even years later this is still helpful, I have a non-stick steel wok which I got in exchange for a pizza and this may have saved me from having to actually spend money on a new wok.
What a deal you made with a pizza exchanged for a wok. Your wok will last you a lifetime of happy cooking. I have other videos on this channel and my other channel "Chinese Cooking Channel" in case you encounter other problems with your wok. Thanks for checking out my video.
Great video! I recently bought a "light weight cast iron" wok at Walmart. The brand name is Imusa. It is about the same as carbon steel and it was preseasoned, and I double checked to make sure it was a gimmick with some kind of non-stick Teflon coating. No, it was actually a light, thin cast iron. I works great. I could not be happier and still amazed at the price. I love cooking with cast iron and cleaning and seasoning is actually very easy to do once you learn the tricks to it. Thank you for the video!
You're very welcome. I heard the new light weight cast iron woks are pretty good. I've used a cast iron pan but not a wok. I think cast iron holds heat better too. Thanks for checking out my video.
It's a pleasure to make your aquaintance. I am very glad that I found your podcast. Greetings with all my heard from Germany. Ying Pei (Pearl told my father) Gabriele Meyer
Greetings to you in Germany. Thanks for checking out my channel. Thanks for viewing my video On How To Clean And Restore A Burnt Wok. Wishing you all the best in your Chinese cooking adventures.
Thanks for this video. 🙏 I burnt a lot of garlic in my wok, and it really stuck into the bottom. I thought I ruined it! I ordered a wok brush and and ready to bring my wok back to life.
I am not familar with Chikan, but most of your recipe is familar to me especially claypot rice. Thanks for sharing! May the lord protect you and stay healthy!
Chikan, known as "Chiak Hom" in Hoiping dialect, was largely unchanged for 70 years. A few years ago, they were completely shut down for renovations. Most of the people living there moved out. They served most of the traditional foods there when it was open. They cooked the claypot rice over a wood burning stove. Thanks very much for viewing my video on How To Clean And Season A Burnt Wok. Best wishes to you and your family.
For rust, I would scrub it with an SOS wire scrub pad or dutch cleanser with water. Then rinse out the wok well with water. Then heat up the wok and reseason with oil again. I'll be doing a video on restoring a rusted wok, so hopefully I'll post that soon. In the meantime, check out some of the videos on UA-cam dealing with cleaning and restoring rusted woks. Thanks for viewing my video on How To Clean And Restore A Burnt Wok.
My wok has become very Smokey when cooking. There are a few rough spots around it presumably from food sticking. Will try your method and see if wok stops the smoking 👍
If your wok is new or newer, it will take a bit of time to build up a good, nonstick patina. You have do this salt cleaning method more often. Later on, you won't have to do this cleaning method as often. Thanks for checking out my video. Wishing you all the best with your wok. If you have any difficulties, let me know.
Thanks for the good video. Going to try on one of my woks. One question saw your oil dispenser do you know where you got it? Didn't see it listed in your Amazon recommended cooking tooks. Thanks
I got the oil dispenser at a local Chinese supermarket. I didn't like it at first and almost discarded it but now I really like using it. Sorry I couldn't find any for sale on Amazon. Thankd for viewing my video.
After rinsing with water, some people like to turn the heat on to dry the water and then oil the wok again. A lot of time I don't turn the heat back on. I just dry the water on the wok with a napkin and then rub the oil on the wok without turning the heat on. Thanks for checking out my video. Wishing you all the besgt in your wok cooking adventures.
Glad it was helpful! Generally a good quality carbon steel wok will last a long time and nothing will really ruin it. If you encounter any problems, please let me know. I'm sure you will be making some fantastic dishes with your wok. Thanks for viewing my video on How To Clean And Restore A Burnt Wok.
Yes. Your wok may look a little blotchy for awhile, but that's normal. Over time, the carbon surface will rebuild again. Thanks for checking out my video.
I have had oil burned into the wok a few times. I used my bamboo brush or a soft pad just to clean it a bit but it doesn't really matter that much. After a few times cooking, the oil film is not noticeable. Thanks for viewing my video on How To Clean And Restore A Burnt Wok.
You're very welcome. thanks for checking out my video on Cleaning And Restoring A Burnt Wok. Wishing you all the best in your Chinese cooking adventures.
I have an old wok left to me from a dear friend. It is in poor condition and I thought I would throw it out. I will give this technique a try and give you an update. Thank you, Sir.
It must be a great wok if you dear friend left you the wok to you. It is well worth saving. Try using steel wool such as SOS pad to remove rust and carbon coating. You can also use dutch cleanser but better to use "barkeep" cleanser if you can find it. Once your wok is clean, since well with water. Then dry off thr wok and keep your wok oiled after each use. After your wok is reseasoned, use the salt technique in this video, After awhile, you do not need to do the salt technique very often. Just clean the water with a brush after each you cook and oil the wok with a tablespoon of cooking oil every time. Please let me know how it goes. I'm sure you have a wok that is worth saving. I regret throwing out my first wok years ago just because it had a lot of rust on it. Thanks for checking out my videro. Wishing you all the best in your wok cooking adventures.
Will this method strip the seasoning? I have some burnt oil residue around the center but it's still fairly smooth, just not as smooth as the very center. Should I repeat until very smooth? Thanks so much for this video!
