The best wok?

Brand really doesn't matter. Good construction and a somewhat thick and rigid steel is all it takes. See this thread: http://www.cheftalk.com/forums/cooki...ial-class.html

Walmart carries a decent one in a good home size with flat bottom at about $15.00. You don't get a lid though.

Joyce Chen's tend to be overpriced and a bit thin.

Most Asian grocery stores will have some good woks as well and usually an assortment of lids to choose from.

Check out www.wokshop.com

Here's a nice one (Nordic Ware 14" Asian Spun Wok) if you want 'non-stick' that is. Kind of pricey, but worth the money for its quality and premium non-stick coating. Made in USA and NSF tested.

If you have a chinese chinatown type area where you live go there . It will be authentic and cheap and many sizes.

Costco is selling that one fairly cheaply. And I really can't recommend it for Chinese cooking. Non-stick won't create the flavor a carbon wok can. But it is pretty and well made.

Actually the Nordic Ware wok does an excellent job and are very close to a Chinese wok because the design is based around it. I was very very surprised because I didn't expected that. We stir-fried some vegetables a few times and it 'burned' nicely with consistency. I've also made some fried rice and fried noodles and they both resulted in some nice burns (or seared) to it nicely; especially with the noodles where you can actually see the marks and it tasted awesome!

The genuine Chinese round-bottomed woks from your local Chinatowns are nice but they're mostly unseasoned and only benefits if you have a strong stovetop that can output very strong flames. If you like to wash your wok after you cook, then it's probably best to get something like the one I mentioned above because according the experts, you're not suppose to wash the original carbon-steel woks after its seasoning.

I own two round bottom carbon steel woks, a cast iron and a quality non-stick wok with a flat bottom.

I strongly prefer the round bottom wok even on my home stove. I cook on a high output burner for lot of my chinese food as the high heat adds a lot to the quality of the food.

But the non-stick doesn't even compare to the performance and results of the other woks, even on a home stove.

Seasoned cast iron and carbon steel is a joy to cook on, easy to season and maintain. Whether you prefer flat or round bottom is largely a preference for home situations. The cast iron wok is fully round inside with a flat bottom giving me great convenience and performance.

Seasoned?? You season your own pan or wok!:bounce:
Haveing worked with many chinese chefs after each dish is preped water is put into wok and a brush used to clean it out. The water inlet is part of stove as is the drain part of stove. The woks are 30 inches across.