Lodge 9 Inch Cast Iron Mini Wok w/ Loop Handles & Cast Iron Round Pan, 8 in, Black

This is my third Lodge cast iron product. I am very happy with the 9” wok, as I am with my 8” skillet and my 7 quart dutch oven. Each has its own best use. Why use cast iron? It is durable, of course. (None of my cast iron is enameled.) It is versatile for pan roasting, during which it moves directly from the stove top to the oven. Properly cared for, it is terrifically non-stick and easy to clean. It is heavy and must be handled with oven mitts, so larger cookware is not ideal for maneuvering while hot. And it imparts a minute amount of iron to whatever's cooking, which is good for you but which some people can taste. (Iron still seems to me to be a perfectly justifiable alternative to ingesting the PFAS coming off your non-stick coated cookware.). So much for the chemistry. Then there's the physics....Iron can safely be heated to very, very hot temperatures. It has a very high thermal mass, meaning that it can hold a lot of BTUs at any temperature, and it has reasonable thermal conductivity – lower than aluminum or copper but higher than glass or ceramics – meaning that it gains and loses heats slower than other metals but faster than your Pyrex dishes. With high thermal mass, it can transfer a lot of heat to the food without the pot's changing temperature.The high heat, heavy lid and thermal properties make the dutch oven ideal for baking bread, for which a lot of BTUs need to get into the dough fairly quickly while holding in the steam. The skillet over a flame can handle temperatures exceeding even 500ºF, which is great for searing or browning (via the Maillard reaction) and also for oven roasting.I bought the wok mainly for roasting vegetables on the stove top during hot summer months when I do not want to turn on the oven. Roasting is an indirect high-temperature dry air heating method, in contrast to baking, broiling or grilling (top or bottom flame,) and frying. It uses less oil than frying (unless you are stir frying,) which creates less spatter, and its high sides catch more spatter anyway. Flipping or tossing the food in a wok is central to the cooking technique, but this cast iron model is too heavy to be shaken and has only loops for handles. I find that a spatula works just fine. The wok's shape makes it easy to move the food around and its weight make it stable on the burner.Pre-heating the empty wok is a must. This is not a slow cooker. If food is in the wok at the start, it may never reach the desired temperature, and it will sit in there for too long anyway. A down-side is that this wok does take longer to heat up and cool down than I might hope, partially defeating my purpose in the hot summer months (unless I want to heat it over my outdoor grill, which also works just fine.) But it's not too troublesome to be used indoors for most of the summer as well as the rest of the year.p.s. The price of this item fluctuates widely on Amazon. I paid $19.90 for the 9" wok in 2023.

Great product. This wok has worked great for me. Good size with reasonable price.

Excellent for vegetable sautés, deep frying vadas, pooris and bhajiyas. Right size for pooris and small portions or snack preparation.

This is an amazing little pan! I recently decided to replace all my non-stick pans in an effort to reduce the chances of ingesting the substances that inevitably start flaking off them, plus in just a few months time I found myself replacing them anyway as they too would all start sticking. That’s when I discovered or rediscovered cast iron. I had some cast iron 20 years ago, but never really knew how to use or care for it properly so I would end up with stuck on food or with rust. Fast forward 20 years and this time I took the time to study the best ways to care for cast iron and I am amazed! NOTHING sticks to this pan. It comes preseasoned from Lodge and all I do is wash in hot water (no soap), dry well by placing on the stove burner a few minutes, then wipe a very thin coat of oil on it before storing. Another tip I found is to preheat the pan before cooking rather than just putting cold food into a cold pan to help ensure no sticking. So much better than commercial nonstick!! No worries of flaking, it’s less expensive than many commercial non-stick pans, plus it just keeps getting better and better the more I use it.This mini wok is the perfect size for 2-3 people. I’ve made cauliflower “rice” stir fry, scrambled eggs and sausage and vegetable stir fry in just the short time I’ve owned it. I’m looking forward to using it with a multitude of other dishes as well as it easily goes from stove top to oven. The nice thing is it’s really sturdy, but not too heavy for me to handle as the larger woks are. Even though cast iron is inherently heavy, the smaller size of this makes it super manageable. You will need to use a hot pad or silicone holders to move it when hot, but I’ve had no issues with it staying firmly in place on my gas range since it has a flat bottom, so the only time I’ve used my silicone holder is if I wanted to move the pot to the oven or to another location to cool. Generally, though, I just turn off the gas burner and leave it there until it cools, although this might not work as well on an electric stove.I currently own this mini wok, a flat griddle pan and a 10 inch high side frying pan all from Lodge. I love that they are made in the USA and between the three don’t see the need for any other cookware except maybe a couple stainless steel pots for boiling things or for soups. Although the shape of this mini wok would work perfectly for those too, they say not to leave acidic things like tomato based foods in cast iron for too long, so I will err on the side of caution because I think this wok will otherwise last a lifetime and will be something I can pass on to my grandchildren. It’s that awesome!

Love this mini wok. Sautéed vegetables and fried chicken in it!

Just the right size for 1 or 2 people. Love my cast iron.

I loved it , omg it is amazing

I love it. After trying multiple cast iron pans, this is perfect for my needs due to its quality, ease of use and weight. This is the 👑 of my kitchen.

Very small in size according to price. I like the product quality though it is pricey.

The wok is so beautiful and it reminded me of those old days when my granny had one like this and I used to love cooking in it. It’s perfect for 2 people, good heat retention and even cooking. I wish if they had larger one too, I’d have definitely bought one.

This wok is great find if you want to go teflon free. With the weight, it sits steady on cook top. Will save you oil, if you want to try deep dry. 9 inch one serves quantity of two people well.

I use it for morning eggs, saute, deep frying, etc. After I received the product, I almost it every day! It's working very well. No complaint at all so far.

Perfect for my family of four. Easy to handle, clean. A coating of a tiny amount of oil and it’s ready to be stored away until the next use.