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ALDI Carbon Steel Wok 30cm in Non Stick Black or Polished Silver Finish $7.99 15 Jan Onward

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Description:
Available in Non Stick Black or Polished Silver Finish
Riveted wooden handle with stainless steel hook

For other specials:
https://www.aldi.com.au/en/special-buys/wednesday-15-january…

How to season a Wok:
please read the comment below or watch the link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aZjkTPWBOf8
In the above Youtube's method, it takes around 30 mins in total to season a Wok using Oil, Ginger and Green Onion. Pretty straight forward and safe process.
Another method that is recommened by others
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_SesaUVFZ-M

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closed Comments

  • +1

    Non Stick Black or Polished Silver Finish

    Is polished silver better? as it will last longer and the coating won't fall off?

    • agree with other comments. Non-stick woks suck in short time.

    • It doesn't say what the coating is, but basically if your going to use a wok, you use the highest heat possible. Most coatings wont live long with that sort of heat

    • Its just a polished finish, and it will rust unless seasoned properly.

  • +7

    Go the polished silver then season it.
    i.e. coat it with oil and bake in oven a few hours.

    • +8

      Perhaps a dumb question: how would a wooden handle hold up in an oven for a few hours?

      • There appears to be a ring at the end of the handle. This looks just like our wok and indicates it probably unscrews, so the wood handle can be removed.

  • +9

    NEVER buy a non-stick one, you just need to season your work first.

    I bought one from Aldi last time and did the following (based on a book I read and some youtube videos I saw);

    1. Washed the coating off with soap and water (ALL woks come with a really fine coating which you cant see, otherwise they rust before you buy them). Trust me, wash it off, even if you cant see it or feel it.
    2. Burn it in with no oil - nothing, just bare steel. It took me about 1.5 hours to season mine properly. You need gas, and you need to cook it until it turns blue with the heat. I would put it on the gas, then come back every 10 minutes or so to move its position. When the whole thing turns into blue steel you are ready to move on…its actually really cool to watch the steel turn blue. Dont get discouraged if it turns a little black at first, keep cooking it on the gas.
    3. Apply a little oil, rub it around with paper towel (careful, it will catch on fire easily) into your superheated wok.
    4. Do this three times, each time the wok has to burn in until the steel turns blue
    5. Voila! You now have a non stick wok - NEVER put vinegar into it (destroys it after one use), and just wash it with soap and water and a soft brush or those bamboo stick cleaner thingies that you see chinese chefs using
    • Apply a little oil, rub it around with paper towel (careful, it will catch on fire easily) into your superheated wok.

      Can i use spray can oil

      and what type of oil is recommended to season

      • +1

        really you need to rub it into the steel. any veg oil will work just fine.

        • +1

          Don't use Canola oil. For anything. Ever.

      • +3

        I would just use vege oil or peanut oil or bran oil. Olive oil will smoke and catch on fire.

        Don't use the spray can, its so hot it will probably just burst into fire if you spray anywhere near the wok.

        All the chinese chefs on the videos I watched just seemed to use vege oil

        • This.

          Have a fire blanket handy. I've caught fire while trying to "season" a pan with olive oil.

      • This lady recommends flax seed oil. You could use linseed oil from Bunnings, if you're feeling adventerous, for a similar effect +/- poisoning…

      • +2

        what type of oil is recommended

        rice bran oil - has one of the highest smoke points :)

        http://www.woll-cookware.com.au/consumers/use-and-care-instr…
        http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smoke_point

      • Hmm… I was told never to use spray oil as it contains some times of synthetic sugars and leaves a residue behind that damages the performance of the cookware items (Well, damages the non-stick ones anyway).

    • Is there a special type of oil?

    • +1

      rehab, you burn it in 3 times, taking 1.5 hours each time? That's a lot of gas for a $8 wok!