Don't worry about how your wok looks. It's going to look blotchy and uneven for awhile. If the surface is fairly smooth, you're o.k. If there's carbon build up or rough patches, use the salt method to make the surface more smooth. Don't worry about stripping the wok. Continue to keep on using your wok and the surface will easily rebuild again.
Question. Does this work if there were no food items in the wok? I made a huge mistake and left my wok on the fire (no oil or food) and went to respond to an email. I completely forgot and 20 min later I came back cuz I smelled the smoke and turns out my wok was burnt. Can I use this technique to fix my wok?
Yes, you can, assuming you have a carbon steel wok. The oil and salt will scrape and sand down the uneven carbon buildup. Wash and re-season as in the video. TYhanks for your question and thanks for viewing my video on How To Clean And Restore A Burnt Wok.
Hi, I inherited 2 woks from my late aunt. One is ok , the other has stuff encrusted on the upper half to top edges. I hope this works. Thanks. Mine is cast iron tough.
Have you tried cleaning your woks yet? If your woks have a lot of rust, you might try using steel wool with Dutch cleanser and then rinse them off thoroughly. with water. Oil the woks each time you cook of course. Thanks for viewing my video on How To Clean A Wok.
Not to worry. Burning oil in a new wok is common. Check out my video on Seasoning A New Wok on my other UA-cam channel called "Chinese Cooking Channel" : ua-cam.com/video/uoD17BXoy9Q/v-deo.html Your wok will look blotchy for awhile. Use the salt scrubbing technique in this video to clean and restore your wok whenever your wok surface is rough or when there is carbon buildup. You might have to do the salt scrubbing every 1 or 2 weeks if you are doing a lot of cooking. Eventually, when a good black patina surface is built up, you will hardly ever need to do it. Thanks for checking out my video. Feel free to ask any more questions. Happy cooking!
Hey Dan, thanks for the great vid. I have a quick question? Is there a clear way to know if you've over heated your wok and should then re-condition it? I just bought my wok and I was preheating it before stir frying when I noticed the new seasoning start turning somewhat black and I wonder if that's a bad sign? Thanks again for your help and the vid, Chris
Generally, when you buy a new a carbon steel wok, it will get bumpy, rough areas. That's when you may need to recondition your wok. The whole surface of your wok will form a hard, black surface as time goes on. Initiially, you may notice a lot of carbon coming off the wok. As time goes, there will still be some when you wipe off your wok, but far less. Thanks for viewing my video on How To Clean And Restore A Burnt Wok. Let me know how it goes.
Hello sir! Thanks for this great video. I have ruined cast iron products, and I used salt to clean the surface to get it rough, and then oiled it up, baked it, and it was good as new! I have a question: I seasoned my wok a few months ago just like you did at the end of this video, but I did not season the bottom. And the inside was not non-stick; food stuck to the bottom easily. So recently, I seasoned the inside and outside with oil and baked it in the oven. The bottom of the wok is amazing. But the inside is still not nonstick even though I used oil and seasoned it this way. Should I do what you did in the video with the salt and then re-season the inside? Thanks!
Is your wok cast iron or carbon steel? I don't have any experience with cast iron woks. If it is a carbon steel wok, sometimes it takes awhile before it becomes non-stick. With a carbon steel wok, you can re-season the wok as many times as you like without harming it. Thanks for viewing my video on How To Clean And Restore A Burnt Wok. Let me know how it goes.
I definitely need to season/condition my wok. Everything sticks unless the oil gets so hot it smokes. And i didn't know better to burn off the factory coating the first time. 😢 then i think i added cold oil to a hot pan once and it made it act weird ever since thus the sticking problem. Not like i added oil or burned some onion, then kept it in. 😢
It takes awhile for the pan to get non sticky. Just condition it and start using your pan for cooking. Eventually it will be great. Thanks for checking my video.
I think this method might save my wok. I'm afraid I screwed up with seasoning my wok because I used a tissue instead of a kitchen paper. Now is all sticky because the tissue got absorbed in the seasoning process with the oil. Can I fix that into a smooth surface with this method?
You can use steel wool but it will scratch off the black patina finish in the short term. Over the long term, after cooking, the surface will be sealed again. I would only use steel wool for removing extreme buildup or rust after not using your wok for a long time. Thanks for viewing my video.
It is better not to use olive oil because it has a lower smoke point than other oils. I use peanut oil, but you can use other oils such as corn oil, canola oil, etc. Thanks for checking out my video.
Just a short amount of time, just as the oil is slightly hot. Use coarser salt if you can which makes for easier scrubbing. Thanks for viewing my video.
I used a wok for the first time a few days ago. I have no idea what I’m doing and did not realize it needed any special care. Straight out of the package, I washed it with soap and water. Then I cooked with it. When I tried to wash it that night the entire thing is sticky to the touch, especially the outside and the top parts where the food barely gets during cooking. That’s what brought me to this video, so I’m going to try this and hope that fixes things.
