Reviews of Eastman Outdoors 37212 Outdoor Gourmet 18-Inch Carbon Steel Wok Kit

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Anyone who has tried to wok a family meal might have encountered a few traditional issues on their regular kitchen stove:

the stove does not get the wok hot enough, fast enough and wokking turns into boiling

the wok is not large enough to properly stir fry the quantities

there is no room in the wok to keep food to the side while wokking other items in the center

We purchased this item, not for camping trips, but to be able to FINALLY wok like a Chinese Chef.

The wok gets INCREDIBLY hot and you can therefore not use the wok inside the house safely but it can certainly be used in the garage or on the veranda.

The wok itself is restaurant size: HUGE. Do yourself a favor and find an extra 16 or 14" carbon steel wok (the wok shop has great ones). Since the wok is so large it is very hard to properly season but we did on this actual set.

The wok is of high quality and is guanranteed to get better over time. Now that ours is seasoned nothing sticks!!!! It's as if it is teflon without the harmful teflon non-stick coat ... go figure.

The set is very very stable, i.e. the base won't wobble or hold a grown man if need be. A little bit of assembly is required for the base so make sure you test it for leaks and sturdy connections.

Wifey did the assembly and she broke 0 nails and assembled in 15 minutes.

This item is a cheap alternative to a pro wok-stove like the restaurants use. We love cooking in it and have found our meals to be healthier and faster.

This also comes with 2 heavy uality wok utensils.

EXCELLENT DEAL.

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I really value reading user reviews, but have to be pretty impressed or feel totally ripped off to write one. All aspects of this product seem excellent. The burner is rock solid and as powerful as everyone says. The power is not overkill, it is essential to it all working well. The tools and wok are high quality. Having abandoned my first wok experiment, an electric wok years ago, and approximated stir frying on electric stoves since then, I am delighted to say this is the real deal. I thought the wok itself might be way too big for a family of four (usually three). I bought a 16 inch wok expecting to use it more often than the included 22 inch wok, but I find the 22 inch wok is much easier to cook most things. The extra depth keeps all the spattering away from my arms and clothes and the space on the sides is great for holding cooked food out of the high heat used while cooking. The tools rest securely on the wok sides while you reach to add more food to the wok. I bought a 16 inch northern style wok with a long handle, but suspect it will take a while to figure out how to flip the food using it instead of using the excellent long handled tools supplied. Things cook so fast that I have not yet gotten comfortable with this flipping method, but I intend to master it.

Every book I consulted said to stay with the carbon steel wok. I went that route so I haven't tried the stainless steel version. I am very happy with both carbon steel woks. The seasoning on the burner was not hard and the natural non-stick surface that results from use works well.

The only issue is cleaning the beast. The 22 inch wok is too big to easily wash in the kitchen sink. It is possible, just not easy. Dumping the first batch of wok cleaning water (with a fair amount of food bits) into the yard when I wash it outside with a hose seems crude, green perhaps, but something done in the middle ages, not in todays burbs with neighbors close by. I am working through the cleaning issues and am very happy with all the pieces.

The clip does not hold the thermometer in place securely while deep frying is my only complaint. I can't figure out how to keep it in the oil without it slipping and resting on the wok bottom while stirring up the food. I am going to make a small bamboo support and see if that solves the issue. We almost never deep fried things in the past, but felt I had to try it out while test driving the unit. This seems like an excellent way to deep fry, being outside is safer, the depth of the wok keeps the oil where it belongs, and the power lets you keep the oil at the right temperature no matter how much food you add. The next learning adventure will be to figure out how to deal with the oil. A lot of meals with something deep fried also include something else cooked in the wok, so just what do you do with a wok full of hot oil?

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If you are a caterer or own a restaurant,then you probably can effectively use the 22" wok. I loved the idea of a huge wok, but failed to anticipate the challenges it brings:

1. I couldn't season it in a standard oven. I had to resort to using the burner to season it by turning it. It was a laborious experience.

2. I can't easily clean it in a standard sink. Good thing I'm cooking next to the hose.

Get the 18", or search Amazon for "Wok Shop" and get a 14" or 16".

Other than that, after spending 1/2 a day manually seasoning the wok, I've just cooked the best fried rice of my LIFE.

Plus, now I can do serious high heat cooking w/o sending oil/food into the air in my house.

Honest reviews on Eastman Outdoors 37212 Outdoor Gourmet 18-Inch Carbon Steel Wok Kit

The Eastman party wok is a great addition to your outdoor cooking equipment! Set up is easy, although the adjustable legs can be tricky to release the first time. The top-grate can be flipped to handle stock pots or the wok. The burner has a lot of firepower, and can bring three gallons of water to a full boil in under five minutes!

We did a Thai food cookout for about 70 people. The 22" wok held about 5 lbs. of noodles (good for 15-20 people) without a problem. We made four batches of Pad Thai in under 15 minutes. We prefer the mild steel wok (better heat transfer) although there is a stainless steel version available.

The unit is powered by the standard bulk propane tank used in many outdoor grills. The legs can be collapsed, making the unit easier to carry.

Overall, very satisfied. Looking forward to many enjoyable outdoor adventures with this unit.

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YEAH!! I love this! I live in the boonies on the Oregon coast and I can't get natural gas here, so I have (gasp!) an electric stove. My own personal tragedy. Life was so gray, and then THIS came in the mail! Cue the rainbows and time-elapse blooming flowers. Wahoo!

I love the 22" wok. Yep, it was too big to season in the oven, but the husband took it out in the carport and hung it up and torched it with a weed burner. He could've very easily just done it on the Big Kahuna burner, but this way he had more fun. I googled "wok seasoning" and learned alot before I did it.

Yes it makes stirfry as good as a restaurant. When you cook at night, you can see the flame and judge how hot it is but you can't see it in the day, so memorize the sound of the flame or how far you twist the gas handle to recreate a certain temperature. This thing ROCKS! I think everyone should have one. I highly recommend it.