Joyce Chen 22-0050, Pro Chef 12 Inch Peking Pan Uncoated Carbon Steel

What I like about this pan:

1) Its not too big and its not too small. It is heavy but not as heavy as cast iron. I love the size and weight.

2)It has a larger flat bottom area than a typical flat bottom14-inch wok.

3) When a Chinese recipe calls for it,Peking Pan can be heated up empty over a high flame until screaming hot without damaging it, and there is no teflon to worry about.

4) The pan seasoned up quickly and turned black right away.

5) I think this is pretty much the same pan I bought back circa 1970s-1980s from Joyce Chen that was called Peking Pan, but which had a coating of some sort which eventually wore off and made the pan unappealing for me to use (I eventually threw it out). But while it was new and in good shape, I lovedthe way it cooked. This new uncoated version is the same size and shape and looks like it will never wear out. Best of all, it cooks just like the old pan did.

6) Its shape/design/weight make it great for lifting the pan off the burner and "tossing" the food like the pros do. If you have had trouble with this technique, this pan is well suited to learning and executing the pan toss technique.

7) This pan cleans up easily with an Asian style stiff bristle wok brush, and usually just a rinse in hot water takes care of it, but once a a while I will add one drop of detergent to the hot water for more thorough cleaning, yet not so thorough as to disturb the seasoned nonstick patina that develops with continued use of the pan. But either way, its quick and easy to clean.

NOTE: The one thing missing is a lid, but if you have other pots & pans, you can probably press another lid into service that will fit this pan perfectly anytime you need to cover the pan during the prep of a recipe that requires it. The other thing to be aware of if it isn't already obvious is that you shouldn't use it to cook quantities of acidic foods (such as a tomato spaghetti sauce) because they can potentially interact with the carbon steel and may impart an off flavor, and it can also break down the seasoned coating during prolonged contact with such foods. Other than that, I reach for this pan CONSTANTLY. Love it.

Had an expensive non-stick pan and it started to stick after a year so looked for alternative and found carbon steel seemed viable so gave it a try. The pan is very good quality with medium weight steel and good, balanced handle. It has a flat bottom so it works well on my gas stove.

The seasoning process took about an hour, but one thing that I did not expect was how much it smelled and the amount of smoke it generated. My kitchen and whole house smelled for 3 days afterwards. I probably used a bit too much oil.

After it was seasoned, I tried stir frying some chicken with vegy and wow it made a huge difference. It used to take about 12 minutes to cook over medium heat using the non-stick pan (because high heat destroys the non-stick surface). With this carbon steel pan I was able to cook on high heat and it only took about 6 minutes and it was much more flavorful! It's deeper so fits more ingredients and very easy to flip. A 3 course dinner took about 15 minutes to cook.

Is it non-stick? Absolutely! After cooking I rinsed it in hot water and scrubbed with brush then put it back on the stove and heat for a few minutes to dry it up then coat the inside with a few drops of oil.

For seasoning the pan, I would suggest using just enough oil to "coat" the pan and not so much that oil sits at the bottom otherwise it would turn into black tar. Just lightly coat it and burn for like 7-8 minutes until it starts to turn brown, not black. I have seen reviews where others do the seasoning on an outdoor bbq.

Overall, very good quality pan and truly non-stick when properly seasoned and a healthy alternative to non-stick. From what I have read, it's supposed to last a life time :)

Buy Joyce Chen 22-0050, Pro Chef 12 Inch Peking Pan Uncoated Carbon Steel Now

I've been using this pan daily for over a month now and so far it's been performing very well. Highly recommended !

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It's a good size wok, however almost impossible to season the wok.Cook a couple of times, and finally throw it away.

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I too saw the good reviews and bought one. I followed the seasoning instructions that came with the wok to the letter, boiling the water in the pan, scrubbing the whole pan, and seasoning...etc. But I notice the bottom of the pan starts to get uneven, it does not lay flat on my ceramic stove top, so it won't transfer heat evenly. I then tried scramble eggs with my seasoned pan, and because it's my first use, I really just put quite a bit of oil in it, but the scramble eggs still sticks badly, and as I tried to clean off the sticking food on the pan, the previously seasoned layer flakes off from the bottom of the pan. This pan gets uneven bottom after proper seasoning, even with oil, still sticks badly. I have to return this pan, because this is just not a quality pan I have expected with this purchased. What else I can do with the pan?!