Mr. Bar-B-Q Cast-Iron Wok
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List Price: Our Price: $44.00 Availability: Usually ships in 3-4 business days Category: Kitchen See more product details |
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Kitchen and Housewares Reviews of Mr. Bar-B-Q Cast-Iron Wok
Customer Review: Excellent Cast iron with so many uses.
Summary: 5 Stars
I own a LOT of cast iron. Been using it for years and have Wagner pots as well as Lodge along with some non-marked pots/pans. I cook 99% of the meals [[daily for self and wife]] using cast iron pans and utensils. Wife also has a lot she uses for camping and Historical re-enactments. So I know my Iron.
The Wok is excellent. Took a beautiful season on the first run. I had to retouch the inside bottom but an hour in the fire fixed that. It has become my favorite pot to use whether it is stir fry, fried potatoes, chicken or even stew and used almost daily-Nice size to store in the oven when not being used.
It is not near as heavy seeming as my Wagner/Lodge but it has a good 'feel' to the metal as well as 'sound' so it is definitely not pot metal or cheap cast. Nice, smooth surface and once season slick as Teflon and no mold marks or anything else to mar the surface.
Chances are I will buy one or two more-one for our camping and one in my Jeep just in case I get stuck out in the middle of nowhere on a photography expedition.
Customer Review: Solid Product...with a helpful warning
Summary: 4 Stars
If you like to make your own stir fry, and you don't mind doing a little cleaning up afterwards, this wok will be a welcomed addition to your kitchen. The heat retention of cast iron allows it to create a "seared" flavor that steel won't produce on a typical gas oven. It's heavy (like all cast-iron cookware) but the inconvenience one might experience from the weight is far outweighed by its ability to create flavorful dishes.
My only gripe about the product is best phrased as a warning - don't skimp when scrubbing off the "protective coating" before you season this wok! I thought I had scoured it all off but, after the initial seasoning, the first dish I cooked tasted like a science experiment (with a nauseating chemical flavor that beggars description). After a LOT more scrubbing and re-seasoning, its performing as I had hoped.
For almost making me retch after using it the first time, I deduct one star. Otherwise, this is an excellently constructed, rock-solid addition to any cooks kitchen...and at a price like this, it's a steal.
Customer Review: heavy and worth it
Summary: 5 Stars
I know it's a bit of trouble to use this wok. It is heavy, after all, it's cast iron. Le Creuset and other cookware have a similar construction except they are enameled. You get the same performance and possibility better since the wok becomes more stick-resistant as you go. The downside is the weight. Also, don't crack it by getting it wet when hot.
The advantages are many. It is truly unstoppable. We really enjoy stir fried vegetables cooked with as much heat as our gas stove can put out. The high temperature flavor is called 'wok hay' and is only attained at high temperature. We killed a Calphalon wok's non-stick after a year cooking too high. I wouldn't be this hard on my Le Creuset for fear of harming the finish, either.
If you take care of this wok, it will provide you with many years of use and unparalleled performance. The breaking in process is not that bad. A little bit of frying goes a long way. Just keep water from sitting in it and use soap sparingly. Once the coating has built up, it requires less care than other cookware.
Customer Review: poorly constructed - I should have listened to the reviews...
Summary: 1 Stars
For home stir-fry (and frying, too) a cast iron wok is the best way to go, but not with the Mr. BBQ wok!
Mine didn't come cracked - but it was missing the black cast-iron texturing in a big 2 X 2" spot (at the bottom of the pan where most of the cooking is done), so there was a smooth, shiny metallic spot that probably wouldn't be able to build up the cast-iron "patina". The shoddy craftmanship and Chinese origin also turned me off for another reason: I knew that every time I cooked I would worry that I was poisoning my family with heavy metals...
I sent Mr BBQ back (which is very easy with amazon) and got a pro-logic cast iron wok that was preseasoned (for only $20 more!). I would recommend you spend a little extra $ to get a better constructed cast iron wok and save the effort scrubbing and seasoning (the saved effort easily makes back the extra $). Cast-iron lasts forever (if it's well constructed!) so go ahead and spend a tiny bit extra to get one that isn't made in China.
Customer Review: Another one with a crack
Summary: 2 Stars
Arrived w/ a crack in the side. Didn't notice it until after I seasoned it. Its made of really cheap cast iron. Spend the extra 30 or so and get a something that can take the banging around during shipping and will outlast your grandchildren. I'm returning this and getting the lodge cast iron wok.
Ohh, and the oil they treat it with so it doesn't rust before purchase is really hard to scrub off. Get one that's pre-seasoned. You still need to scrub off the wax they use to pre-season then season it yourself in the oven but its not toxic. The oil on this wok is a nasty black/grey color and smells like a gas pump when you season it even after scrubbing it out multiple times before hand.
At least amazon is picking up the tab for shipping this defective item back(reason for 2 stars. The product gets 0 stars). Shipping was speedy but the item was not packed well. Like everything else I order that's not a book and shrink wrapped to a cardboard "plate".