The wok you are going to replace often says a lot about the wok you are now looking for. Those who were satisfied with the convenience can continue with a ceramic wok; those who are tired of it switch to a wok without a coating.
Where can you read if a wok is PFAS-free?
The Cookinglife Wok Pan Asia ø 30 cm and the Blackwell Wok Pan Carbon Steel ø 30 cm are both made of steel and 30 cm large. The Asia has a ceramic coating; the Blackwell only gets a coating when you season it yourself. In the Beka Wok Pan Mandala Cast Iron ø 28 cm, with cast iron in its name, also has a ceramic coating. When choosing, the Asia and the Mandala belong to the ceramic woks.
'Ceramic' and 'None' are the two words you want to see on the product page in the features behind 'Non-stick coating'. If it says 'Standard', we do not count the wok among the woks without PFAS, even if it says 'PFAS-free' or 'PFOA-free'. The most well-known standard coating is Teflon, and that is itself a PFAS.
You can also check a frying pan or sauté pan this way, with our article on PFAS and Teflon in pans as help.
Does a wok without PFAS wear out?
You will probably have replaced a ceramic wok in a few years; a well-maintained bare wok you will still be using. You can slow down the wear of a ceramic coating, while a bare wok requires work from the first time you cook.
Does the cooking burn off a ceramic coating?
It does not happen all at once. However, a coated wok lasts longer if the fire or the plate is not on its highest setting.
The Cookinglife Wok Pan Black Cera ø 28 cm weighs less than a kilo when empty and can go in the dishwasher: nice if you often stir-fry and let the machine wash it. That machine does treat the coating harder than a dish brush.
Cookinglife Wok Pan Black Cera ø 28 cm
The Cookinglife Wok Pan ProForge ø 28 cm can go in the oven, up to 200 °C: handy if you want to finish or keep a dish warm. Just like the Black Cera, it can go in the dishwasher.
Cookinglife Wok Pan ProForge ø 28 cm
How much work is a wok without a coating really?
For each bare wok, the work looks like this:
Blackwell Wok Pan Carbon Steel ø 30 cm
Blackwell Wok Pan / Wadjan Cast Iron ø 32 cm
The Beka Wok Pan Maestro ø 30 cm made of stainless steel has no non-stick coating; you do not season stainless steel, and after cooking, it can go in the dishwasher. Just wait until it is really hot and use plenty of oil, otherwise chicken will stick to the bottom.
Beka Wok Pan Maestro ø 30 cm
With the three Blackwell woks, after each wash, you should put it back on the fire until they are dry, so that no rust forms. If you only have an induction plate, then the Maestro is the only one of these bare woks that you do not season on a gas burner first.
Which sets have a wok without PFAS?
In our sets with a wok without PFAS, that wok is usually ceramic, with one or two frying pans included. If you are looking for two frying pans, you are good with the Cookinglife Pan Set Black Cera 3-piece. In addition to the 28 cm wok, you get frying pans of 24 and 28 cm.
Cookinglife Pan Set Black Cera 3-piece
The Sola Pan Set Ceramic Deluxe has a larger wok, of 30 cm, with one frying pan of 28 cm.
Sola Pan Set Ceramic Deluxe
The only set with a bare wok we currently have is the Blackwell Pan Set Cast Iron 3-piece: a cast iron wok of 32 cm with a frying pan and a grill pan. If you prefer the wok separately, you can choose the frying pan from the frying pans without PFAS.
Blackwell Pan Set Cast Iron 3-piece
