I was worried that this wok was all hype and I’d fallen into the Reddit comment trap but I can genuinely tell you it’s worth the money. It heats up quickly but also doesn’t stay burning hot so you maintain a high level of heat control on the stove which is amazing for delicate dishes. Friends and family have already commented that my food tastes better and some of them didn’t even know I used the wok!
Aside from being the kitchen tool I’d always wanted, it’s beautiful to look at. It’s hammered perfectly round and smooth and is clearly high quality. I’m so glad I took the plunge and trusted Reddit! lol

This is going to be a long post TLDR: it's good, safe, great for low and high heat cooking on UK gas stoves and I like it!

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We're actively replacing all our non stick cookware with stainless steel, cast iron and carbon steel, doing away with convenience for long term health, as should you!

I'm the kind of person who spends days looking at all kinds of reviews from all over the place however obscure, and then mulling over it and comparing the products, so I didn't just decide to buy this because it seemed expensive. I'm very averse to spending on stuff I don't need, however I will splash out on products that I think balance both form and function perfectly and are built to last.

It was a toss up between ZhenSanHuan, Master Star, Yusokata and Oxen Forge, and I found a lot of information on reddit about this wok and company, with its owner being very interactive with the community and answering questions that I had in my mind, one of those being toxicology testing, which Oxen Forge do and have proof of the results. If we're trying to get away from consuming Teflon, I then don't want to be eating Lead either. Maybe Oxen Forge should add this information to their site to help inform potential customers about quality assurance processes at some point, this for me was one of the main selling points.

You may have read that sometimes you will find rust on the wok when delivered, well in general steel does rust, and

We already have a stainless steel wok though it's not exactly non stick unless the heat is on maximum, however then you get all kinds of oil splash and the fumes accompanying it.

This wok can be used at low heat pretty reliably and because of its thickness you don't need a traditional wok burner in a Chinese restaurant for high heat applications, these can be used (the flat button at least) on most gas stoves here in the UK.

It was pretty much non stick the first time I used it after the initial seasoning recommended on the site, which I totally didn't expect, I thought it would be like my cast iron pan that would take a few more uses before it happened.

This wok is very versatile in that it can cook on low and high heat as heat retention on it is pretty good. Over time I think it might be able to do even lower heat with additional seasoning built up, which is what non stick pans are generally better at.

Even though the wok is heavy, it's very quick to heat up compared to a cast iron pan. Heats up slower than some non-stick pans obviously but who wants to eat Teflon?

I do need to get a bamboo scrubber for this as that's preferred method for cleaning, though a normal dish scrubber is fine with washing up liquid. Maintenance for anyone converting over to carbon steel and cast iron, it takes like 30 seconds every time you finish using it.

In terms of delivery time, I ordered on 04/12/2024 and the item got to me on 23/12/2024 so yes just in time for Christmas! Import tax and delivery is included in the price, which isn't something I expected though Oxen Forge should advertise this a bit more.

Those who want to move away from non-stick as we did and want something that isn't mass produced and low quality, but instead is excellently hand forged single piece, integrated handle, safe, beautiful (as far as woks go) as well as tough, then this is it.

Simply- it works well

I was apprehensive to buy the flat version of this wok for use on my induction cooktop.
($1000, Samsung from 2023) due to warping concerns. After a month of use I'm happy to report no problems of any kind, it came in beautiful condition and well packed in about two weeks after ordering.
Really fun to use, easy to season and has become almost nonstick. I do watch carefully heating it while empty and crank it up only when I add the ingredients to be cooked.
Highly recommended! May be a bit small for some, just about 12.5 inches at the top.

Beautifully made and cooks food so well. Only wish it came in larger sizes.