Great to hear you got a wok. Contrary to what people say, it takes a while to get a good, hard patina finish on your wok. Not to worry, Just keep on cooking. For the first few months, the surface will be uneven and patchy. When that happens, just scrub it down like I do in this video. After awhile, you will hardly need to re season your wok as often. I have other videos on wok maintenance on this UA-cam channel and on my other UA-cam channel called "Chinese Cookoing Channel". If you have time, check them out. Just make you sure clean your wok with water each time you cook and oil each time yopu cook with your wok. You can use a mild dish soap for cleaning but most times, just clean with water. If you have any questions, let me know. Thanks for checking out my video. All the best in your wok cooking adventures.
My first wok seasoning - I mistakenly added oil when oiling off initial chemical. There is now a thick sticky black layer all over the wok. Can I use this method to fix?
Use steel wool or similar scrub pad with dutch cleanser or barkeep cleanser to scrub the inside of the wok. Rinse the wok really well. I'm assuming you have a new wok, so follow the steps in the attached video: ua-cam.com/video/AXEtBIjKPII/v-deo.html If you have any questions, please let me know. Thanks for viewing my video on How To Clean And Restore A Burnt Wok.
Yes, thank you for your suggestion. I have in the past, but it would have to do a storyboard and script for each video. Certainly, it's something I should aspire to and I appreciate your suggestion. Thanks for viewing my video on How To Clean And Season A Burnt Wok.
Yes you can. I've used different kinds of vegetable oil, except olive oil, which has a lower smoking point. Thanks for viewing my video on How To Clean And Restore A Burnt Wok.
You should! A frying pan works well for cooking Chinese food but a carbon steel wok works better, in my opinion. Thanks for viewing my video on How To Clean And Restore A Burnt Wok.
When the petina surface is built up over time, it should make the surface non-sticky, or at least less sticky. A carbon steel wok, when heated up high, does not add flavor, but should give a slightly smoky sear, which is almost like a char to the food that is stir fry. Thanks for viewing my video on How To Clean And Restore A Burnt Wok.
I'm assuming you have a carbon steel wok and not a carbon steel wok with non-stick coating on the cooking surface. A new carbon steel wok will flake off and also have rough edges build up. Just use the salt scraping method in this video to clean your wok. You don't need to strip down your wok. With a new wok, you only need to use this salt scraping method every few months. After a few years, your patina surface will form so you hardly ever need to restore the surface. Don't worry about scraping off the surface. The patina surface will continue to build. Be sure to oil your wok after every use to prevent rusting. Thanks for viewing my video on How To Clean And Restore A Burnt Wok. Happy wok cooking!
I'm assuming you have a new carbon steel wok. It's o.k. if it's black. If there is a buildup of burnt food on the bottom, you can remove the buildup using the cooking oil and salt cleaning method in this video. If you really want to strip down the wok a little bit more, I would a can of tomatoes or tomato sauce and some regular white vinegar into the wok. Let it simmer for about 20 minutes. This would strip the wok more. Then rinse the wok and reseal with cooking oil in the usual way. Usually don't cook anything with acid, such as tomatoes and vinegar in a carbon steel wok. For cleaning a carbon steel wok, it's o.k. I'll be doing a video on how to clean a wok using tomato sauce and vinegar. Stay tuned. Thanks for checking out my video. If you have anymore questions, let me know.
I burned some food in a carbon steel wok last night. It was new and the first time I'd ever used it. I got the burned food out, but there's black residue on the bottom that I can't scrub off. Right now, I have it soaking with dish soap on the stovetop. Thanks for the tips.
Don't worry too much about black residue and blotches on the bottom of your wok. This happens in a new wok and will happen for a few months, or more. The wok surface will have uneven carbon build-up and rough areas. Just use the salt and scrub the surface and re-season your wok. A wok will be sticky for awhile. Don't worry about how it looks. Just keep on cooking and after awhile, your wok will begin to develop a hard, patina black surface. Generally it becomes fairly non-sticky, if you cook with enough cooking oil. After awhile, you won't need to re-season very often. In the meantime, keep going, it will be well worth it, based on what I have experienced. Thanks for viewing my video on How To Clean And Restore A Burnt Wok. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask.
After you strip down the wok surface, it takes time to rebuild the surface. This is especially true if you have a newer wok. Thanks for viewing my video on How To Clean And Restore A Wok.
my wok is a light cast iron. i did have real heavy cast iron one at a time, but it was so heavy i dumped it. this one is much lighter but as i said never really feels clean😫thanks for writing 👍🏼
It's made of a type of steel known called carbon steel. When you cook with a carbon steel pan, the surface will develop a hard black surface. Thanks for checking out my video................................................................
Since I have a carbon steel wok, using vinegar would strip the patina finish that was built up over a long period of time. If you don't mind stripping down the wok to the metal, then it's o.k. to use vinegar and asalt. The idea of building the patina finish is to make the wok non-stick. Thanks for checing out my video on How To Clean And Restore a Burnt Wok.
I don't have a smoke detector now. In the past, I have set off the smoke detector while cooking. Thanks for viewing my video on How To Clean And Restore A Burnt Wok.
Just got a free wok on Craig's List because it was rusted and burned out. I'll be posting a video soon to restore it. Thanks for viewing my video on Cleaning A Wok.
Sorry you threw your wok away. I threw away my first wok a long time ago too. It was a hand hammered wok I bought in Chinatown. Awhile back, I found a real good carbon steel wok for free on Craigslist. It had a lot of rust on it but is in excellent condition. Hopefully soon I'll post a video on how to restore it. Thanks for checking out my video. I hope you get another wok so you can enjoy the "wok hei" of wok cooking.