      • rehab, you burn it in 3 times, taking 1.5 hours each time? That's a lot of gas for a $8 wok!

        actually you really only need to get it "blue" (really hot) once to burn off the oil thats on it when you get it. after that getting it that hot again will just burn off the oil you used to season it and bring you back to the start again.

        get it hot enough all over till it stops smoking, let it cool a little and rub in some cheap cooking oil then heat it more gently until it just stops smoking and turns a sort of black colour. its now seasoned. also once you wash it give it another light coat of oil before you put it away.

    • Can I ask a question - I bought a stainless steel wok from a chinese supermarket some time ago and I've never used it. The reason being that even though I've washed it several times, it still seems to have a very fine powder coating on it which keeps coming off on my fingers. Is this normal? Thanks heaps….

    • "NEVER put vinegar"

      Does this mean you can never cook with Vinegar with a wok seasoned as outlined above?

  • I've got one of these from the last time Aldi sold them - it's a beaut. Season it properly and you'll never look back.

    • do you mean a non-stick one?

      • do you mean a non-stick one?

        you dont season non stick ones…… and non stick ones suck…. and give off toxins etc… specially with a wok which you usually cook so hot.

        • I mean the carbon steel one, yes. If you season it as others have discussed it will be easy to clean.

  • Got one last time.. Put in a lill effort seasoning it and you will keep it forever. Please don't get non stick.

    • Unless you've got an electric drill and a wire wheel. ;-)

  • Once it has been seasoned, can you put it in the dishwasher?

    • +1

      I bought one of these and took it back as it was impossible to use with my induction Cooktop. It would get too hit on the bottom and shut the Cooktop down before the sides heated. I don't have a dedicated wok burner in my Cooktop though

    • I am no pro, but I would just wash it with hot water and a cloth, dry it and give it a light oil. I dont bother with soap. I do the same thing with my Japanese knives. Ain't no way I am putting them in a dishwasher.

      • Yeah i thought the idea with a seasoned wok was never to put detergent in it.

    • No. Dishwasher tablets contain grit that's like sandblasting. That's why glasses, etc. become cloudy over time. The idea is to keep the coating on. In the restaurants they just use a large straw brush, then hang up to dry. The blackened coating prevents rusting. So a dishwasher would remove that and rust starts - meaning you have grind it all off and season again before cooking - else you get a rust taste in the food.

  • Do you even season a nonstick wok??? Thought that was for bare metal woks.

    • +3

      Do not season a non-stick wok. You will burn off the non-stick coating.
      Non-stick doesn't really work for woks, which need to be searing hot for the food to taste right.
      I'm an Aussie, but I can't imagine a Thai, Malaysian, Singaporean, Viet or HongKong chef accepting the low temps a nonstick wok requires to stay safe being acceptable.

      • I should say I haven't seen these ALDI woks. If they are not TEFLON, they will be fine. You really just want bare steel you can season as mentioned up thread.

  • I thought nonstick have a chemical in them?

    • Yeah, when it first came out it was perfectly safe. Then we found out particles break off at high heat and get into the lungs and do nasty stuff. Company denies. Then like the tobacco companies, after a few years of dropping sales they admit it wasn't safe after all. They change to using a new coating which they claim is now safe again.

      Gee, I trust them SO MUCH. (Not.)

    • +5

      Dammed if they do, dammed if they don't… You'd have to skip BigW too ;-)

    • +1

      This is an incredibly ironic statement.

      • +1

        This is an incredibly ironic statement.

        i think you spelt moronic wrong? :)

    • You're offended by the non-availability of a shirt?

      • -2

        I'm offended by their compliance with whinging that essentially equates national pride with racism.

        • +3

          I'm offended by their compliance with whinging that essentially equates national pride with racism.

          im just wondering if you even understand the true nature of this issue here? its neither anything to do with "national pride" or "australia day" in as much of its self…..but im guessing your narrow view cant actually grasp the reason?

          (fwiw im white australian "first fleeter"… but i at least understand the issue)

  • I didn't even know you can season a wok. I bought an almost identical non-stick wok from Ikea for $10 about 3 years ago. I've used it about 50+ times and never had an issue with it. Best $10 I have spent. I use peanut or olive oil for making a stir fry.

