortunately, this wok also passed away prematurely when someone used sandpaper to clean the wok? Who uses sandpaper to clean cookware? Non-stick cookware!! So, another 50 bucks down the drain. At this point, I’m thinking that I should have just bought 5 $10 woks at 99 Ranch.

So, I’m stalling and thinking about my next step. I really like the $20 Tramontina wok I picked up last year at Costco. Made of anodized aluminum, this wok lasted about a year before the non-stick surface gave out, which really isn’t bad. One $60 wok that lasts for 3 years or 3 $20 woks that last for one year each? Finally, I ended up picking a Calphalon Contemporary Nonstick Flat-Bottom Wok for $80. The alternative was a pair of Calphalon Contemporary Nonstick Omelette Pans for $40, both prices factoring the 20% off BBB mailer coupon. I actually think the omelette pans were the better buy, but I really prefer the higher sides that the flat-bottom wok offers since it’s better at keeping all the food and oil in the pan. I’m hoping for this latest wok lasts for a few years. If not, that omelette pan looks very tempting.