Season a new carbon-steel or cast-iron wok step by step. Tick each step as you go: your progress is saved in this browser, so you can leave the kitchen and pick up where you stopped.
Carbon-steel wok
0 of 8 steps done
1.Scrub off the factory coating
New carbon-steel woks are coated in oil or lacquer so they don't rust in the shop. Scrub inside and out with hot soapy water and a scourer. If the maker's leaflet says to burn the coating off instead, follow it, with the window wide open.
2.Dry it on the heat
Rinse, wipe, then set the wok over medium heat until every drop of water has gone.
3.Heat it until the colour changes
Turn on the extractor fan and open a window. On high heat, tilt and turn the wok so the flame reaches every part in turn. The grey metal turns straw, bronze, then blue-black. Wear oven gloves: the handle gets hot.
4.Wipe on a very thin layer of oil
Let it cool for a minute. Using tongs and folded kitchen paper, wipe a thin film of a high-smoke-point oil (peanut, rapeseed or sunflower) over the inside, then wipe again as if you were trying to take it all off.
5.Heat until it stops smoking
Put the wok back on medium-high heat, moving it around, until the oil smokes and then stops smoking. The surface darkens a shade.
6.Repeat the oil and heat three more times
Several thin layers make a hard, smooth finish; one thick layer turns sticky.
7.Give it a first cook
Optional, and traditional: fry a handful of spring onion and ginger trimmings in a tablespoon of oil, pushing them around the sides for a few minutes, then throw them away.
8.Cook something oily for the first few uses
Stir-fries and shallow frying build the seasoning. Leave long simmers with vinegar or tomato until the wok has darkened, as acid can lift a new coating.
Cast-iron wok
0 of 6 steps done
1.Wash it
Most cast-iron woks come pre-seasoned. Wash with warm soapy water, rinse and dry straight away with a towel.
2.Dry it completely
Set it over low heat for a few minutes so no moisture is left in the pores of the iron.
3.Rub on a very thin layer of oil
Coat it all over, inside and out, with a little high-smoke-point oil, then buff off the excess until it looks almost dry. Too much oil leaves a sticky finish.
4.Bake it upside down
Heat the oven to 230–260 °C (450–500 °F). Put a sheet of foil on the lower shelf to catch drips, then bake the wok upside down on the middle shelf for one hour.
5.Let it cool in the oven
Turn the oven off and leave the wok inside until it is cool enough to handle.
6.Check the finish
It should feel smooth and dry. If it feels tacky, bake it for another hour. Repeat the oil and bake for a darker, tougher finish if you like.
How to use the checklists
Pick the list for your wok and press the box beside each step when it is done. Progress is kept in your browser's local storage on this device only, and "Start again" clears it. Nothing is sent anywhere.
Seasoning is a thin, hard layer of oil baked onto bare iron or steel. It stops rust and, as it builds up, food sticks less. Several very thin layers work far better than one thick one, which stays tacky. Open a window and turn on the extractor fan before you start: the smoking stages are smoky.
Got a non-stick wok? Skip the checklists and read the dos and don'ts below.
Non-stick woks: dos and don'ts
Non-stick coatings are not seasoned. The heat that builds seasoning on carbon steel is exactly what a non-stick coating must not go through.
Don't
Season it, or heat it empty. An empty pan can get very hot within minutes, and above about 260 °C (500 °F) the PTFE coating can start to give off fumes.
Use it for very high heat or flame searing. Use an uncoated wok for that.
Use metal tools, steel wool or scouring pads.
Keep using it once the coating is badly scratched, peeling, flaking or chipping.
Do
Add oil or food before you turn on the heat, and cook on low or medium.
Use wooden, silicone or plastic tools.
Wash it with a soft sponge and warm soapy water.
Turn on the extractor fan or open a window while you cook.
Follow the use-and-care leaflet that came with your pan.
Everyday care for carbon steel and cast iron
Wash it while still warm with hot water and a soft brush or non-scratch scrubber. A little washing-up liquid is fine; Lodge says today's dish soap is not strong enough to strip seasoning from cast iron. Lift stuck-on bits with a wooden or plastic scraper.
Don't soak it or put it in the dishwasher: both lead to rust.
