Doesn't look like carbon steel. More like aluminum.
Carbon steel woks have a coating on them-to protect them during
shipping-that needs to be scrubbed off before using the wok. That that
should be the LAST time the wok ever sees soap. Use a plastic scrungie-thpe
thing to clean it-similar to the thing you would clean a Teflon pan. Get a
hand hammered wok-you will see 'dents' on the surface of the pan.
Since you have square burners, depending on the size of them, the ring you
would need for a round bottom wok may make the wok unstable. So measure
first and get the flat bottom if need be.
Ignore the outside of the wok, it will get burned, marked up, etc. When
seasoning a wok for the first time-it is tedious. Oil, heat, cool, repeat.
Don't just do it a couple of times and assume it is okay to go. If you rush
it, the first meal will stick badly and then you have to start all over
again. If you miss any parts of the wok, it will rust.
I forget the brand name I have. I do know that Joyce Chen makes a carbon
steel wok, but I cannot tell you if it is any good.

"Distorted Vision" > wrote in message
...
Hi,

I'm just starting to learn to cook chinese food so please forgive me
if my questions seems ignorant.

I just bought a new wok from my local Chinese supermarket. I knew I
should buy a carbon steel wok but I assumed that they would all be
there since they supply local Chinese restaurants etc. They all looked
the same to me and I couldn't even identify the difference in quality
between them so I just chose the most expensive one.

Anyway, when I came to season my wok something did not appear right.
The wok did not turn blueish black when heating the oil with a paper
towels and wooden tongs. It just started go dark brown slowly but not
uniformly eventually turning black in parts. When it came to using the
wok for the first time I was very disappointed with the results. Food
seemed to burn easily and stick to the bottom.

I have cleaned the wok with a scouring pad and removed all the black
patches. I believe I have in fact purchased a stainless steel wok and
not a carbon steel one. When I look at photos of carbon steel woks
they look more darkish grey than bright stainless steel. I have taken
some photos of the wok I purchased. It isn't all shiny as it was when
I purchased. There are some markings in Chinese - I would be interesed
in what they say.

http://img59.imageshack.us/img59/660...2008270at4.jpg
http://img59.imageshack.us/img59/211...2008272ro3.jpg
http://img59.imageshack.us/img59/211...2008272ro3.jpg
http://img154.imageshack.us/img154/3...2008275af0.jpg
http://img236.imageshack.us/img236/8...2008277pu8.jpg

Can anyone please confirm that I have in fact purchased a stainless
steel wok? I paid £22 for mine so its not the end of the world and I
am more interested in learning from my mistakes.

I am looking at purchasing a new one. One on Amazon which is 2.0mm
carbon steel but it has a flat base:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/34cm-Heavy-G.../dp/B000P5Q4BO

There is a round bottomed made by Hancock

http://www.hoohing.com/acatalog/Products__Wok_169.html
http://www.londonwok.com/acatalog/LO...VESSELS_2.html

Is there any difference between round and flat bottomed ones. Please
help me chose - these are the only two that I can find suitable.

Many thanks for your help!