This actually ruined my wok - just went on UA-cam to look up how to clean it and tried your method and it made the stain even worse, and now I have tons of scratch marks from rubbing the salt around. I wish I could share photos as my wok is completely ruined now :(
If you have a carbon steel wok, it's not ruined. If you have a new wok, it will look quite blotchy and it will have a lot of scratches but that's o.k. Continue to cook with it . Even if you cook with your wok every day, it will take months before it develops an even black patina finish. You will get a lot of uneven carbon buildup for awhile. Just repeat the cleaning process and be sure to oil your wok after every time you cook. As I was saying, if it's a carbon steel wok, it's not ruined. Let me know if you have any more questions. Please do not give up. Thanks for checking out my video.
@@DanSetoChineseCanadianRootsTV today i tryed to fry an egg in my wok. it caused a mess and stuck immediately, even though there was a good amount of oil. This is how i ended up here, however after watching your video, I pretty much do the same seasoning after each time using the wok, except without the salt and oil, i normally use scourer or similar if there was a bad burn. Also when oil coat is applied are you not meant to heat the oil up until it smokes ? Maybe the vegetable / sunflower oil is no good for seasoning?
Why not boil baking soda for 10 minutes? Then the burnt material should easily scrape off. Also, why not use grape seed oil or avocado oil to re-season since they have a higher smoke point.
Thought I'd have to throw out my wok but it's like new again now. Thank you very much.
You're very welcome. Thanks for checking out my video on How To Clean And Restore A Burnt Wok. Wishing you all the best in your cooking adventures.
even years later this is still helpful, I have a non-stick steel wok which I got in exchange for a pizza and this may have saved me from having to actually spend money on a new wok.
What a deal you made with a pizza exchanged for a wok. Your wok will last you a lifetime of happy cooking.
I have other videos on this channel and my other channel "Chinese Cooking Channel" in case you encounter other problems with your wok. Thanks for checking out my video.
That sucks, was a good chance to get an actual wok. Throw the bin stick in the bin, or over your neighbours fence if they suck.
Great video! I recently bought a "light weight cast iron" wok at Walmart. The brand name is Imusa. It is about the same as carbon steel and it was preseasoned, and I double checked to make sure it was a gimmick with some kind of non-stick Teflon coating. No, it was actually a light, thin cast iron. I works great. I could not be happier and still amazed at the price. I love cooking with cast iron and cleaning and seasoning is actually very easy to do once you learn the tricks to it. Thank you for the video!
You're very welcome. I heard the new light weight cast iron woks are pretty good. I've used a cast iron pan but not a wok. I think cast iron holds heat better too. Thanks for checking out my video.
Another excellent video, not only recipes but taking care of our kitchen equipment as well. Many Thanks! (Video worked well for me)
Great to hear! Much appreciated. Thanks for checking out my video on Cleaning A Wok.
Thank YOU for this video!!! Phewww, I thought I ruined my new wok. Thank YOU!!!
Glad I could help! Thanks for viewing my video on How To Clean And Restore A Burnt Wok. Wishing you all the best in your cooking adventures.
It's a pleasure to make your aquaintance. I am very glad that I found your podcast. Greetings with all my heard from Germany. Ying Pei (Pearl told my father) Gabriele Meyer
Greetings to you in Germany. Thanks for checking out my channel. Thanks for viewing my video On How To Clean And Restore A Burnt Wok. Wishing you all the best in your Chinese cooking adventures.
This worked with my Imusa Cast Iron Wok as well. Thanks!
Thanks for the update. If I ever get a cast iron wok, I'll know what to do. Thanks for checking out my video.
Worked a treat! So glad I found this educational clip!
Great to hear. Thanks for checking out my video. Happy cooking!
Thanks for the great video!
I like your video but more than that I like the way you answer your subscriber's questions. So I subscribed!
Welcome to my channel. Thanks for subscribing. Thanks for checking out this video.
Thank you for the video. It helped me keep my wok in tip top shape.
Great to hear. Thanks for checking out my video. HAppy cooking.
Thanks for this video. 🙏 I burnt a lot of garlic in my wok, and it really stuck into the bottom. I thought I ruined it! I ordered a wok brush and and ready to bring my wok back to life.
Great to hear. I'm sure you will bring your wok back to life. Thanks for viewing my video. Happy cooking.
This method worked great for me - thank you
Great to hear! Thanks forviewing my video. Happy wokking!
Wow! You did it without harsh chemicals! I shall try it! Thanks for sharing!
You're very welcome. All the best in your cooking adventures. Thanks for checking out my video on How To And Restore A Burnt Wok.
Salt! What do you know..lol. Absolutely will it give it a go!
End result pretty amazing
Thank you
You're very welcome. Sometimes I use coarse salt which produces even better results. Thanks for checking out my video. Happy wokking!
I am not familar with Chikan, but most of your recipe is familar to me especially claypot rice. Thanks for sharing! May the lord protect you and stay healthy!
Chikan, known as "Chiak Hom" in Hoiping dialect, was largely unchanged for 70 years. A few years ago, they were completely shut down for renovations. Most of the people living there moved out. They served most of the traditional foods there when it was open. They cooked the claypot rice over a wood burning stove. Thanks very much for viewing my video on How To Clean And Season A Burnt Wok. Best wishes to you and your family.