  • -2

    I bought the non-stick version from Aldi last year (to replace a rusty traditional wok) and have been very happy with it. Mind you I don't need to heat my wok up to space shuttle re-entry temperature to cook my veggies ;-) I'd rather keep it at a lower practical temp even if it takes a couple mins longer with the ingredients in.

    The non-stick is no more dangerous than other pans that have it and if anything the wok is used/heated up for a shorter time than a saucepan, etc. I dare say breathing in the fumes of burning oil (while seasoning, etc) would do you more damage. Non-stick convenience and low burning oil use wins in my kitchen in any case.

    Anyone know how to remove the rust from a wok (my old one, yes I thought I had seasoned it well)? I want to give it to the op shop afterwards.

    • +2

      Anyone know how to remove the rust from a wok (my old one, yes I thought I had seasoned it well)?

      brush as much as you can off. then heat it up and use a heap of salt and a paper towel or even some scrunched up news paper to remove the rust. once the rust is removed season it again and store it with a light coat of oil after each use..

      also….. you fail at wok… it NEEDS to be searing hot well past the temps the non stick coating can handle to actually give you the result they are meant to give….

      • Totally agree with nosdan. Plus, use steel wool to scrub your old one, then season it well, and you may never want to use your old non stick one again.

      • Thanks re: rust removal tip.
        Re: searing heat, I'm just cooking some veggies, so I don't need to use the time/oil/heating energy to get the wok to a searing temperature - my veggies are cooked and half eaten by then. So it suits my needs well, each to their own (regardless of the those who neg if they are unhappy that I am happy with my wok lol).

  • +3

    Go to any Chinese grocery shop and buy a wok there.

    Once seasoned properly it will be non stick and will last much much longer than this thing.

  • +2

    At the last sale, Mum and I bought one each (she got the non-stick, I got the silver). Hers scratched on first use with a bamboo utensil and rusted up while mine's still going strong after some adventures in seasoning.

    I don't think soap and water is enough to get the coating off. It gave off a terrifying burning plastic smell as I was trying to get it to turn blue. My neighbours knocked, fearing there was an electrical fire. Next time I'd scrub it with a scourer.

    No to dishwasher (I don't even let soap touch it) or trying to season a non-stick wok. Seasoning is basically burning in layers of oil until it forms a non-stick coating on the wok. The dishwasher would remove the seasoning layer, and Teflon should not be heated to the temps required for seasoning.

  • Are these truth or myth?

    1. Not to use non stick pan in high temperature or deep fry.
    2. Do not keep cooking with scratched non stick pan. Coating layer can come off. Eating the layer may lead to cancer.
    • +2

      Truth:

      "Concerns have been raised over the possible negative effects of using PTFE-coated cooking pans. When pans are overheated beyond approximately 350 °C (660 °F) the PTFE coating begins to dissociate, releasing byproducts (PFOA) which can cause polymer fume fever in humans and can be lethal to birds.[2][5][6]

      Processing of PTFE in the past used to include Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) as an emulsifier, however PFOA is a persistent organic pollutant and poses both environmental and health concerns, and is now being phased out of use in PTFE processing."

      From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Non-stick_pan (see references)

      Woks are supposed to be used at high temperatures, but you can't really do that with non-stick ones.

      • +1

        PFOA is of more concern than PTFE and whilst most good non-stick cookware is PFOA-free, Gastrolux is also PTFE-free :)

    • Few people in Australia would get their wok hot enough to worry about teflon fumes.
      But if you are cooking on a charcoal stove, in a room filled with oil-smoke, you might.
      Or one of those 55Mj burners linked below.
      OTOH, cooking that hot will create carcinogens in the food too.

