How to season a wok

How to season a wok

Why should you season a wok?

Many woks should be seasoned before they are used for the first time. That means that the wok is coated with a layer of baked oil. This creates a "patina" on the surface of the wok. After using your wok regularly for a long time, the patina becomes perfect. This prevents rust and forms a non-stick coating.

Which woks should be seasoned?

Not all woks should be seasoned before they are used for the first time. There are several types of woks that don’t need to be baked beforehand because they already have a non-stick coating. If you have a traditional wok made of pure sheet steel and without a coating, we advise you to season it. To be on the safe side, you can ask at the time of purchase whether your wok needs to be seasoned. However, seasoning a wok can be kind of dangerous and should be done with great care.

Advantages of a seasoned wok

Wok on a gas cooker

Patina in the wok

Season a wok creates the patina, which offers very good non-stick properties and prevents rust. The perfect patina does not develop immediately, but only over time. If it has only formed after some time, it is understandable that many wok lovers do not want to miss the seasoned woks. Moreover, wok seasoning removes the production residues.

How to season a wok on electric stove

  1. To prevent rust from forming during storage and transport, woks are coated with a protective layer of oil during production. Therefore, the wok must be thoroughly cleaned before seasoning. Use hot water, dish soap and a sponge to remove the production residue. Are you unsure about cleaning your wok? Learn from us how to clean your wok.
  2. After cleaning, place the wok on a stove and turn on the highest power setting. If the wok changes colour, remove it from the hob. The colour of your wok depends on the material. The wok may not only turn black, but also brownish, bluish or even grey.
  3. Now spread half a teaspoon of oil evenly in the wok. To avoid burning yourself, you can use a cooking brush. Are you wondering which oil to use for burning? Heat-resistant oils, such as peanut oil, are ideal for this.
  4. Now place the wok on the stove at medium heat. The oiling and heating can be repeated 3 to 4 times after the wok has cooled down for about 1 minute. The patina is then formed an the seasoning is finished.
  5. The perfect patina will only form over time. Therefore, we recommend you to cook with a lot of oil after seasoning because a thick patina does not form immediately. You should also avoid fry acidic foods in the beginning. Otherwise the patina can be damaged by prolonged contact with acid.

How to season a wok in the oven

Thai Stir Fry on a plate

The wok can not only be seasoned on a stove, but also in the oven. With this second method, however, it is important that the wok doesnt have wooden handles. If it is possible to season your wok in the oven, you can first heat the oven at the highest temperature. Meanwhile, brush the cleaned wok with half a teaspoon of oil. Once the oven is heated up, put the oil-coated wok in for about 20 minutes. After this time, the wok is taken out and cooled for about 5 minutes.The oiling and heating can also be repeated 3 to 4 times with this method.