Hi, thank you for the guidance. Can I use the same method if there are rust on the wok? Thank you.
For rust, I would scrub it with an SOS wire scrub pad or dutch cleanser with water. Then rinse out the wok well with water. Then heat up the wok and reseason with oil again. I'll be doing a video on restoring a rusted wok, so hopefully I'll post that soon. In the meantime, check out some of the videos on UA-cam dealing with cleaning and restoring rusted woks. Thanks for viewing my video on How To Clean And Restore A Burnt Wok.
My wok has become very Smokey when cooking. There are a few rough spots around it presumably from food sticking. Will try your method and see if wok stops the smoking 👍
If your wok is new or newer, it will take a bit of time to build up a good, nonstick patina. You have do this salt cleaning method more often. Later on, you won't have to do this cleaning method as often. Thanks for checking out my video. Wishing you all the best with your wok. If you have any difficulties, let me know.
@@DanSetoChineseCanadianRootsTV thank you for your reply. Love the videos 👍👍
Much appreciated.@@derekmurran3417
@@DanSetoChineseCanadianRootsTVso the salut did something magic?
oh wow I've never seen this done like this. Thank you!
You're very welcome. Thanks for viewing my video on How To Clean And Restore A Wok. Thanks for subscribing to my channel.
Super useful video. Thanks!
You're very welcome. Thanks for checking out my video. Happy cooking!
Thanks man, this video is incredibly useful.
Great to hear. Thanks for checking out my video.
Thanks for the good video. Going to try on one of my woks. One question saw your oil dispenser do you know where you got it? Didn't see it listed in your Amazon recommended cooking tooks. Thanks
I got the oil dispenser at a local Chinese supermarket. I didn't like it at first and almost discarded it but now I really like using it. Sorry I couldn't find any for sale on Amazon. Thankd for viewing my video.
Hi thanks for this, at the last stage do you put the heat back on and make out hot and smokey with the oil all around?
After rinsing with water, some people like to turn the heat on to dry the water and then oil the wok again.
A lot of time I don't turn the heat back on. I just dry the water on the wok with a napkin and then rub the oil on the wok without turning the heat on. Thanks for checking out my video. Wishing you all the besgt in your wok cooking adventures.
Thank you, sir. This is so helpful!
You're very welcome. Thanks for checking out my video on How To Clean And Restore A Burnt Wok.
This guy knows !!!!!!
Much appreciated. Thanks for viewing my video on How To Clean And Restore A Wok. Wishing you a Happy New Year.
Thank you Sir, God bless you. I really needed that advice for my new wok 😊🙏😍💞
Glad it was helpful! Generally a good quality carbon steel wok will last a long time and nothing will really ruin it. If you encounter any problems, please let me know. I'm sure you will be making some fantastic dishes with your wok. Thanks for viewing my video on How To Clean And Restore A Burnt Wok.
Question does this allso work for burnd thick oil that is on the wok?
Yes. Your wok may look a little blotchy for awhile, but that's normal. Over time, the carbon surface will rebuild again. Thanks for checking out my video.
That was very helpful ❤
Great to heart. I hope you had a chance to cook some good food in yiur wok. Thanks for checking out my video.
Does it work if there is burn oil in the wok? ( like a film stick into de wok)thank you.
I have had oil burned into the wok a few times. I used my bamboo brush or a soft pad just to clean it a bit but it doesn't really matter that much. After a few times cooking, the oil film is not noticeable. Thanks for viewing my video on How To Clean And Restore A Burnt Wok.
Thank you...love my wok and burnt it...great information...
You're very welcome. Your wok will be better than new after you restore it. Thanks for viewing my video on How To Clean And Restore A Burnt Wok.
This worked! Thanks a lot.
You're very welcome. thanks for checking out my video on Cleaning And Restoring A Burnt Wok. Wishing you all the best in your Chinese cooking adventures.
I have an old wok left to me from a dear friend. It is in poor condition and I thought I would throw it out. I will give this technique a try and give you an update. Thank you, Sir.
It must be a great wok if you dear friend left you the wok to you. It is well worth saving. Try using steel wool such as SOS pad to remove rust and carbon coating. You can also use dutch cleanser but better to use "barkeep" cleanser if you can find it. Once your wok is clean, since well with water. Then dry off thr wok and keep your wok oiled after each use. After your wok is reseasoned, use the salt technique in this video, After awhile, you do not need to do the salt technique very often. Just clean the water with a brush after each you cook and oil the wok with a tablespoon of cooking oil every time.
Please let me know how it goes. I'm sure you have a wok that is worth saving. I regret throwing out my first wok years ago just because it had a lot of rust on it. Thanks for checking out my videro. Wishing you all the best in your wok cooking adventures.
thank you so much for the good video!
My pleasure! Thanks for checking out my video. Happy cooking!
Will this method strip the seasoning? I have some burnt oil residue around the center but it's still fairly smooth, just not as smooth as the very center. Should I repeat until very smooth? Thanks so much for this video!
