Le Creuset Enameled Cast-Iron 14-1/4-Inch Wok with Glass Lid (Red)

I know this review is going to get trashed, with people howling about what Amazon reviews are 'supposed' to be. But with this review I may very well save some people a big chunk of change, so onward.

See, this product is a good example of the problem with Amazon reviews - anyone who really knows how to use a wok wouldn't even consider this product, much less buy it and post a review. So this product gets very high reviews from happy but misled customers, and much better woks costing 1/5th as much get slightly more mixed reviews from people who know what they're doing but compare one decent wok to another.

Reasons this is a poorly thought out product:

- Heavy weight hinders you when tossing food. Tossing food is not just for show - it's an essential part of the main school of wok-based cookery. It exposes food to extremely high heat in brief bursts but at the same time moderates the heat and keeps food from overcooking or burning. This is crucial for getting that flavor that only comes from proper use of a wok.

- Enamel doesn't season anywhere near as well as bare carbon steel. Seasoning is critical both for the proper flavor and to keep foods from sticking

- The cast iron pan doesn't heat as fast or as hot as carbon steel. High heat is also crucial for majority of wok-based cooking. Slower heat response is also less-than-ideal for a wok.

- I have severe doubts that the enamel coating would stand up to the extremely high heat of a real wok burner, in case you ever get a chance to use one.

- It costs five times as much as much better carbon steel woks

When you buy this pan, you are paying for a very expensive and pretty pan in a wok shape. But it's not a wok. And I can't really think of a good reason to make a pan in a wok shape when it doesn't work well as a wok. It's like genetically engineering a housecat with antlers - sounds cute, but expensive, and it's just going to give you problems.

If you want to spend big money, buy another of Le Creuset's pots. Their dutch ovens are nice. Or put money aside to one day buy a real, high-output wok burner. But if you want to buy a wok, go carbon steel. Read up on it, learn to take care of it -- it's all part of the deal. There is no substitute, and this pan isn't even close.

I was not sure this wok would measure up to my standards of Chinese cooking. I have two other traditional Chinese steel woks that I use a lot. But, what I found with this wok is that, even though the heat source doesn't have to be on high, the mass of iron in this wok generated much more heat and my Chinese dishes came out fantastically. I have been totally shocked at how this wok performed.

The surface needs to be gently seasoned, as do the surfaces of Le Creuset's grill pans, but, once that is done, food rarely sticks to it (or, the grill pans). I usually let some water soak in the pan after I've taken the food out, and after that, stuck-on food easily come off. I highly recommend this pan.

Product Dimensions:

Le Creuset Wok measures: 14 x 14 x 4 inches ; 14.1 pounds -
Limited lifetime warranty

Staub 7-quart Wok measures 14 inches in diameter; 15 pounds -
Lifetime limited warranty
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Le Creuset claims their wok is "Dishwasher safe" However, one should not place seasoned woks in a dishwasher as the detergent will break down the pan's seasoning and "wok hay". That is after all, one of the desired characteristics of a wok.

Le Creuset is oven safe to 400 degrees.

Staub 7-quart Wok: Hand washing recommended by Staub. Although their new cooking surface is less tenuous than the Le Creuset's matte surface due to Staub's superior enameled interior, in addition to their exterior surfaces being enamel-coated.

Staub is oven safe to 500 degrees.
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The Staub wok is ready to use immediately.

My Le Creuset, while also enameled, it performed best after it was seasoned.

Both will become better cooking surfaces with continued use and proper care.

Of note however, both woks receives identical use in my kitchen. The Staub's cooking surface holds up better, and significantly out performs the Le Creuset.
The later tends to flake, pit, and lose its structural integrity - as used in my kitchen.

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Staub enameled cast iron products are highly durable. They do not discolor or rust, they resist chipping, and do not require seasoning.

Le Creuset enameled cast iron products are also highly durable. The lighter colored enamels will occasionally discolor, and etch when cooking acidic foods, there are sometimes rust issues if improperly maintained, they resist chipping, and their wok requires seasoning for best preformance.

Staub's interiors, as well as the exterior surfaces are enamel-coated iron. The durable black ---matte--- finish enamel interior does not require initial seasoning for use. The more you use your Staub product, the better it gets! Oils used when cooking will penetrate the pores of the ---matte enamel finish--- and create a natural, smooth, nonstick surface, just like a finely seasoned non-enameled iron pan. The smooth enameled exterior is easier to clean.

The almost impervious black coating found on well-used woks takes time, care and lots of cooking before a wok develops this patina. The ultimate goal is for the wok to impart "wok hay", an elusive pan flavor and aroma that is associated with Chinese restaurant dishes. Actually, wok hay comes from cooking over extremely high heat in a well-seasoned pan.

Commercial wok burners have as many as 140,000 BTU's. Professional-style home ranges have a maximum BTU rating of 17,000. Regular home stoves' BTU rating is only 7,000 per burner. It is therefore difficult for home cooks to prepare restaurant quality stir-fry. The thick iron construction of both Staub and Le Creuset help compensate for this BTU deficiency by collecting and retaining heat from the burner in order to produce memorable Chinese meals.

Once a wok imparts wok hay, it is respected like a finely-tuned instrument. As the patina builds up, less cooking oil is required making foods more healthy. "A wok must be very hot for stir-fries to have the grilled, smoky flavor that is so distinctive of wok hay," says Chinese cooking authority Ken Hom.

According to Grace Young, people tend to be very superstitious in Hong Kong and "wok hay" is so coveted that "when a customer is served a stir-fry void of wok hay, it is often interpreted as an ominous sign of bad luck."

Staub made a wonderfully functional design decision to coat the interior with a matte surface, while coating the exterior of the pan with the traditional smooth surface. For this reason, I prefer to use Staub when liquids are involved due to their rust-free coated interior surface.

Le Creuset has it over Staub when it comes to style. My Le Creuset is Chinese Red (what else?) - and it is a gorgeous utensil that is certain to turn everyone's attention.

Le Creuset and Staub are each capable of excellent performance and wok hay if properly maintained and well seasoned.

~ Final Added Note Regarding my overall personal preferences - I have collected over a dozen Staub cookware items. My Le Creuset collection does out-number my Staub pieces by four or five times. I own both woks and find that the Staub out tested the Le Creuset in my application.