Le Creuset Enameled Cast-Iron 14-1/4-Inch Woks
by Le Creuset of America
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Product Summary
Manufacturer: Le Creuset of AmericaBrand: Le Creuset
Kitchen and Housewares Reviews of Le Creuset Enameled Cast-Iron 14-1/4-Inch Woks
Customer Review: STAUB Wok - versus - LE CREUSET Wok
Summary: 5 Stars
Product Dimensions:
Le Creuset Wok measures: 14 x 14 x 4 inches ; 14.1 pounds -
Limited lifetime warranty
Staub 7-quart Wok measures 14 inches in diameter; 15 pounds -
Lifetime limited warranty
Le Creuset claims their wok is "Dishwasher safe" However, one should not place seasoned woks in a dishwasher as the detergent will break down the pan's seasoning and "wok hay". That is after all, one of the desired characteristics of a wok.
Le Creuset is oven safe to 400 degrees.
Staub 7-quart Wok: Hand washing recommended by Staub. Although their new cooking surface is less tenuous than the Le Creuset's matte surface due to Staub's superior enameled interior, in addition to their exterior surfaces being enamel-coated.
Staub is oven safe to 500 degrees.
The Staub wok is ready to use immediately.
My Le Creuset, while also enameled, it performed best after it was seasoned.
Both will become better cooking surfaces with continued use and proper care.
Of note however, both woks receives identical use in my kitchen. The Staub's cooking surface holds up better, and significantly out performs the Le Creuset.
The later tends to flake, pit, and lose its structural integrity - as used in my kitchen.
Staub enameled cast iron products are highly durable. They do not discolor or rust, they resist chipping, and do not require seasoning.
Le Creuset enameled cast iron products are also highly durable. The lighter colored enamels will occasionally discolor, and etch when cooking acidic foods, there are sometimes rust issues if improperly maintained, they resist chipping, and their wok requires seasoning for best preformance.
Staub's interiors, as well as the exterior surfaces are enamel-coated iron. The durable black ---matte--- finish enamel interior does not require initial seasoning for use. The more you use your Staub product, the better it gets! Oils used when cooking will penetrate the pores of the ---matte enamel finish--- and create a natural, smooth, nonstick surface, just like a finely seasoned non-enameled iron pan. The smooth enameled exterior is easier to clean.
The almost impervious black coating found on well-used woks takes time, care and lots of cooking before a wok develops this patina. The ultimate goal is for the wok to impart "wok hay", an elusive pan flavor and aroma that is associated with Chinese restaurant dishes. Actually, wok hay comes from cooking over extremely high heat in a well-seasoned pan.
Commercial wok burners have as many as 140,000 BTU's. Professional-style home ranges have a maximum BTU rating of 17,000. Regular home stoves' BTU rating is only 7,000 per burner. It is therefore difficult for home cooks to prepare restaurant quality stir-fry. The thick iron construction of both Staub and Le Creuset help compensate for this BTU deficiency by collecting and retaining heat from the burner in order to produce memorable Chinese meals.
Once a wok imparts wok hay, it is respected like a finely-tuned instrument. As the patina builds up, less cooking oil is required making foods more healthy. "A wok must be very hot for stir-fries to have the grilled, smoky flavor that is so distinctive of wok hay," says Chinese cooking authority Ken Hom.
According to Grace Young, people tend to be very superstitious in Hong Kong and "wok hay" is so coveted that "when a customer is served a stir-fry void of wok hay, it is often interpreted as an ominous sign of bad luck."
Staub made a wonderfully functional design decision to coat the interior with a matte surface, while coating the exterior of the pan with the traditional smooth surface. For this reason, I prefer to use Staub when liquids are involved due to their rust-free coated interior surface.
Le Creuset has it over Staub when it comes to style. My Le Creuset is Chinese Red (what else?) - and it is a gorgeous utensil that is certain to turn everyone's attention.
Le Creuset and Staub are each capable of excellent performance and wok hay if properly maintained and well seasoned.
~ Final Added Note Regarding my overall personal preferences - I have collected over a dozen Staub cookware items. My Le Creuset collection does out-number my Staub pieces by four or five times. I own both woks and find that the Staub out tested the Le Creuset in my application.
Description of Le Creuset Enameled Cast-Iron 14-1/4-Inch Woks
Le Creuset Cast Iron Wok with Glass Lid 14-1/4-Inch, BlueWoks & Stir-Fry Pans
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