Don't worry about how your wok looks. It's going to look blotchy and uneven for awhile. If the surface is fairly smooth, you're o.k. If there's carbon build up or rough patches, use the salt method to make the surface more smooth. Don't worry about stripping the wok. Continue to keep on using your wok and the surface will easily rebuild again.
Question. Does this work if there were no food items in the wok? I made a huge mistake and left my wok on the fire (no oil or food) and went to respond to an email. I completely forgot and 20 min later I came back cuz I smelled the smoke and turns out my wok was burnt. Can I use this technique to fix my wok?
Yes, you can, assuming you have a carbon steel wok. The oil and salt will scrape and sand down the uneven carbon buildup. Wash and re-season as in the video. TYhanks for your question and thanks for viewing my video on How To Clean And Restore A Burnt Wok.
Hi, I inherited 2 woks from my late aunt. One is ok , the other has stuff encrusted on the upper half to top edges. I hope this works. Thanks.
Mine is cast iron tough.
Have you tried cleaning your woks yet? If your woks have a lot of rust, you might try using steel wool with Dutch cleanser and then rinse them off thoroughly. with water. Oil the woks each time you cook of course. Thanks for viewing my video on How To Clean A Wok.
I did use steel wool but it doesn't do the trick. Wil look at your video. Thanks
In trying to season my new wok, I burned oil on it and it doesn't want to scrub off. Would this work for burnt on oil?
Not to worry. Burning oil in a new wok is common. Check out my video on Seasoning A New Wok on my other UA-cam channel called "Chinese Cooking Channel" : ua-cam.com/video/uoD17BXoy9Q/v-deo.html
Your wok will look blotchy for awhile. Use the salt scrubbing technique in this video to clean and restore your wok whenever your wok surface is rough or when there is carbon buildup. You might have to do the salt scrubbing every 1 or 2 weeks if you are doing a lot of cooking. Eventually, when a good black patina surface is built up, you will hardly ever need to do it.
Thanks for checking out my video. Feel free to ask any more questions. Happy cooking!
Just what I was looking for today after leaving some orange beef residue behind.
Great to hear. Thanks for checking out my video.
Hey Dan, thanks for the great vid. I have a quick question? Is there a clear way to know if you've over heated your wok and should then re-condition it? I just bought my wok and I was preheating it before stir frying when I noticed the new seasoning start turning somewhat black and I wonder if that's a bad sign?
Thanks again for your help and the vid,
Chris
Generally, when you buy a new a carbon steel wok, it will get bumpy, rough areas. That's when you may need to recondition your wok. The whole surface of your wok will form a hard, black surface as time goes on. Initiially, you may notice a lot of carbon coming off the wok. As time goes, there will still be some when you wipe off your wok, but far less. Thanks for viewing my video on How To Clean And Restore A Burnt Wok. Let me know how it goes.
Hello sir! Thanks for this great video. I have ruined cast iron products, and I used salt to clean the surface to get it rough, and then oiled it up, baked it, and it was good as new!
I have a question: I seasoned my wok a few months ago just like you did at the end of this video, but I did not season the bottom. And the inside was not non-stick; food stuck to the bottom easily. So recently, I seasoned the inside and outside with oil and baked it in the oven. The bottom of the wok is amazing. But the inside is still not nonstick even though I used oil and seasoned it this way.
Should I do what you did in the video with the salt and then re-season the inside?
Thanks!
Is your wok cast iron or carbon steel? I don't have any experience with cast iron woks. If it is a carbon steel wok, sometimes it takes awhile before it becomes non-stick. With a carbon steel wok, you can re-season the wok as many times as you like without harming it. Thanks for viewing my video on How To Clean And Restore A Burnt Wok. Let me know how it goes.
this is so helpful, thank you!
You're very welcome. Thanks for viewing my video on How To Clean And Restore A Burnt Wok. Happy cooking.
I definitely need to season/condition my wok. Everything sticks unless the oil gets so hot it smokes. And i didn't know better to burn off the factory coating the first time. 😢 then i think i added cold oil to a hot pan once and it made it act weird ever since thus the sticking problem. Not like i added oil or burned some onion, then kept it in. 😢
It takes awhile for the pan to get non sticky. Just condition it and start using your pan for cooking. Eventually it will be great. Thanks for checking my video.
Thank you 🇱🇰🇱🇰🇱🇰🇱🇰👍
You're very welcome. Thanks for checking out my video. Happy cooking!
I think this method might save my wok. I'm afraid I screwed up with seasoning my wok because I used a tissue instead of a kitchen paper.
Now is all sticky because the tissue got absorbed in the seasoning process with the oil.
Can I fix that into a smooth surface with this method?
Yes, this method works. Use coarser salt if you have it to make it easier to scrub.
can i use this method to my light cast iron wok?
I have never owned a cast iron wok, so I can't advise you how to season one. How do you like cooking with a cast iron wok?
It is alright if I use steel wool
You can use steel wool but it will scratch off the black patina finish in the short term. Over the long term, after cooking, the surface will be sealed again. I would only use steel wool for removing extreme buildup or rust after not using your wok for a long time. Thanks for viewing my video.
Would olive oil work?
It is better not to use olive oil because it has a lower smoke point than other oils. I use peanut oil, but you can use other oils such as corn oil, canola oil, etc. Thanks for checking out my video.
Question how does the salt need to. Stay in the wok?
