Rust On My Wok

[Kekoa]

So I have a Imusa brand wok from Walmart, it states it is "light cast iron" and I was leery of what that was supposed to mean, but from what I read that supposedly just meant that it was milled to be thinner and therefore lighter. I got a few spots of rust on one now though, unfortunately I don't know how it happened exactly, but I removed it with a very light abrasive then re-seasoned it. What is worrying me now is that there seems to be a black coating flaking off at the spots where there was rust beginning. I don't know what this black layer even is, I thought it wasn't coated in anything other than vegetable oil. So I'm not sure what I should do with it exactly, whether I should stop using it, if the flaking suggests it was falsely advertised, or if there is something I can do get it back into a safe usable state. I'm pretty much clueless with cast iron, if that's even what it is for sure.

Anyone have any insight?

[Jeff B]

"from Walmart" is all I needed to read, no telling what you might have or if it's even safe. Toss that bad boy and start over.

[aporigine]

So I have a Imusa brand wok from Walmart, it states it is "light cast iron" and I was leery of what that was supposed to mean, but from what I read that supposedly just meant that it was milled to be thinner and therefore lighter. I got a few spots of rust on one now though, unfortunately I don't know how it happened exactly, but I removed it with a very light abrasive then re-seasoned it. What is worrying me now is that there seems to be a black coating flaking off at the spots where there was rust beginning. I don't know what this black layer even is, I thought it wasn't coated in anything other than vegetable oil. So I'm not sure what I should do with it exactly, whether I should stop using it, if the flaking suggests it was falsely advertised, or if there is something I can do get it back into a safe usable state. I'm pretty much clueless with cast iron, if that's even what it is for sure.

Anyone have any insight?

I have a scientific wild-ass guess.

The spots from which the flakes radiate are over pits left over from rust and refinish. There’s a deep spot there where the seasoning varnish isn’t settling up like on the surface.

If I’m right, use that wok often and the problem
should diminish and “heal” as varnish builds up in the pits.

[trancher]

"from Walmart" is all I needed to read, no telling what you might have or if it's even safe. Toss that bad boy and start over.

+2

From that A to Z online store.

Screenshot 2024-01-25 at 22-36-00 Amazon.com Customer Questions & Answers.png (24.29 KiB) Viewed 779 times

Screenshot 2024-01-25 at 22-42-01 Amazon.com Customer Questions & Answers.png (27.21 KiB) Viewed 779 times

[ex1580]

When I first moved to the deep south I had to switch woks. The one I came here with was a nice carbon steel wok that I had picked up at an Asian market, but it kept wanting to rust due to the humidity. The issue was that due to the wooden handles on both sides and that I didn't have my wok burner yet I had trouble keeping a good enough seasoning on it and any nook or cranny that wasn't good enough would rust. In desperation I got a pow wok with a removable wooden handle, and eventually a big wok with two metal loop handles when I got the burner.

The trick was that I could season every nook and cranny of the whole wok in the oven if needed. If you want to remove questionable seasoning from carbon or cast iron then just put it in the oven upside down and run the cleaning cycle. Good ventilation is needed. If you want to create a new seasoning then rub the whole thing with oil (I have found avocado oil seasoning holds up very well), wipe it off as best you can with a paper towel, then cook upside down (to avoid pooling) at 450 for an hour. Of course, now the issue is that my 20" wok only fits on the burner outside, haha.

[ChefKnivesToGo]

Can you share a picture please?

[Kekoa]

Here are some pictures, and as we have it, it rusted again so there is a picture of some rust too. You can see a bit of the peeling in the top left corner of the second pic.

At this point I will probably be looking around for better options, so I'd definitely appreciate suggestions if anyone has them.

[trancher]

Not sure if they still have good quality woks, as I haven't ordered a wok in over ten years, but I picked one up from The Wok Shop in San Fran a good while back. It doesn't get much use these days, sadly, but I have always been happy with it. Anyone else pick up one from them more recently?

[ex1580]

Not sure if they still have good quality woks, as I haven't ordered a wok in over ten years, but I picked one up from The Wok Shop in San Fran a good while back. It doesn't get much use these days, sadly, but I have always been happy with it. Anyone else pick up one from them more recently?

I got a wok from them a couple of years ago and it was great!

[ColonelJLloyd]

I bought two from them last year and I'm very happy (in the photo below the far left is 14" MUSA pow and far right 18" hand hammered Cantonese both from The Wok Shop).

