How to season a wok, step by step (carbon steel, cast iron)

When a new wok arrives, it's tempting to try it out straight away. If it's carbon steel, iron or uncoated cast iron, take the time to season it first. Allow about 45 minutes on a gas hob.

Which woks need seasoning?

Seasoning is for bare metal woks: carbon steel, iron and cast iron. Stainless steel and coated woks are prepared differently, and some are damaged by seasoning.

• Raw carbon steel or iron: full seasoning. First you burn off the lacquer or oil applied at the factory to stop rust, then you bake on several layers of oil. This is the method set out below.
• Nitrided carbon steel, like our Oniri wok: the steel has had a surface treatment that hardens it and slows down rust. There's no lacquer to burn off. Wash it with a soft sponge, dry it, then apply one or two coats of oil over a medium heat, as in step 5 of the gas method.
• Raw cast iron: season it in the oven if you can. Cast iron heats unevenly on a burner and can crack if it cools down suddenly. If the product page or the instructions say the cast iron has been pre-seasoned at the factory, washing it with a soft sponge, drying it and wiping on a coat of oil is enough.
• Stainless steel, like our Rishiri wok: no seasoning, as stainless steel doesn't hold a baked-on layer of oil. To stop food sticking as much, heat it empty for one to two minutes before adding the oil. It's ready when a drop of water rolls across the metal like a bead.
• Non-stick or ceramic coating, like our Amagi wok: never season it. Heating it empty until it smokes damages the coating. Wash it, dry it and wipe on a thin layer of oil with kitchen paper before you cook with it for the first time, then cook over a medium heat.

If in doubt, follow the manufacturer's instructions. On our site, most product pages also tell you, in the Seasoning line of the specifications.

If you haven't chosen one yet, compare all our woks or read our guide on which wok to buy.

Our pick: The Shirane Japanese Wok.

Why season a wok?

Seasoning builds a protective layer from oil and heat. Heated past its smoke point, oil turns into a hard, dry film that bonds to the metal.

This film protects the steel from rust: a bare carbon steel wok left damp can rust overnight. It also stops food sticking as much, and it builds up every time you cook. This patina is what makes old woks black and smooth.

We made a video showing how to season a wok at home. Each step is explained in detail below.

How do you season a carbon steel wok on gas?

This method is for raw carbon steel and iron, on a gas burner. Before you start, turn on the extractor fan and open a window: the lacquer, then the oil, will give off grey, acrid smoke. Keep the kitchen paper away from the flame and don't leave the hob.

1. Wash the wok in the sink in hot soapy water to remove the protective oil applied at the factory. On raw carbon steel, a scouring pad or wire wool is fine.
2. Dry it. Wipe it with kitchen paper, then put it on the heat for a minute to drive off any remaining moisture.
3. Burn off the factory lacquer. Over a high heat, tilt and turn the wok to heat the base, the sides and the rim. The lacquer smokes, then disappears, and the metal turns blue-grey: allow 3 to 10 minutes depending on your burner. Keep a wooden handle out of the flame.
4. Rinse it. Let it cool for 2 to 3 minutes off the heat, rinse it under hot water while scrubbing off the residue, then dry it on the heat.
5. Oil it while it's hot. Over a medium heat, add 1 teaspoon of oil with a high smoke point (groundnut, rapeseed, grapeseed) or lard. Using tongs and a folded sheet of kitchen paper, spread it over the whole inside surface, right up to the rim. Then wipe until only an almost invisible film is left. Keep heating, tilting the wok so the sides cook too. The oil smokes, then the surface turns golden brown. Once the wok stops smoking, turn off the heat.
6. Repeat step 5 three or four times, without soap, letting the wok cool for a minute or two between coats. The colour gets a little darker each time.

Avoid butter and extra virgin olive oil. They burn at a lower temperature and leave an uneven layer that is often sticky.

To finish, you can do as cooks do in China. Fry a bunch of spring onions and a piece of ginger, cut into lengths, in 2 tablespoons of oil over a medium heat, rubbing them against every part of the sides with the spatula for about ten minutes, then throw them away. The oil has now covered the whole wok, and tradition has it that this gets rid of the smell of new metal.