Just a short amount of time, just as the oil is slightly hot. Use coarser salt if you can which makes for easier scrubbing. Thanks for viewing my video.
I used a wok for the first time a few days ago. I have no idea what I’m doing and did not realize it needed any special care. Straight out of the package, I washed it with soap and water. Then I cooked with it. When I tried to wash it that night the entire thing is sticky to the touch, especially the outside and the top parts where the food barely gets during cooking. That’s what brought me to this video, so I’m going to try this and hope that fixes things.
Great to hear you got a wok. Contrary to what people say, it takes a while to get a good, hard patina finish on your wok. Not to worry, Just keep on cooking.
For the first few months, the surface will be uneven and patchy. When that happens, just scrub it down like I do in this video. After awhile, you will hardly need to re season your wok as often. I have other videos on wok maintenance on this UA-cam channel and on my other UA-cam channel called "Chinese Cookoing Channel". If you have time, check them out.
Just make you sure clean your wok with water each time you cook and oil each time yopu cook with your wok. You can use a mild dish soap for cleaning but most times, just clean with water.
If you have any questions, let me know. Thanks for checking out my video. All the best in your wok cooking adventures.
this is great and helpful, thank you!
Glad it was helpful! Thanks for viewing my video on How To Clean And Restore A Burnt Wok.
Great tip! Thanks
You're very welcome. Thanks for checking out my video on How To Clean And Season A Burnt Wok. Happy cooking!
My first wok seasoning - I mistakenly added oil when oiling off initial chemical. There is now a thick sticky black layer all over the wok. Can I use this method to fix?
Use steel wool or similar scrub pad with dutch cleanser or barkeep cleanser to scrub the inside of the wok. Rinse the wok really well. I'm assuming you have a new wok, so follow the steps in the attached video: ua-cam.com/video/AXEtBIjKPII/v-deo.html
If you have any questions, please let me know. Thanks for viewing my video on How To Clean And Restore A Burnt Wok.
Great video ty
You're very welome. Thanks for viewing my video. All the best in your wok cooking adventures.
You can always do a voice-over for your copy and get the instructions coordinated with the visuals when you do the editing. Cheers
Yes, thank you for your suggestion. I have in the past, but it would have to do a storyboard and script for each video. Certainly, it's something I should aspire to and I appreciate your suggestion. Thanks for viewing my video on How To Clean And Season A Burnt Wok.
Can vegetable oil be used
Yes you can. I've used different kinds of vegetable oil, except olive oil, which has a lower smoking point. Thanks for viewing my video on How To Clean And Restore A Burnt Wok.
thank you this is helpful!
Glad it was helpful.
Thank you
You're welcome. All the best in your Chinese cooking adventures. Thanks for viewing my video.
Thank you so much sir
You're very welcome. Thanks for viewing my video on How To Clean And Restore A Burnt Wok.
Does this work on a preseasoned wrought iron wok?
I have never seasoned a wrought iron wok. I'm sorry I can't give you any advice. Thanks for viewing my video How To Clean And Restore A Wok.
I never own a wok. I might have to get one if I'm going to cook some of these food you show us
You should! A frying pan works well for cooking Chinese food but a carbon steel wok works better, in my opinion. Thanks for viewing my video on How To Clean And Restore A Burnt Wok.
Is it true that the patina does not serve any practical purpose in nonstick or flavouring reasons?
Thank you.
When the petina surface is built up over time, it should make the surface non-sticky, or at least less sticky. A carbon steel wok, when heated up high, does not add flavor, but should give a slightly smoky sear, which is almost like a char to the food that is stir fry. Thanks for viewing my video on How To Clean And Restore A Burnt Wok.
Will this technique work if the patina is flaking off? Or do I need to strip the wok and start over with the seasoning process? Thanks in advance.
I'm assuming you have a carbon steel wok and not a carbon steel wok with non-stick coating on the cooking surface. A new carbon steel wok will flake off and also have rough edges build up. Just use the salt scraping method in this video to clean your wok. You don't need to strip down your wok.
With a new wok, you only need to use this salt scraping method every few months. After a few years, your patina surface will form so you hardly ever need to restore the surface.
Don't worry about scraping off the surface. The patina surface will continue to build. Be sure to oil your wok after every use to prevent rusting. Thanks for viewing my video on How To Clean And Restore A Burnt Wok. Happy wok cooking!
Thank u
You're very welcome. Thanks for viewing my video on How To Clean And Restore A Wok.
I accidentally burned my wok when I reheat my leftover food now it have a black bottom. How to remove it? Thank you
I'm assuming you have a new carbon steel wok. It's o.k. if it's black. If there is a buildup of burnt food on the bottom, you can remove the buildup using the cooking oil and salt cleaning method in this video.
If you really want to strip down the wok a little bit more, I would a can of tomatoes or tomato sauce and some regular white vinegar into the wok. Let it simmer for about 20 minutes. This would strip the wok more. Then rinse the wok and reseal with cooking oil in the usual way.
Usually don't cook anything with acid, such as tomatoes and vinegar in a carbon steel wok. For cleaning a carbon steel wok, it's o.k. I'll be doing a video on how to clean a wok using tomato sauce and vinegar. Stay tuned. Thanks for checking out my video. If you have anymore questions, let me know.
