Seasoning a Wok

I cooked a beef stir-fry last week and made the mistake of leaving my wok in the sink overnight. Big mistake, there was a ring of rust underneath and a little bit of rust inside! Uh-uh!  If you cook with a wok regularly you know that woks are supposed to be "seasoned" (this means oiled and blackened in a sort of self- rendering non-stick process) and to maintain a seasoned wok, you should never wash it again with detergent but just hot water and then keep it oiled thereafter.

So I was now faced with the dilemma of what to do with a previously seasoned wok that now has its patina compromised.  I searched on the internet and found some useful websites and instructions and I set about fixing my wok problem.

I found this website, which not only explains how to properly season your wok but also explains how to give your wok a "facial" (exactly what I needed) and so I followed Grace Young's clear instructions.  First I got it smoking again on a hot stove and oiled it once more.

Off the heat, this oil was rubbed off with a dry paper towel.  I then added a couple of tablespoons of course salt and a little more vegetable oil and rubbed this into the wok with another dry paper towel.

It was amazing!! Not only was my salt turning brown and removing all the tackiness and grime built up on my wok, not to mention the rust, but suddenly a lovely dark patina emerged on the interior surface. It was slick and shiny! I was so happy!!!

After a few minutes of rubbing the hot oiled salt on my wok, I discarded the salt into the sink and rinsed the wok out in hot water.  My wok was looking great! Seasoned beautiful and smooth to the touch.  Here is a photo:

On Sunday, I made a vegetable fried rice using my newly re-seasoned wok. The food turned out great, did not need a lot of oil and the food slipped out nicely afterwards into its serving dish.  I was able to easily wash my wok out with only boiling hot water (couple times) and then I stuck the wok back on the heat to evaporate the water.

My vegetable fried rice

After a 4-year love/hate relationship with my wok, I think I finally get it.  I had always been washing my wok in detergents (WRONG!!) and I had also never taken the care to really season it properly (WRONG!!).  I found some additional great wok tips. Here they are.