I had thrown away the box a few weeks ago, and not knowing what carbon steel was supposed to look like, didn't realize this was the 'non-stick' version of the wok. Even though the box did say 'carbon steel construction', I guess that was under the teflon or whatever non-stick surface it wsa coated with and I proceeded to burn off. I picked up the non-non-stick version, and am hoping for better results!

FWIW, I just started using a new (not non-stick) carbon steel wok I got on eBay for something like $10 +shipping. Until now I'd been using a non-stick Farberware wok, but now I have a high-BTU gas cooktop and wanted to try "the real McCoy." However, I was really worried about the sticking problem, which was pretty awful before I'd gotten the non-stick wok. Anyway, I goofed up on the seasoning procedure by heating the oiled wok on high heat, and it darkened unevenly, and just looked pretty crummy compared to the pictures of well-seasoned woks I've seen. Nonetheless, I forged ahead and prepared a beef and veggie stir-fry on it, and much to my amazement, it was 95% stick-free! Haven't had a chance to try again, but have high hopes that it's actually possible without a non-stick pan!

By the way, thanks to those posters who recommended the book Breath of a Wok, which is fun and helpful. Amusingly, when I asked about this book at my Barnes & Noble store, the lady couldn't find it in the database; turns out, she had typed in Breath of a Walk, which yielded no hits.

---Margaret

I recently tried the Joyce Chen Non Stick wok. After following all the instructions to the letter and using it only twice, the bottom started pealing off. I have 1 word for Joyce Chen. JUNK. A brand new wok straight to the trash. Luckily I didn't have to throw out the entire meal I was cooking, altho they say ingesting teflon is not good for you.
Steer clear of this waste of a product. spend your $$ on something that will last more than 1 use.