@@DanSetoChineseCanadianRootsTV thanks for your time. Will try it
@@npm1421 You're welcome. Happy cooking.
I burned some food in a carbon steel wok last night. It was new and the first time I'd ever used it. I got the burned food out, but there's black residue on the bottom that I can't scrub off. Right now, I have it soaking with dish soap on the stovetop. Thanks for the tips.
Don't worry too much about black residue and blotches on the bottom of your wok. This happens in a new wok and will happen for a few months, or more. The wok surface will have uneven carbon build-up and rough areas. Just use the salt and scrub the surface and re-season your wok. A wok will be sticky for awhile. Don't worry about how it looks. Just keep on cooking and after awhile, your wok will begin to develop a hard, patina black surface. Generally it becomes fairly non-sticky, if you cook with enough cooking oil. After awhile, you won't need to re-season very often. In the meantime, keep going, it will be well worth it, based on what I have experienced. Thanks for viewing my video on How To Clean And Restore A Burnt Wok. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask.
why does my wok feel sticky after i season it? next time i use it is really crummy
After you strip down the wok surface, it takes time to rebuild the surface. This is especially true if you have a newer wok. Thanks for viewing my video on How To Clean And Restore A Wok.
my wok is a light cast iron. i did have real heavy cast iron one at a time, but it was so heavy i dumped it. this one is much lighter but as i said never really feels clean😫thanks for writing 👍🏼
Hi, It's made of steel, isn't it?
It's made of a type of steel known called carbon steel. When you cook with a carbon steel pan, the surface will develop a hard black surface. Thanks for checking out my video................................................................
Why waste Oil can I not just put Vinegar in there combined with Salt
Since I have a carbon steel wok, using vinegar would strip the patina finish that was built up over a long period of time. If you don't mind stripping down the wok to the metal, then it's o.k. to use vinegar and asalt. The idea of building the patina finish is to make the wok non-stick. Thanks for checing out my video on How To Clean And Restore a Burnt Wok.
Did the smoke detector not go off when the wok was smoking up …🙈
I don't have a smoke detector now. In the past, I have set off the smoke detector while cooking. Thanks for viewing my video on How To Clean And Restore A Burnt Wok.
What happened
And if you have a non-stick wok, you need to throw it over the fence and buy a real wok ;-o
Just got a free wok on Craig's List because it was rusted and burned out. I'll be posting a video soon to restore it. Thanks for viewing my video on Cleaning A Wok.
I just soak it with water
Soaking works really well for cleaning a wok. Thanks for viewing my video on How To Clean And Restore A Burnt Wok.
Video cut off
Video is working now. Thanks for checking out my video on Cleaning A Wok.
I threw my wok away. 😢 Wish I saw this video before I threw my rusted burnt wok into the trash.
Sorry you threw your wok away. I threw away my first wok a long time ago too. It was a hand hammered wok I bought in Chinatown.
Awhile back, I found a real good carbon steel wok for free on Craigslist. It had a lot of rust on it but is in excellent condition.
Hopefully soon I'll post a video on how to restore it.
Thanks for checking out my video. I hope you get another wok so you can enjoy the "wok hei" of wok cooking.
This actually ruined my wok - just went on UA-cam to look up how to clean it and tried your method and it made the stain even worse, and now I have tons of scratch marks from rubbing the salt around. I wish I could share photos as my wok is completely ruined now :(
If you have a carbon steel wok, it's not ruined. If you have a new wok, it will look quite blotchy and it will have a lot of scratches but that's o.k. Continue to cook with it . Even if you cook with your wok every day, it will take months before it develops an even black patina finish.
You will get a lot of uneven carbon buildup for awhile. Just repeat the cleaning process and be sure to oil your wok after every time you cook.
As I was saying, if it's a carbon steel wok, it's not ruined. Let me know if you have any more questions. Please do not give up. Thanks for checking out my video.
thank you for saving my life.. n not to buy a new one
You're very welcome. A good wok should last a long time. Thanks for viewing my video How To Clean And Restore A Burnt Wok.
Step one: Don't suck at cooking.
Unfortunately, sometimes I do. Thanks for checking out my video.
Throw an egg in there and test it
Good idea. Maybe I'll fry an egg in one of my future videos on Cleaning And Restoring A wok.
@@DanSetoChineseCanadianRootsTV today i tryed to fry an egg in my wok. it caused a mess and stuck immediately, even though there was a good amount of oil. This is how i ended up here, however after watching your video, I pretty much do the same seasoning after each time using the wok, except without the salt and oil, i normally use scourer or similar if there was a bad burn. Also when oil coat is applied are you not meant to heat the oil up until it smokes ? Maybe the vegetable / sunflower oil is no good for seasoning?
Why not boil baking soda for 10 minutes? Then the burnt material should easily scrape off. Also, why not use grape seed oil or avocado oil to re-season since they have a higher smoke point.
Why watch this video if you already know how to do it, then tell him he’s wrong? Pretty weird
I've never tried boiling with baking powder. You can use grape seed oil or avocado oil but they are more expensive than some cooking oils.
PooThirst, Thanks for checking out my video.
Thank you.
You're very welcome. Thanks for checking out my video. Happy cooking!
Thank you so much!
You're very welcome. Thanks for checking out my video. All the best in your wok cooking adventures.