How to Temper a Wok

Start your Asian-inspired cooking off right with a well-seasoned wok.

Woks are traditional Chinese pans used for stir-frying dishes of meat and vegetables. They are characterized by sloping sides and a deep, wide opening. Woks that are made of steel or iron need to be tempered -- also referred to as seasoning or curing -- before using due to the porous nature of these metals. Tempering a wok creates a slick, glassy surface for food to glide off of rather than stick to. It also protects the pan from rust. Does this Spark an idea?

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Dish soap
Warm water
Steel wool
Vegetable oil
Paper towel
Baking sheet
Oven
Oven mitts

Instructions

- 1
  
  Submerge the wok into a sink of warm, soap water and scrub the surface with steel wool. This removes any coatings or films that the manufacturer may have applied to the pan's surface. Rinse after scrubbing.
- 2
  
  Preheat the oven to 500 F.
- 3
  
  Fold a paper towel in half then pour a few drops of vegetable oil onto the towel.
- 4
  
  Wipe the entire interior surface of the wok with the oiled paper towel. Ensure the entire surface is well-moisturized.
- 5
  
  Place the wok facing downward onto the baking sheet then put it into the hot oven. Let the wok heat for 30 minutes. As it heats, the oil will be absorbed into the metal, creating a smoother surface for the pan.
- 6
  
  Remove the wok using oven mitts and allow it to cool to room temperature. Repeat the oiling and heating process two to three times to get a strongly seasoned wok that is ready for cooking.