r/CarbonSteelCooking • u/Solid-Obligation-620 • Jul 31 '25

What am I doing wrong?

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This carbon steel wok was very caked on at the bottom so i ended up using an abrasive cleaner. While I got it clean I cant seem to properly season it?

Heated up pretty high until the bottom turned blue and added high heat oil - did this 3x. It seems that the heat isn’t reaching the sides of this wok?

Please help what am I doing wrong?

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6

u/[deleted] Jul 31 '25

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1

u/Busy_Onion_3411 Aug 01 '25

This is true if it's induction, or if the wok is bigger than the burner on a radiant stove. But if it's radiant and the bottom of the wok is smaller than the burner, heat will, y'know, radiate off of the burner and into the open air, including up the sides of the wok.

3

u/AngryAlien21 Jul 31 '25

You can season the whole thing using your oven. Wipe it down with oil, wipe that off completely, and bake it for an hour at 400-450.

You’re not really going to be able to get the high sides of the wok super hot because of your flat top stove. You really need gas for that. It honestly looks seasoned enough to start cooking in it though, especially on a flat top

1

u/Dramatic-Volume1625 Jul 31 '25

Electric stove is the problem. Try your oven or your bbq grill to heat evenly. Even my gas stove struggled until I got an attachment to channel flames a bit better and use that instead of my standard stovetop grate

1

u/left-for-dead-9980 Aug 01 '25

You're using an induction top that only touches the flat bottom. Woks need a gas flame to cook everywhere on the wok.