Discount Best Download Lodge Pro-Logic P14W3 Cast Iron Wok, Black, 14-inch

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $80.00
Sale Price: $49.97
Today's Bonus: 38% Off

Like all tools in the kitchen, this one has the exact qualities that make it a phenomenal wok that's representative of CAST IRON cookware.

A. It's heavy cast iron, which means it retains heat exceptionally well. Because of the high thermal mass, you'll have to be patient as the wok takes a few minutes to heat up while on the stove. After it heats up, you'll be rewarded with long-lasting high temperature heat (if desired... it's really for you to control... steady medium or low is very attainable, too) perfect for doing restaurant-style stir-frying at home. That is, you can toss food in the pan without worrying that the pan will cool off and boil/steam your food with the escaping moisture. Searing on the home stove is well within this wok's capabilities. All of this just requires patience.

B. It's a wok, which means that the heat is concentrated at the bottom and tapers off going up the sides. You control how you cook your food by where you situate it relative to the bottom/center. The non-slippery surface of the wok makes this possible, since you can slide food up the sides to reduce the amount of heat it gets exposed to, and the food will stay, rather than fall back down to the bottom, like a teflon-based non-stick surface.

C. It's pre-seasoned, so it's fairly non-stick. I have yet to experience having anything completely stick to it while cooking, whether it's coated meat, stir-fry, vegetables, or egg scrambles.

Because it's heavy cast-iron, you get all these benefits that you don't find with the typical woks you see in the marketplace. Compared to traditional woks, this is not one that you'll be handling while you're cooking. Once it heats up, it gets hot... real hot... including the handles. You'll be scooping food out of it rather than pouring food from the wok to a plate, and you'll be leaving it on the stove over dinner until the thing cools down enough to handle. BE CAREFUL! (wouldn't want anyone to experience any nasty surprises)

Also, since it's cast iron, this piece of cookware requires a bit more TLC than your ordinary anodized aluminum/teflon-coated cookware. You won't be washing this with soap, rather Lodge recommends hot water and a stiff brush, and you'll need to keep it dry and seasoned (rubbed with oil) when you're storing it. It's a bit of extra work, but to me, it's completely worth it as even quality teflon-coated pans will wear out far sooner than well cared for cast iron cookware.

At the end of the day, I still use my anodized aluminum/teflon-coated cookware when what I'm cooking calls for it. I reach for my cast iron pieces to do the job they're best suited for... anytime I need steady heat, high temperature cooking, and/or searing capability. It's just a matter of using the right tool for the right job.

Honestly, I'm so glad Lodge makes affordable cast iron cookware. I've been wanting to pick-up some cast-iron pieces for a while. Until I found Lodge via Amazon.com, I have always turned away disappointed when I see how much Le Creuset costs at retail stores. Thanks, Lodge & Amazon.com!

Click Here For Most Helpful Customer Reviews >>

Unless you have a professional quality cooktop (Garland, Wolf, etc.), the typical American stove does not produce enough BTUs to properly heat the traditional rolled steel wok. No matter how long you heat it, it will cool too quickly and the food will boil instead of sear.

However, a pre-heated (I give it at least 10 or 15 minutes) cast iron wok holds on to enough heat to enable you to properly stir-fry. And cleaning is not that bad. After removing the food throw in a cup or two of very hot water and scrub with a stiff, non-nylon (it melts) kitchen brush (a grill brush is ideal). Pour out the dirty water (ok, this is a trick because of the weight), put it back on the heat to boil off any excess moisture, and wipe it with an oiled paper towel and let cool.

By the way, if you like to deep fry, a cast iron wok runs circles around most any fry rig and requires less oil. In fact, deep frying is a great way to season or re-season the wok.

If you want a wok with less maintenance, anodized aluminum (Calphalon, Circulon, Analon, et al) is really your only other choice. It does not sear quite as well because it does not have the same heat retention, but it does a good job because it is so thermally conductive liquid evaporates before it can pool. It works especially well with vegetables and white meats. A little hot water, dishwashing liquid, and a scrubby sponge is all you need.

Best Deals for Best Download Lodge Pro-Logic P14W3 Cast Iron Wok, Black, 14-inch

So I've had a dozen or so WOKs but none that hold the heat so well and cook so evenly. I use it mainly on the gas burner with the high heats, where all the others just don't do well at all, and am thoroughly impressed by it.

The flat bottom does justice when on a traditional electric range and is just as effective in cooking.

I wouldn't buy any other WOK after getting this one, unless of course I need a second duplicate one.

Honest reviews on Best Download Lodge Pro-Logic P14W3 Cast Iron Wok, Black, 14-inch

I bought mine at the Lodge Outlet store in Tennessee this winter and paid $35.

Before that, I'd scored a LeCreuset 14" wok on ebay. I was heartbroken when it fell off the top of my fridge, broke against the edge of the dishwasher -and I was nearly broken-footed, too. Buying the LeCreuset wok was the end of 2 years of research and planning. I am a very serious ex-pro caterer, and I don't let junk in my kitchen. Most of my cookware is Chantal or LeCreuset; I like the really good stuff.

I was skeptical that a >$50 wok could stand up to the memory of that beloved piece of cookware -and now do I feel like a sucker for having spent so much on it in the first place! This wok soaks up heat, is bigger than the LeCreuset, and does a beautiful job of stir and deep frying. It is totally nonstick as long as you use safflower oil and know what you are doing -I heat the wok for 15 minutes on a high burner, then put in my oil seconds before I put in my prepped food. Cleanup is a snap -if anything does stick, I just scour it with steel wool -no useless ceramic or enamel coatings, just cast iron.

Cast iron, seasoned right, will clean easily without soap. If you can't deal with not using soap, go back to using T-Fal nonstick.... NEVER use soap on this pan -it's a sin against nature. Little pores in the iron bond with oil in the "seasoning" process, and soap ruins them (and gives food a soapy taste if it gets in the pores). This wok's pre-seasoning is really impressive, though I did oil it thoroughly before I used it, because I am a geek.

I would pay $100 for this wok if I had to; the LeCresuet costs $179 at the outlet, $239 reatil. The Amazon price for this one is a steal.

I am also going back to that outlet in Tennessee with more money next time -Lodge has an enameled line of cookware that's pretty -but I'm a convert to real cast iron.

PS I also bought their 2 burner griddle at Target -again, why buy LeCreuset's for 3 times the price? Griddles can warp over time, no matter how nice they are, so I didn't want to pay that much. The Lodge product is comparable to superior!

Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Best Download Lodge Pro-Logic P14W3 Cast Iron Wok, Black, 14-inch

This is an awesome wok! I have had several woks over the years, but none I have liked as well as this one. I will keep this one forever. I read cast iron wok reviews where people have not liked the weight of a cast iron wok, but the weight is a plus for me. The weight keeps it on the burner while I am doing fast work, adding ingredients and stirring. The only time the weight is not a plus is when serving the food. But since I never pick up the whole wok to serve anyway and scoop out of it, so that is not a problem either. For cast iron, it is not that heavy anyway. The handle design is a plus too, the handles cool down fast and act like ears that set the wok on a double sink edge to rinse after cooking. The pre-seasoning really performs fantastic, it starts out being pretty much non-stick. The only time I have had trouble was when I put oil in the wok before it got real hot, then things didn't cook as nicely, and stuck a little. But after reading Grace Young's Breath of a Wok, I learned how to cook in the wok properly, and I completely and absolutely love this pan.