China
Hand-hammered carbon steel woks, seasoned dark and non-stick for proper wok hei.
Our story
Each wok starts as a flat disc of rolled carbon steel. It is pressed into a bowl, then hand-hammered and re-annealed until the metal is thin, even and light. You season it yourself over a flame until it turns the deep brown-black that makes food release clean and carries that breath of the wok — hei.
Where it comes from
Round-bottomed carbon steel shaped by hand-hammering, seasoned to non-stick for proper wok hei.
The bowl is pressed, then shaped and thinned by hand-hammering over the form, which is what gives it its even thinness and spring. No two are exactly alike.
Bare carbon steel can rust if left wet. Keep it seasoned and dry it after washing, and it will stay dark and smooth for years.
Rinse with hot water and scrub with the bamboo brush — no soap. Dry it over a low flame and rub on a drop of oil. That keeps the seasoning intact.
Hei is the smoky, charred 'breath of the wok' that comes from cooking over a very high flame with a little oil. A thin, well-seasoned wok is what makes it possible at home.
Round-bottomed woks suit a gas flame best, helped by a wok ring. On electric or induction, a flat-bottomed or ring-seated wok works — the ring keeps it stable.
Yes — a carbon steel wok arrives bare. You season it once by heating a thin coat of oil until it smokes and turns dark, and it becomes naturally non-stick. It gets better with every cook.
Notes from Iron Ember — new pieces and the people who make them. No noise.
