How to tell if wok is non-stick?
Someone gave me a wok. It's black and I scraped through the black coating so the metal is showing. I assume a regular wok (without non-stick coating) wouldn't have a black coating that could be scraped through?
Also I intend to use this wok like a wok. That is, I won't be using it at lower heats that are acceptable for non-stick coatings. My understanding, based on the "2 second google search" is that while this will destroy the non-stick coating (assuming that's what I have?), it's not unhealthy.
So my 2 questions are: How can I know for sure if this has a non-stick coating? Even if it is, am I correct in assuming it won't be unsafe to cook at high heats?
Edit: Here are a couple pictures. The only stamping on the entire Wok is "CHINA".
Best Answer
It looks like non-stick to me, judging by the way the damage looks around the edges of the scraped parts…
You can't season non-stick & this 'smooth' type of non-stick tends to be the 'old fashioned teflon' type, which will not be good at high temperatures.
There are modern non-stick coatings which do work at wok temperatures [& the woks are not actually particularly expensive, $£€ 25-35ish depending on size. I have one at home.]
You could test it empirically, but you'd need to do it outdoors over a grill/barbecue or indoors with good ventilation. ['Teflon' is not good to breathe.]
Subject it to one or more heat cycles as though you were going to high temperature cook or season it. This is far too hot for 'teflon' to survive, hence the ventilation - this is a 'kill or cure' method.
Rub it round with a thin layer of oil for seasoning each cycle & see how it looks after several layers.
Then once cold, leave it to soak for a couple of hours in water & see what happens if you give it a scrub round with a plastic pan-scrub.
If it survives that treatment, use it. If the surface starts to peel off, either sand it all off & treat as 'raw' pressed steel, or bin it & get a proper high-temperature one.
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Quick Answer about "How to tell if wok is non-stick?"
That looks like a chipped and scratched non-stick coating. Uncoated woks generally look like bare metal when new. They often have a clear lacquer coating, and only darken towards black after repeated cooking and seasoning. You can also get pre-seasoned woks, but your example doesn't look like one of those either.Do woks have nonstick?
Traditional woks are made from carbon steel, which require regular seasoning with oil to stop them from rusting. Modern woks sometimes come with a non-stick coating, plus you can choose between a round- or flat-bottomed wok, depending on your preference and hob type.What makes a wok non-stick?
Nonstick cookware, such as frying pans and saucepans, gets coated with a material called polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), commonly known as Teflon. Teflon is a synthetic chemical made up of carbon and fluorine atoms. It was first created in the 1930s and provides a nonreactive, nonstick, and almost frictionless surface.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.Are Chinese woks non-stick?
Fairly inexpensive and lighter than cast iron, carbon steel woks season nicely over time to create a non-stick surface. It takes some time to create a shiny patina, and continued care is needed to maintain that non-stick characteristic, but we think you'll find it's well worth the extra TLC.Why woks with non-stick coating do not work for stir-fry?
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Answer 2
That looks like a chipped and scratched non-stick coating. Uncoated woks generally look like bare metal when new. They often have a clear lacquer coating, and only darken towards black after repeated cooking and seasoning. You can also get pre-seasoned woks, but your example doesn't look like one of those either.
To be honest, plain carbon steel woks are so cheap* it may not be worth the effort of trying to use your wok or even fix it. Personally I wouldn't even try to burn off the coating. I wouldn't really want to risk eating bits of flaked off non-stick coating. If you are worried about the waste, then recycle it.
*You can get plain carbon steel woks on Amazon for under £15 GBP (around $20 USD) - I suspect even cheaper if you go to a good Asian store.
Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Images: Eren Li, Ketut Subiyanto, Aleksandar Pasaric, Ketut Subiyanto