On a gas burner, a round-bottomed wok seasons well right up to the rim, because the flame runs up its sides.

Our pick: The Gassan Hand-Forged Wok.

How do you season a wok on induction or in the oven?

On an induction or ceramic hob, only the base of the wok gets the heat. The sides stay too cool for the oil to bake on.

The oven seasons the whole wok in one go, as long as it fits and has no wooden handle or plastic parts. Some handles unscrew: check before you give up on the idea.

1. Wash and dry the wok as in steps 1 and 2 of the gas method. On lacquered carbon steel, scrub hard with wire wool: at oven temperature, the factory lacquer doesn't always burn off completely.
2. Preheat the oven to 230 to 250°C. Put a sheet of foil on the bottom shelf to catch any drips.
3. Spread a thin layer of oil over the whole wok, inside and out, then wipe off the excess with clean kitchen paper.
4. Put the wok upside down on the middle shelf and leave it for 1 hour. Turn off the oven and let the wok cool down inside.
5. Repeat two or three times for a tougher patina. Keep the extractor fan on, as the oven smokes too.

It's the safest method for cast iron, which heats evenly this way. Have a look at our cast iron woks.

Our pick: The Tekari Cast Iron Wok.

If your wok won't fit in the oven, season the base on the hob following the gas method, at medium to high power. On induction, turn the power up in stages: an empty wok heated at full power straight away can warp. The sides then darken little by little as you cook. A camping gas stove, used outdoors, also lets you follow the full method.

To choose a wok that suits these hobs, read our article on induction woks.

How can you tell the seasoning has worked?

Once it has cooled, the wok should feel smooth and dry and be golden brown to dark brown. An uneven colour, with lighter patches on the sides, is normal at first: it evens out with use. The deep black of restaurant woks comes after weeks of cooking.

If the surface feels sticky once cool, there was too much oil. You'll find the fix further down.

What should you cook first in a seasoned wok?

For the first few times, go for dishes that need oil, such as a meat stir-fry or deep-frying. Every oily cook strengthens the patina.

Wait a few uses before cooking with tomatoes or vinegar, or doing long simmering or steaming. Acid and water attack a young patina and can turn it grey in places.

Our Hunan-style stir-fried pork is a good one to start with: the pork belly renders its fat as it cooks.

How do you wash a seasoned wok?

1. Wash it as soon as it has cooled a little, in hot water, with a bamboo wok brush or a soft sponge. A little washing-up liquid now and then won't strip a well-formed patina.
2. Dry it on the heat straight away. A minute is enough.
3. Wipe a few drops of oil over the inside with kitchen paper, then put it away somewhere dry.

No dishwasher, and no soaking in the sink: standing water makes steel rust within a few hours. Never pour cold water on cast iron while it's hot. To look after your wok, see also our wok accessories.

When do you need to season it again?

A wok used several times a week looks after itself: every time you cook adds a little more patina. There's no need to start again from scratch.

When food starts to stick, or a patch has turned grey after an acidic dish, add one or two coats of oil as in step 5 of the gas method. The full seasoning, burning off included, only needs redoing if rust has spread widely.

What if the wok rusts or the coating turns sticky?

Rust spots have appeared

Light rust comes off easily. Scrub the spots with wire wool or a scouring pad and a little water, rinse, dry on the heat, then add two or three coats of oil as in step 5. If rust covers the whole wok, scrub it all over and start the seasoning again from step 1.

The coating is sticky or flaking

A surface that feels sticky once cool means there was too much oil, or the layer wasn't heated enough. Put the wok back on the heat until it stops smoking, then let it cool: the film should turn dry.

If the coating is coming off in flakes, it was too thick. Scrub the damaged areas with a scouring pad down to the metal, then add a very thin coat of oil.

A well-seasoned carbon steel or cast iron wok lasts for years, and it gets nicer to use every time you cook with it. If something doesn't go as described here, email us a photo of your wok and we'll tell you what to do.