Determining a wok's material
I bought a wok at a Goodwill a little while ago and haven't really used it for much yet. I don't know how to determine what material it's actually made out of. I suspect it's just got a teflon coating on it, since it's fairly light and both the inner and outer sides of it appear to be different materials. I don't want to use it at high temperatures in case it's got a non-stick coating, so it's kind of important to figure out if it is. What would be good determining aspects of the different, most common wok materials?
Edited to add: The outer side of it is a dark, grooved, almost matte black, while the inner side is a slightly ligher shade, almost more grey. The reason I was first thinking it might be teflon is that there's a light scratch on the inner side where a much lighter, steely surface shows through.
edit to add: After getting a carbon steel wok, I can confirm that what I had here was definitely not anything like that. Comparing my old wok to ones in stores, it seems the one pictured here almost certainly has some kind of non-stick coating, and so isn't very good for a wok's high temperatures.
Best Answer
Check the bottom of the pan; often useful information is stamped there. Like the brand, sometimes even model number. Assuming nothing useful:
Steel and iron are ferromagnetic. That is to say, a magnet will stick to them. Both are unlikely to be Teflon-coated (edit: though Wikipedia informs me they exist). The black (which is hopefully somewhat shiny) is seasoning (cooked on oil). Iron would probably mean cast iron, and would generally be heavy (my cast iron wok weighs in at well over 10lbs). So, if they magnet sticks, you probably have steel.
Some stainless steels are ferromagnetic, but most aren't. Stainless is also unlikely to Teflon-coated. But it'll probably be shiny, at least on the outside. So, if not magnetic, its probably aluminum. Aluminum is probably coated.
Teflon isn't the only coating that may be used. It could be anodized aluminum as well (which, I guess, may not technically be a coating). Or one of the newer nonstick coatings. They all look different: Teflon is very dark gray to black, anodized is light gray to dark gray. The newer ones unfortunately are numerous and some can be any color. (Your description of the color sounds like Teflon to me).
You could also try cooking a scrambled egg in it; start it in a cold pan. Teflon in at all good shape will release the egg very easily. Seasoning will, unless very good, probably have you cursing.
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How do I know what kind of wok I have?
Cantonese-style woks have a small handle on either side, while Northern-style woks have a single long handle, and usually a smaller helper handle on the opposite side. The latter is the type of wok you want. The large handle facilitates flipping and stir-frying, while the short helper handle makes it easy to lift.How do you know if a wok is coated?
Let the wok cool and wipe the inside of the wok down with a few drops of oil and a paper towel. Wipe the oil all over the wok to give the surface a light coating. It's perfectly normal to see some of the brown wok residue on the paper towel after a good wipe-down.How are woks measured?
Determine a size. Typically, a wok that is 14 inches in diameter is family-sized. For travel, woks come as small as 8 inches. Woks also can be as large as 79 inches, but woks this large are usually only used in restaurants.What makes a wok different?
A wok has more of a round bottom, allowing the liquids to sit in one spot in the centre. They have deep walls that also slope. The woks sloping deep walls trap in more heat, cooking food much quicker than if you were to use a frying pan.Five Criteria for selecting a wok
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Answer 2
Woks are generally only useful at high temperature, and are generally made from thin plain steel
The inner coating should be the "seasoning" that is just oil baked on at high temperature. This accumulates from normal use. Any scratches can be repaired by wiping with cooking oil and heating to a high cooking temperature. This normally happens each time you use it to cook :-)
If the wok has a Teflon coating, it will be of no use for most Chinese dishes
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