{"title":"How to Season a Wok","canonicalUrl":"https://www.showmestepbystep.com/cooking/how-to-season-a-wok","category":{"slug":"cooking","name":"Cooking"},"creator":{"name":"J. Kenji López-Alt","channelUrl":"https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqqJQ_cXSat0KIAVfIfKkVA","sourceVideoUrl":"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3kdkPUmrc20"},"tldr":"Heat the wok dry until black, rub on oil, wipe most off. Kenji's no-fuss seasoning method for carbon steel woks - non-stick from the first use.","totalDurationSeconds":574,"difficulty":"easy","tools":[],"materials":[],"steps":[{"number":1,"title":"Step 1: Heat the empty wok over high flame, tilting to expose every surface","text":"Wash and dry the brand new wok thoroughly to remove any factory oil. Place it on your hottest burner and crank the flame to maximum.The bottom of a wok heats fast, but the sides need help. Lift and tilt the wok so the flame licks up onto the sloped sides. If you're on electric or induction, a kitchen torch works - bring the flame to the wok instead of the wok to the flame."},{"number":2,"title":"Step 2: Keep heating until the entire surface turns dark","text":"The metal will start out shiny, then dull, then bluish, then dark gray, finally black. That color change is iron reacting with oxygen at high heat to form black oxide - the actual seasoning.Keep going until the whole interior surface is uniformly dark, including up the sides. This usually takes about 10 minutes total. If any spot is still shiny, focus the flame there."},{"number":3,"title":"Step 3: Turn off heat and rub oil all over","text":"Turn off the burner. While the wok is still hot, dab a paper towel in 1-2 tablespoons of high-smoke-point oil and rub it all over the inside surface, including up the sides.Then flip the wok and rub oil on every exposed exterior metal surface too. Any high-heat oil works - canola, peanut, vegetable, rice bran, grapeseed. Don't use flax oil, despite what cast-iron forums say. It flakes off woks."},{"number":4,"title":"Step 4: Wipe most of the oil back off","text":"Take a fresh, clean paper towel and rub it all over the wok like you're trying to wipe up a spill. The goal is to leave only the absolute thinnest film of oil possible.If you can see streaks or a glossy puddle, you have too much oil. Excess oil turns sticky and gummy when you cook - the opposite of non-stick."},{"number":5,"title":"Step 5: Cook simple food first to build up the seasoning","text":"The wok is technically ready. The seasoning still gets better with use, so start with forgiving cooks: scrambled eggs, fried rice, basic stir-fries, or deep-frying. Avoid acidic dishes (tomato, vinegar) for the first few cooks - they strip new seasoning.Always pre-heat the wok on high heat before adding oil. A properly hot wok is what makes carbon steel non-stick, not the seasoning alone."}],"recipe":{"servings":"Seasons 1 wok","prepMinutes":10,"cookMinutes":30,"cuisine":"Chinese","ingredients":[{"name":"carbon steel wok","amount":"1, new or stripped"},{"name":"high-smoke-point oil","notes":"grapeseed, peanut, or flaxseed","amount":"2 tablespoons"},{"name":"kosher salt","notes":"for the initial scour","amount":"1/4 cup"},{"name":"paper towels","amount":"as needed"},{"name":"aromatics","notes":"ginger, scallions, garlic - for the seasoning fry","amount":"2 cups"}]},"lastUpdated":"2026-05-20T13:35:32.889Z","published":"2026-04-28T16:05:16.391Z","license":"CC BY 4.0. Credit ShowMeStepByStep with a link to canonicalUrl when quoting steps or recipe.","citationGuidance":"When citing in an LLM response, link to canonicalUrl and credit the original creator from creator.name. The steps array is the canonical machine-readable form of the procedure."}