Tuesday, November 26, 2013

Le Creuset Enameled Cast-Iron 14-1/4-Inch Wok with Glass Lid, Cherry



Not Well Thought Out At All
I know this review is going to get trashed, with people howling about what Amazon reviews are 'supposed' to be. But with this review I may very well save some people a big chunk of change, so onward.

See, this product is a good example of the problem with Amazon reviews - anyone who really knows how to use a wok wouldn't even consider this product, much less buy it and post a review. So this product gets very high reviews from happy but misled customers, and much better woks costing 1/5th as much get slightly more mixed reviews from people who know what they're doing but compare one decent wok to another.

Reasons this is a poorly thought out product:

- Heavy weight hinders you when tossing food. Tossing food is not just for show - it's an essential part of the main school of wok-based cookery. It exposes food to extremely high heat in brief bursts but at the same time moderates the heat and keeps food from overcooking or burning. This is crucial for...

Fantastic Wok
I was not sure this wok would measure up to my standards of Chinese cooking. I have two other traditional Chinese steel woks that I use a lot. But, what I found with this wok is that, even though the heat source doesn't have to be on high, the mass of iron in this wok generated much more heat and my Chinese dishes came out fantastically. I have been totally shocked at how this wok performed.

The surface needs to be gently seasoned, as do the surfaces of Le Creuset's grill pans, but, once that is done, food rarely sticks to it (or, the grill pans). I usually let some water soak in the pan after I've taken the food out, and after that, stuck-on food easily come off. I highly recommend this pan.

STAUB Wok - versus - LE CREUSET Wok
Product Dimensions:

Le Creuset Wok measures: 14 x 14 x 4 inches ; 14.1 pounds -
Limited lifetime warranty

Staub 7-quart Wok measures 14 inches in diameter; 15 pounds -
Lifetime limited warranty
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Le Creuset claims their wok is "Dishwasher safe" However, one should not place seasoned woks in a dishwasher as the detergent will break down the pan's seasoning and "wok hay". That is after all, one of the desired characteristics of a wok.

Le Creuset is oven safe to 400 degrees.

Staub 7-quart Wok: Hand washing recommended by Staub. Although their new cooking surface is less tenuous than the Le Creuset's matte surface due to Staub's superior enameled interior, in addition to their exterior surfaces being enamel-coated.

Staub is oven safe to 500 degrees.
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The Staub wok is ready to use immediately.

My Le Creuset, while also enameled, it performed best...

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