I can't say for sure if what you are describing, but I have had polymerized oil flake off as little shiny, black flakes. Some larger than others. I'm certain this is just the result of a poor seasoning job on my part. Now that I have a 160,000 BTU wok burner my seasoning jobs are pretty damn good.

Untitled by ColonelJLloyd, on Flickr

[ex1580]

Does that carbon steel skillet have rivets?

[ChefKnivesToGo]

That cast iron pan on the sheet pan is a beauty.

[ex1580]

I bought two from them last year...

It looks like you shared all of the pictures, haha. It's a good thing I am not the only one who has this many food pictures.

[ColonelJLloyd]

Does that carbon steel skillet have rivets?

It does not. It's a Matfer Bourgeat.

That cast iron pan on the sheet pan is a beauty.

Thanks, Mark. It's a Le Creuset and gets a LOT of use.

[ex1580]

It does not. It's a Matfer Bourgeat.

Not to hijack this thread but... Do you like the Matfer? I've been holding off on a carbon steel skillet because I have lots of cast iron and some nice stainless cookware (and carbon steel woks). But this year I am going to do more outdoor cooking and I don't want to lug around a 9 lb skillet. Even over a campfire with the kids (car camping). I really want that Smithey Deep Farmhouse skillet but that is just a ton of money for such a thing. I bought a Matfer Bourgeat years ago but returned it because it was warped upon arrival (it was pretty heavy duty though). Warping seems like a common problem with carbon steel skillets. Thoughts? Maybe I can get someone else to buy me the Smithey, haha. If only...

[aporigine]

It does not. It's a Matfer Bourgeat.

Not to hijack this thread but... Do you like the Matfer? I've been holding off on a carbon steel skillet because I have lots of cast iron and some nice stainless cookware (and carbon steel woks). But this year I am going to do more outdoor cooking and I don't want to lug around a 9 lb skillet. Even over a campfire with the kids (car camping). I really want that Smithey Deep Farmhouse skillet but that is just a ton of money for such a thing. I bought a Matfer Bourgeat years ago but returned it because it was warped upon arrival (it was pretty heavy duty though). Warping seems like a common problem with carbon steel skillets. Thoughts? Maybe I can get someone else to buy me the Smithey, haha. If only...

After two years of steady use, my West Japan Tools skillet is still flat.

[ColonelJLloyd]

Not to hijack this thread but... Do you like the Matfer? I've been holding off on a carbon steel skillet because I have lots of cast iron and some nice stainless cookware (and carbon steel woks). But this year I am going to do more outdoor cooking and I don't want to lug around a 9 lb skillet. Even over a campfire with the kids (car camping). I really want that Smithey Deep Farmhouse skillet but that is just a ton of money for such a thing. I bought a Matfer Bourgeat years ago but returned it because it was warped upon arrival (it was pretty heavy duty though). Warping seems like a common problem with carbon steel skillets. Thoughts? Maybe I can get someone else to buy me the Smithey, haha. If only...

This is the only carbon steel skillet I own and the first one I purchased. I'm sure I consulted Serious Eats and/or ATK for their rec. As to warping, I use this thing on my glass top range without issue. I suppose you need precision flatness for induction? I never tried this with the induction hot plate that died on my last year and I haven't replaced. I looked it up and mine is the 11 7/8" model 62005 and I purchased it in January of 2020. I recall paying ~$65. It's not the Le Creuset cast iron beast also pictured above, but neither is it a lightweight. The handle isn't the most comfortable, but as I said above I have an electric range so I leave the pan on the burner more than I would if I cooked over a flame.

[gladius]

I have a 9 1/2 inch Matfer Crepe Pan and find it gets hot fast so I have to reduce the heat a bit more than other pans and skillets. I can see why it might be prone to warping. I do like it for some things. crepes of course, pancakes and hash brown potatoes. It is a great tortilla warmer too.

I got inspiration for some just by discussing it...

[ex1580]

Maybe I just need to try again. The first one I got... I took it out of the box and set it on the counter and it wiggled all over. I checked the bottom with a straight edge and it was quite warped. Maybe that one slipped through quality control? Inside the house I cook on a glass cooktop so it's nice that the pans are flat. I want to use this on the gas grill and on a grill over fire. To stay on topic I will say that rust will not be an issue because I will season it on the wok burner.