M.V. TradingMIRW250V Personal Mini Traditional Asian Cast Iron Wok, 9.75-Inch Diameter, 2.5-Inch Height, 10.5 Inches with Handle

I suppose I am looking for the universal cooking utensil. I like the fact that this is Wok is made of gray cast iron, but the cast iron walls are very thin; so, the Wok is surprisingly lightweight. But being that a Wok is meant to be used over an open flame and has a round bottom to collect the liquids in a local spot, it should not matter if it were steel and warped over time due to thermal cycling. Gray iron does not warp like other alloys; it has excellent resistance to thermal fatigue. But if I drop this thing, it is a gone'r.The 16 inch Traditional Cast Iron Wok was not as deep as I had hoped, and the 16" Wok Lid that is supposed to fit (Lid for 16" Wok (dome lid 18 gauge)) is not such a good match. This Wok is 16-1/4" diameter, but the 16" (nominal size) Wok lid mentioned in the link above measures 14-3/4".I have since ordered another lid: Winco WKCS-15 Wok Cover, 15-3/8", Stainless Steel. Forget the other lid. This one is much better. Not only does if fit, but it does not rotate about the handle like the other lid. And the handle on the Winco lid does not get hot either.The finish on the Wok is not exactly as-cast either. Apparently there was a slight defect on the surface (rat-tails, in foundry terms) and there appears to have been considerable material removal subsequent to casting to produce something more esthetic. It is obvious by the swirling marks that it was worked by something. And that is fine. After you cook in it for a while, the original finish will not be noticeable.I do not have an oven, so the baking method of seasoning is not an option to me, but I have found that flaxseed oil is remarkably superior to olive oil - thanks to previous reviewers. I also tried some Liqui-Kelp which is a liquid iodine supplement to enhance the patina, but this did not seem to have much effect, if any.I tried the ultimate test of scrambled eggs and was not satisfied. Now I am trying to scramble eggs by using a sort of double-boiler method. I have 6 eggs in a large pyrex measuring cup, and I put the measuring cup on the aluminum rack (Aluminum Steamer Rack (fits 16 inch wok)) that was purchased separately. It works fairly well, albeit slowly. Thus I am able to season the Wok, cook eggs, eat from the same container, and only have to wash one implement - the pyrex cup (if I use a plastic fork). Ok, I have since taken this a step further and eliminated the pyrex measuring cup. Instead, I put the eggs in a plastic container - the square kind with a folding lid, meant for a purpose like restaurant take-out. You have to be careful to not heat the eggs too fast. This is a slow process. But if the Wok does not get too hot, it will not quite melt the plastic if the plastic container is sitting on a round flat rack. As long as the eggs are liquid, they are not too hot to melt the plastic. Yes, I know there are many reasons to avoid doing anything stupid like this. But you didn't know that you could melt aluminumum in a microwave either, did you? Leave this to a professional. That is my disclaimer.I have made some excellent veggies in this thing. My house smells like ginger, onion, garlic, olive oil, beet greens, chives, etc. Using pungent vegetables (chives, garlic, onion, ginger) with flaxseed oil to season iron are a great technique. I was hoping to be able to readily reduce green leafy vegetables to a condensed state, and this Wok does the trick. If I drop it and break it, I think I will just get one out of steel next time.I will say that the instructions on seasoning iron that were provided separately by email or with the Wok were excellent. It does take some usage to get it nicely seasoned. And I will say that I am considering cooking eggs in it more than previously. I just don't scramble them so much. I put some oil in the bottom before it gets too hot, and drop the eggs in, and let them cook till almost done. That way I am not moving the oil away from the eggs or the iron so much. And I mix or fold-in the eggs once they are almost done. Not quite as good as having them all scrambled up, but there is very minimal clean up, etc.Oh, and the Wok was accompanied by some wooden spoons. Those work nicely also. It prevents you from scraping away the seasoning. If you are worried about germs, just leave the spoon in the Wok while cooking and let the spoon heat up with the food.The more I use this, the more I like it. I made an improvement to the handles so that they don't heat up. I have made popcorn in it, and have just put an onion in the bottom with some oil sprinkled on top and just let the whole onion bake. It works nicely for that also. Ok, on the handles I made an extension of bailing wire. It is hard to describe, but use your imagination and you can wrap some wire around the handles and give yourself something to hold securely with both hands that will not heat up too much.Whatever I cook in the Wok adds a little more flavor to the next item. So far, after a few months, I am enjoying this Wok.addendum: I am liking this more. I do cook eggs in it now. But I don't scramble or mix them much. I put some oil in the bottom, drop in the eggs, and let them cook slowly. Then when they are about half done, I sort of scramble and fiddle with the cooked edges, and fiddle, and turn them. I don't wait till they cook through to turn. I try to keep the Wok oily so the eggs don't stick. It works pretty good. No cleanup required.