  • +3
    1. To get a good result (with a plain STEEL wok), buy a BBQ gas bottle and a 3-ring LPG burner like this: http://tinyurl.com/mt9xcjp - that's for the pic only so you know what to look for. Check local camping/gas refill stores instead of ebay, because we paid about $25 for our burner. These are just ok and only if you're cooking small amounts - say a couple of takeaway containers full. However with a family, we nearly fill our wok. So it often struggles to heat on this size burner. We're looking at going bigger. So…

    2. To get GREAT (chinese restaurant-like) results, the minimum recommended is a 55MJ burner like one of these: http://tinyurl.com/kpb2yru

    3. But for EXCELLENT results (doing cooking chinese for a crowd?), go higher in MJ, like this:
      http://tinyurl.com/ktebaez

    • I looked into getting #3 but they arnt sold with a housing. I.e you still need to put this into a stove or make something up. Possibly fits in a BBQ spot.

      • Yeah, true. Just thought someone would chime in if I didn't include it. We only have #1. It really isn't enough heat unless you cook small amounts. We want #2. Did some research online and found 55MJ is the minimum that should be used.

  • What do you guys cook in your woks?

    I've never needed one…

    • +4

      Basically every stir fry add in generous oyster sauce, touch of soy sauce, add some garlic and spring onions, normal onion cut finely, then add whatever vegies you have, carrot, bits of potato, celery, capsicum, bok choi/pak choi etc, add any diced meat, even fried egg or mince. Make steamed rice on the rice cooker, mix and serve.

    • Everything/anything a chinese restaurant does. Better paying $4 a dish than $17. (The last time I looked, that was what they wanted for a cup of chicken meat & vegetables in sauce.)

      Search youtube/bittorrent/etc. for a UK show called "Chinese Food in Minutes". She uses one in the street to show people how to cook asian/wok food themselves.

  • +2

    as per other comments, the best woks are seasoned carbon steel ones - dirt cheap :)

    SKK and WOLL are the best nonstick cookware - they can handle high heat up to 250-300c
    http://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/116496#comment-1594700

    good nonstick pans need little or no oil – use rice bran oil if you must
    http://www.woll-cookware.com.au/consumers/use-and-care-instr…

  • +1

    The care and use instructions say:

    Your Traditional Carbon Steel Wok does need to be 'seasoned' before use.
    Seasoning your wok helps to protect the surface from deteriorating and helps to draw out any impurities or moisture in the metal. A well seasoned and cared for wok will develop a semi non stick surface over time.
    To season:
    1. wash well in hot water with a small amount of liquid detergent to remove the manufacturer's protective coating.
    2. rinse and dry thoroughly
    3. heat over very high heat until the metal changes to a blueish - yellowish colour
    4. wash with cold water and dry over the flame. Repeat this step 2-3 times.
    5. add 1/2 cup salt and stir for a few minutes. The salt helps to draw out any moisture or impurities.
    6. rinse and dry
    7. use a paper towel to rub a thin film of oil (about 1.5 teaspoons) over the entire inside surface of the wok.
    8. heat the wok on medium-low heat for about 10 minutes.
    9. wipe off the oil with a new paper towel. There will be black residue on the towel.
    10. Repeat steps 7 through 10 until no black residue is present on the paper (about 3 times). The wok is now ready to use.

    After use:
    Wash the wok in warm water with mild detergent, and dry.
    Then follow steps 7-10 again before storing. This will ensure the wok maintains a protective coating.

    Note - if you need to scour the wok, it is best to add salt and 'scrub' over heat.

  • +3

    got one - can i leave it out in the sun in melbourne and season it that way ?

    • +1

      yes.. bbq at the same time too.

  • +2

    FWIW I picked one up for an elderly friend.

    IMHO the seasoning instructions are completely inaccurate and if followed could see a lot of folks damaging the wok.

    The first PITA with the wok is that instead of having a thin layer of oil etc to protect it from rusting before sale this one has been sprayed with some kind of plastic! You can scrub with whatever you like but you'll still have to burn this off and then scrub the residue off to commence seasoning properly.

    When I trierd to do this at the elderly pals place it made the whole house reek of burnt plastic despite having his range hood and kitchen exhaust both going fully…..