Dry it straight away, then warm it on the hob for a minute to drive off the last of the moisture.
While it is warm, wipe a few drops of oil over the inside with kitchen paper.
Store it somewhere dry. Patchy bronze, blue and black colours are normal on a young wok and even out with use.
Rescuing a rusty wok
Scrub the rust off with steel wool or a scourer until you reach clean metal.
Wash with warm soapy water, rinse and dry completely, then warm it over low heat for a few minutes.
Season again: a carbon-steel wok on the hob (steps 4 to 6 of its checklist), a cast-iron wok in the oven (steps 3 to 6 of its checklist).
Just a few small spots? Scrubbing them off and wiping on a little oil may be all it needs.
Smoke points of wok oils
Smoke points vary with the source, the refining, the age of the oil and how it is measured, so these are ranges, not exact limits. For seasoning and fierce stir-frying, a refined oil near the top of the table is the easy choice.
Published smoke points (letters refer to the sources below the table)
Oil
Smoke point
In the wok
Source
Sunflower oil, refined
252–254 °C (486–489 °F)
Seasoning, high-heat stir-frying
A
Soybean oil (often sold as vegetable oil)
234 °C (453 °F)
Seasoning, high-heat stir-frying
A
Rice bran oil, refined
232 °C (450 °F)
Seasoning, high-heat stir-frying
A
Corn oil
230–238 °C (446–460 °F)
Seasoning, high-heat stir-frying
A
Peanut (groundnut) oil, refined
227–229 °C (441–445 °F)
Seasoning, high-heat stir-frying
A
Rapeseed (canola) oil
220–230 °C (428–446 °F)
Seasoning, high-heat stir-frying
A
Avocado oil, virgin to extra virgin
200–250 °C (392–482 °F)
Stir-frying
B
Olive oil and light-tasting olive oil
199–243 °C (390–470 °F)
Stir-frying
C
Extra virgin olive oil
177–210 °C (350–410 °F)
Gentler cooking, not seasoning
C
Toasted sesame oil
No reliable figure found
A few drops at the end, for flavour
—
A: F. D. Gunstone (ed.), Vegetable Oils in Food Technology, 2nd ed., Wiley-Blackwell, 2011. B: M. Wong, C. Requejo-Jackman and A. Woolf, “What is unrefined, extra virgin cold-pressed avocado oil?”, AOCS Inform, April 2010. A and B as compiled in Wikipedia's smoke point table. C: North American Olive Oil Association, Olive Oil Smoke Point (°C converted from its °F figures).
Buying a wok online
A flat-bottomed wok sits steady on electric, ceramic and induction hobs; a round-bottomed one needs a gas flame and a wok ring. A long wooden handle stays cooler, and a small helper handle on the other side makes a full wok easier to lift.
Sources
Singapore Food Agency, Safe practices for non-stick pans: do not preheat an empty pan; PTFE can start to produce fumes above 260 °C; cook on low or medium heat and use an uncoated pan for high heat; non-metal utensils; soft sponge and warm soapy water; ventilate; replace worn coatings.
Lodge Cast Iron, How to Restore and Season a Rusty Cast Iron Skillet: steel wool for rust, a very thin layer of oil, oven at 450–500 °F upside down with foil below, 1 hour, cool in the oven, bake again if sticky.
Lodge Cast Iron, How to Clean: soap is fine, no soaking, no dishwasher, a thin layer of oil after cleaning.
Smoke points: the sources lettered A to C under the table.
Questions
My new seasoning looks patchy. Did I do it wrong?
Probably not. A new wok often looks blotchy, with bronze, blue and black patches. It evens out and darkens with use, especially if you cook oily stir-fries for the first few weeks.
Why is my wok sticky after seasoning?
Too much oil, or not enough heat to finish it. Heat a carbon-steel wok until it smokes and then stops smoking. For cast iron, Lodge suggests another hour in the oven.
Can I wash my wok with soap?
Yes, a little washing-up liquid is fine on a seasoned wok. What does the damage is soaking and the dishwasher, which lead to rust. Dry it on the heat and wipe on a little oil afterwards.
Which oil should I season with?
A refined oil with a high smoke point, such as sunflower, peanut or rapeseed. Save toasted sesame oil and extra virgin olive oil for flavour.