This product works very well over my natural gas stove. I washed it well with soapy water upon receiving and seasoned following the included instructions. It cleans up nicely and is developing a nice patina with use. I would recommend to anyone who likes to cook over high heat. The price is reflective of the craftsmanship. Shipping was prompt.

For those of you who are not used to a traditional wok, this one will look very strange and cheaply made. It is NOT heavy cast iron and is very thin. However, this is what a traditional wok is like. They are not thick, heavy cast iron. At first glance it appears that the metal is flawed, but once you season it properly, it will be beautiful. You must first remove the coating which looks almost like a powdery silver metal. I used an SOS pad. This is the ONLY time you should clean the wok in this way. Once it is seasoned soap should not be used to clean it. After you remove the residue, coat the wok with a thin layer of oil. I used coconut oil. But this is just a personal preference. Then put the wok in the oven for 20 min on 425. Be aware that it will smoke. So open all the windows and doors if you need to. (If the smoking bothers you then cook at 230-250 for about three hours.) Let it cool and go through the process again; scrub, oil, heat. I did this three times.Before you cook in the wok for the first time, take some oil, let it heat up, then throw in a few chives. These are not to eat,it helps cure the wok. Let them turn black, then just throw them out and you're ready to cook.I have a glass top range, and though there are those who say it is impossible to get the correct temperature for wok cooking on an electric stove, I can assure you, mine got extremely hot. Just turn the wok ring upside down. It may not be exactly the same set-up as a restaurant, but neither is a gas stove.

I read all the reviews, and I was really hoping this would be a good wok, especially for $16 plus shipping!I knew it had to be seasoned, and that unseasoned cast iron usually comes with a layer of wax or paraffin coating to prevent rust (I use a lot of cast iron), but when I took this wok out, gritty black stuff started coming off of it. I was scraping at it with just my nails, and it was like metal shavings or silica coming off of the surface of the wok (see picture), leaving lighter colored streaks behind it.So of course I tried to wash it. I scrubbed with warm water and soap (as you're supposed to do to get a wax coating off of unseasoned cast iron), but so much grit came off it turned my brush black (see picture). At this point, I was thinking no matter how much I washed or seasoned it, I would be too concerned of ingesting sand/grit (?) to eat anything that was cooked in it. My husband also looked at it and said that he didn't want to eat anything that was made in this wok. Our roommates are engineers and both of them also said it didn't look like cast iron, more like steel coated with something else (although I guess previous reviews have verified it is iron). Someone suggested it was pewter, but I didn't think so since pewter is really soft, and this, at least, was not.Then to top it all off, I was scrubbing it (and this is my fault, but it doesn't matter anyways, because paying for shipping to return it wouldn't be worth it), I dropped it. But to my surprise, the bottom of the wok cracked and pieces came snapping off (see picture). We jokingly tried to measure the mass and volume of one of the pieces (scale and water displacement) to figure out its density and probably material composition (inconclusive, measuring small volumes with a shot glass is very inaccurate). The wok was just super thin, which also defeats part of the purpose of using cast iron (its thickness retains a lot of heat, so when food is added, the temperature of the pan surface doesn't drop and you can get a good sear).I see a lot of people with good experiences with this wok, so good for them. But I didn't like this at all. I've used multiple brands of cast iron skillets, and this wasn't anything like any of them. Even after scrubbing at it, I'd be scared to eat anything out of this pan.Edit 1.16.2017: Tried to clean off my brush, which turned black from scrubbing this pan. I even ran it through the dishwasher, and it's still black. Ruined my brush. Do no recommend.

This cast iron wok is extremely thin. There is hardly any weight to it considering it is cast iron. The wok seems to have many micro fracture all over the wok. Just received this Wok and am returning this right away.