Wok Seasoning - What About The Outside Of It?

Q: I don't use my wok much.... Consequently, the outside shows some rust.....Is that ok? Should you also coat the outside w/ oil? And, How long would you think it took to season a wok till it turned black? Any guesses? Oh yeah, if you have a good Wok recipe please mail it to me. I just bought some fermented black beans, black bean sauce, rice wine, ginger, garlic, seasame oil, hoisin sauce, oyster sauce, black mushrooms, five-spice powder...just need some black vinegar, and a few other spices and such.

A: I don't think it's OK to have rust on any cookware. Sooner or later the rust will make a hole.. Some might get into food.. It is simple to maintain your wok rust-free: get rid of it (rust) once, and then coat both sides with some oil after washing and drying the wok. After using your wok about 30-50 times with non-liquid food it should become reasonably dark, unless of course, if you burn it you will have to reseason it! I recall hearing in a Human Nutrition class that people using cast iron cookware had higher levels of iron in the blood. This was prior to studies linking elevated levels of iron in the blood to heart disease. There have been similar reports regarding aluminum cookware and health problems. If you are concerned about contamination consider glass cookware or something with a nonstick coating (Silverstone...).

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