Carbon Steel Wok
The wok costs £15. The heat underneath it is what you're really paying for.
A round-bottomed carbon steel wok is one of the cheapest pieces of kit in any kitchen, and there is no reason to spend more. Carbon steel heats and cools almost instantly, which is exactly what wok cooking needs — full heat one moment, food tossed up the cooled sides the next. It arrives with a factory coating that needs stripping off before seasoning, but once seasoned it builds a deep, non-stick patina with use, the same way cast iron does. Round-bottomed is the traditional shape and the right one — it's what allows food to be pushed away from direct heat, and it sits naturally in the cradle of an outdoor gas wok burner. The wok itself is genuinely not worth spending money on. The burner underneath it is where the real difference is made — see <a href="/cooking-school/how-to-cook-with-a-wok/">how to cook with a wok</a> for why.
Why I use it
Mine cost around £15 and it couldn't be better. It came unseasoned with a factory coating that I scrubbed off before seasoning it the usual way — dry, oil, heat, repeat. Carbon steel takes seasoning fast because it's thin, and it's been building a better patina with every use since. I use it exclusively outdoors on a gas wok burner — the heat and smoke this dish produces just isn't suitable for indoors. For stir fries, this wok and a hot burner outperform anything expensive on a domestic hob.
No affiliate link, no commission — just a genuine recommendation for kit I love and use myself.