The 8 Best Woks You Can Buy, According To Experts
The 8 Best Woks You Can Buy, According To Experts
Derived from the Chinese word for “cooking pot,” woks have been a do-it-all kitchen tool way before the Instant Pot. In fact, these oversized pans are believed to have been invented during the Han Dynasty, about 2,000 years ago. But considering its storied history and reputation for consistent, even heating, it's high time to rethink the notion that woks are only useful for making stir frys, noodle dishes, and various Chinese-American recipes. As it turns out, woks can be a real game-changer when preparing a variety of dishes, including braised lamb shanks, a whole slew of soups and sauces, and just about any other stovetop dish you can think of. You can even deep-fry food, boil pasta, and steam vegetables.
“The wok is a very versatile tool,” said Chef Shirley Chung, a Top Chef alum and owner of Ms Chi Cafe in Culver City, CA. “From stir frying leafy greens and wok frying noodles or fried rice, to deep-frying anything, one wok can replace multiple pots and pans in the kitchen.”
We knew that if we wanted to find out which wok is best, we needed to turn to some world-class experts, so we asked Chung and Chef Ching He Huang, a U.K.-based TV chef and cookbook author, to school us on how to choose a quality wok. We also sat down with Nicole Papantoniou, Director of the Good Housekeeping Institute’s Kitchen Appliances & Culinary Innovation Lab, to discuss her team’s quest to find the best woks for cooking in nearly every situation.
We’ve rounded up the eight best woks you can buy for your own kitchen—including the ones used by professional chefs and the best kind for gas stoves—plus tips for what to make in them.
A wok can be a real workhorse, but if you’ve got the space (and budget), there’s no shame in souping up your cookware collection with additional pots and pans. Whether you’re seeking a stainless steel, ceramic, or nonstick set, we’ve got you covered.
Our top picks
- Best Wok: Calphalon Signature Hard-Anodized Nonstick Flat Bottom Wok
- Best Budget Wok: Joyce Chen Classic Series Nonstick Wok
- Best Splurge Wok: Staub Perfect Pan
- Most Versatile Wok: HexClad Hybrid Stainless Steel Wok Pan
- Best Carbon Steel Wok: Made In Blue Carbon Steel Wok
- Best Non-Traditional Wok: Anolon Advanced Hard Anodized All Purpose Pan
- Best Nonstick Wok: Scanpan Classic Wok
- Best Electric Wok: Breville Hot Wok
How we picked these products
To find the best wok, we turned to plenty of pros, but especially our friends at the Good Housekeeping Institute. Their team of on-staff experts—which includes all types: engineers! data analysts! registered dietitians!—rigorously put everyday products to the test (and then more and more tests) in their New York City-based labs to determine which ones you can trust.
The Kitchen Appliances & Culinary Innovation Lab has not formally tested woks this year, but considering they’ve assessed more than 100 lines of cookware over the years, you can rest assured that each of these recommendations has been fully vetted to guarantee their discerning standards are met, if not exceeded. Each of their recommendations was evaluated based on this expertise, as well as user reviews, brand reputation, cleanability, material, and construction. After sitting down with Papantoniou to discuss her team’s research and fieldwork, we’ve determined that these are the best woks you can buy in 2022.
Nicole Papantoniou, Ching-He Huang, and Shirley Chung way in on their favorite woks, including the best carbon steel wok, the best electric wok, and more.