    I ended up taking it back to my place where I have a double ring camping burner(kinda like the one mentioned earlier by smart folks!) set up in the garage (we're in a unit) for doing asian cooking. That did the job burning it off. Takes 3 or so goes with scrubbing in between.

    HOWEVER be sure to allow the wok to COOL (atleast a bit) before you rinse it off - otherwise hot metal doused in cold water will warp!

    Oh and suffice to say if you do not have a gas cooktop you'll find it almost impossible to either remove the plastic coating fully or season the sides of the wok. Proper woks do NOT have flat bases (as this one does) and perform far superior but that aside you really are wasting your time trying to season it without a formidable gas cooktop!

    I did the salt step - despite being VERY dubious as to it providing any benefit at all…….never heard of this being done and doubt I'd do again (didn't do when I did my own wok a decade or so ago).

    Make sure you use an oil with a high smoke point e.g rice bran (great allround oil!!!!), canola, sunflower or peanut etc. Olive oil has a VERY low smoke point and is not recommended for seasoning metal cookware.

    The most important thing when putting the oil on is to apply it to the wok when it's atleast warm and apply it VERY THINLY - don't put loads in - the idea is to carbonise the oil in a very thin layer a NUMBER of times.

    I put 6 coats on for my pal - the whole thing is a very nice looking indigo/blue. I also recommend applying atleast a few coats of oil to the outer sides of the wok and perhaps only one on it's outer base - purely for rust protection and the food you'll dribble over the sides.

    I re-seasoned my own wok at the same time (it's a very nice carbon steel rounded bottom one I got from Cabramatta many yrs ago) - you should NEVER use detergent on any seasoned steel/cast iron as it will strip the seasoning and eventually ruin the item.

    So after use allow to cool a little then either handwash immediately or soak in warm/hot water (if you have carbonised sugars etc).

    Is actually a very good value wok for the money and does hold great heat when used with the right cooktop.

    Hope this helps.

  • I just got one from the Southland store but it was $16!
    I notice they have new specials on their site from Saturday and Wednesday - perhaps these only last for 3-4 days? But there's another sign here with specials from the 15th - 21st. Not a happy bargainer. I need to get to the bottom of it!

    • +1

      I was at Aldi Carnegie yesterday. It was still showing $7.99. It's very weird they charged you $16. I rekon it's better to return it and complain to the manager and get the difference back.

      • yeah I wouldn't pay $16 for it, you can get a full sized wok for home use for $20 from Asian supermarkets

        • Well that was pretty stupid of me. I called and spoke to a girl from their customer support team who said it was wrong and while I was on the phone I checked the receipt properly for the first time and noticed they had actually charged me for 2! She said she put in a note or something and I returned to the store last night and received the refund (feeling a little bit uncomfortable in doing so, but oh well). The support member said that new 'Special Buys' go on sale Wednesdays and Saturdays and should last until there is no stock of the subject items left!

  • I am pretty sure these are plastic coated. I can't see how that is safe.

    I put it on the wok burner after cleaning with detergent. it starts to smell like burning plastic pretty quick. I turned it over and ran a knife over the bottom. What looks to be plastic shavings comes off! Put my jet lighter on the shavings and they burn like plastic and stink like burnt plastic.

    How is this OK for a cooking implement? Not just do you get exposed to potentially toxic fumes but the pan will have plastic residue in it. I can't see how this can be fully removed.

    • After heating the wok till it turned blue with my wok burner (emitting plumes of smoke) i thought i would try running steel wool over the inside surface with some tongs. I ended up with a small pile of plastic scrapings in the bottom of the wok. There is no way to remove all this plastic, while the plastic may not be toxic by itself am pretty sure burnt plastic will be.

      Going to take it back and get one elsewhere without a stupid plastic coating on it. They shouldnt be allowed to sell a product that requires you to burn off a plastic coating inside. I had to get all the kids out of the house due to the smell.

      Others having the same problems with these type of woks: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/756530

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