Need wok cleaning/seasoning tips

[fbrdphreak]

http://pics.bbzzdd.com/users/fbrdphreak/wok.jpg

So that's our wok. It is NOT the non-stick kind. Around a month ago we used it once or twice, and one time we left it our overnight without cleaning it. That is how all that discoloration appeared. I know a wok is supposed to darken over time as you season & use it, but I don't think that is what its supposed to look like!

We finally used it again last night and the gf cleaned it with hot water as well as she could and we used it. Worked fine, but the food did taste a little off (chinese food, not sure if that was the wok or how she cooked it).

Anyway, I've got a pretty good idea on how to season it but first I want to clean the ****** out of it. Regular rough side of a sponge + hot water doesn't do hardly anything. I read somewhere that putting salt in it and scrubbing with that is good; helped a little, some stuff came off and the salt got dark when scrubbing, but not good enough from my perspective.

Any tips or suggestions would be greatly appreciated

 

[abc]

should use salt, scrub it into it after heating it...

also, hot cooking oil seasoning time.

that doesnt look like one of those dark carbon steel woks.

 

[fbrdphreak]

No it never was a dark carbon steel; it was pretty light colored but specifically NOT non-stick sh!t.

I'll heat it up tonight, scrub it with salt, and then season it with oil.

What should I use to scrub the salt in? I'd imagine the sponge would melt :Q

 

[AsianriceX]

Try using a sponge with a scouring side? I never could get my wok to season right. Then again, I was never good at Chinese cuisine anyway

 

[fbrdphreak]

Yeah that's what we tried, the rough side of a sponge. I might get one of those brillo pads and go at it with the salt heated up, hopefully the brillo pad won't ignite

 

[D1gger]

I use SOS pads when I really need to scrub something. If you do that you may get some of the discolouration off, but then you will have to start from scratch for the seasoning.

 

[Howard]

You can't season a non-stick wok.

 

[xSauronx]

Originally posted by: Howard
You can't season a non-stick wok.

indeed, wth, and who uses a non stick wok? youre supposed to cook food pretty damn hot in a wok, which is unsafe with non stick cookware.

then the OP states it wasn't non-stick

which is it?

if its non stick, pitch it and get a decent one made of steel, theyre cheap anyway. non-stick is unsafe for the kind of high heat cooking that youre supposed to do with a wok.

if it is steel, without a non-stick coating, get it nice and hot, cut the heat, grab some kosher salt and papertowels and scrub it a while until its cleanish

the best part of cooking in a wok is that its supposed to be REALLY damn hot

so as soon as you get the food out, dump a cup of water in it, swirl it around and scrabe with a wooden spoon to deglaze and get the burnt bits out, then let it dry... *and leave it alone*

 

[dquan97]

use a steel scrub brush + tepid water

 

[conehead433]

Forget about the discoloration. Wash it just like you would any other dish.

 

[fbrdphreak]

Dunno what the confusion is, but it is NOT a non-stick wok. Papertowels + heat + salt sounds good! Thanks guys

 

[BigJ]

Originally posted by: fbrdphreak
Dunno what the confusion is, but it is NOT a non-stick wok. Papertowels + heat + salt sounds good! Thanks guys

Don't know what the confusion is? From the op:

So that's our wok. It is the non-stick kind.

Second post:

No it never was a dark carbon steel; it was pretty light colored but specifically NOT non-stick sh!t.

 

[fbrdphreak]

Hahahaha, my bad

 

[0roo0roo]

wash it away, scrub hard, start from scratch, reseason

 

[Howard]

nm

 

[fbrdphreak]

Originally posted by: Howard

Originally posted by: fbrdphreak
Hahahaha, my bad

Why don't you edit it for the people who haven't read this thread yet?

Done Thanks

 

[Howard]

Brillo pad? If that fails, try sandpaper.

 

[fbrdphreak]

I heated it up and scrubbed with salt; helped I think but it still doesn't look "clean." Its all good tho, I'm almost done seasoning it with oil. Thx guys

 

[Howard]

There's more to seasoning than just oiling, in case you didn't know.

 

[TheGizmo]

ever heard for Formula 420 It works great for things like this..

http://www.formula420.com/content/cleaners.html

 

[fbrdphreak]

Heat, oil, rub in, cool down, repeat?

And of course it really seasons with use

 

[Nitemare]

vinegar and water to disolve the rust, if that doesn't work try naval jelly(not sure how edible the food will be afterwards though)

Get cast iron, it's the way to go..

On its way...

FYI, you can only season iron(which you don't have)

 

[fbrdphreak]

Nice, wish we had seen that before! I think we got the wok @ Bed Bath & Beyond with a 20% coupon

 

[Nitemare]

Originally posted by: fbrdphreak
Nice, wish we had seen that before! I think we got the wok @ Bed Bath & Beyond with a 20% coupon

That the Joan Chen one?

I looked it over and opted to get this online. Even, the large Asian market didn't care anything but crappy woks...

 

[CellarDoor]

http://www.wokshop.com/HTML/products/woks/woks_cs_set.html

I asked for the set on wokshop for christmas! Also asked for some bamboo steamers to go with it.

Edit: http://www.wokshop.com/tips_hints.html

That's a link to their tips on seasoning a wok.