Frequently asked questions

Find answers to common questions by selecting from the questions below. Can’t find your answer? you can always drop me a line here.

Clean and care

Yes! We’d recommend washing your wok by carefully following our care instruction before first use.
Yes. You should always allow your wok to cool before putting it in the sink or rinsing it with water. This will help maintain its shape and even cooking capabilities.
Your carbon steel wok may develop rust due to humidity or infrequent use because it is a natural material. The seasoning can sometimes appear blotchy, feel sticky, or develop spots. Don’t worry, this is all completely normal. Just re-season and keep cooking, the patina will develop eventually. Check out our latest video tutorial on how to restore a rusted wok.
Give the wok a thorough clean! 1. Add 2 tsp of oil and 1 tbs of kosher salt. 2. Scrub all over. 3. Repeat as needed. 4. Rinse thoroughly in hot water. 5. Use steel wool if necessary. 6. Once you have removed the rust, it’s time to re-season!
The surface of a carbon steel wok may be oxidised when you get it out of the box. These marks can be present from storage or shipping. Humidity triggers surface oxidation, this does not spoil the wok’s cooking properties. To remove the marks, scrub your wok with an abrasive sponge with warm water and season it before first use.
Handles and knobs may loosen after some time due to the continual heating and cooling of the fastening. If this occurs, carefully tighten the screw using an appropriate screwdriver, be careful not to over-tighten.
Once your wok has been seasoned, it shouldn’t be cleaned using detergent. Instead, hot water and a cloth should be sufficient to remove any burnt-on food. If your wok does go rusty, or you find it difficult to remove burnt-on food, you may need to use detergent. However, you will then need to re-season your wok before you can cook with it again.
Yes and no. Cooking tomatoes and other acidic food in your seasoned wok will remove some of the patina. However, this lost patina will be reacquired after one or two uses. We recommend to avoid cooking with any acidic ingredients such as vinegar, lemons and tomatoes for the first few uses.
No, the harsh chemicals in dishwasher detergent will remove the natural coating and make it rust. Hand washing is recommended. Remember to wash the wok in hot water only. Do NOT use detergent or put it into a dishwasher.
We recommend using a wok chuan, which is a "scoop" that's similar to a metal spatula. It’s not only OK to use, it's an essential part of Asian cooking! Wooden utensils just don't have the right shape or weight conducive to proper stir-frying.

Seasoning

To get years of use out of your wok, you need to look after it. This needn’t be difficult nor intimidating. Please visit our how to season page for our foolproof guide to seasoning and cleaning your carbon steel wok. The tips are really easy to follow. With a little TLC, your wok will become naturally non-stick over time and will help you to create delicious, healthy meals for many years to come.
Traditionally lard or peanut oil but you can always use coconut oil, grapeseed or other healthier alternatives that have a high smoke point.

Our Wok

Our woks are 100% hand hammered by our team of master craftsmen in Guangdong, China. Every hand hammered wok is individually crafted with pure passion, precision and great care. No two woks are exactly alike.
Our wok is made from 16 gauge commercial grade carbon steel. In keeping with how traditional carbon steel woks are made.
This is a 16 gauge wok which means the thickness varies from 1.3mm-1.5mm. Our wok is handcrafted and specially designed to have a thick base and thin wall. You may find the base is thicker (1.5mm) than the edge of wok (1.3mm). This helps to make the wok lighter as well as improve heat distribution.
This is a really good question! A perfect wok should be neither too light nor too heavy. A wok that is too light means it is thinly constructed and may warp under high heat. Whereas, a heavy wok can slow down heat transfer which leads to longer cooking times. The end result could be a stir fry that is both soggy and murky. A heavy wok also makes it harder to toss and flip your ingredients, which is an essential technique to creating a perfect stir fry. From my experience, the best way to choose a wok is to look at the thickness (gauge) because the weight of the wooden/steel handle can vary widely. A well-balanced carbon steel pow wok should be around 1.2mm -1.5mm in thickness (16 gauge). This is how traditional woks were made. The right thickness allows the wok to heat up fast and maintains optimal temperature whilst cooking.
Yes! We are committed to producing quality products that are safe, durable and perfect for creating healthy meals. Our woks are:
  1. 100% PFOA Free
  2. No lead, cadmium, or mercury
  3. Manufactured under the strictest American health and safety standards
  4. Suitable for healthy cooking
Ideal for wok burners but also compatible with gas, electric, ceramic, halogen and even the campfire. You may need to stabilize the wok on a ring stand on some cooking surfaces. To get more use from your wok, take it to a backyard cookout. Set it directly onto the charcoal and stir fry the day away!
Woks are so versatile, you can stir-fry, deep-fry, steam, braise and smoke all in the one wok! To get inspired, check out our recipes for more delicious meal ideas.
Our carbon steel woks come coated in a layer of protective oil to prevent them from rusting before their first use. They must be thoroughly washed with warm soapy water to remove any traces of the oil, and properly seasoned before use.

Cooking Tips

After a few times cooking with your wok, you will be able to gauge when your wok has reached the right temperature. Until then, here’s what you can do: Heat your wok on high heat for 30 seconds, then flick droplets of water into the wok. Once you see beads of water have evaporated, the wok is heated to the right temperature and ready for stir-frying.
Follow these nine simple tips to create a perfect stir-fry every time
  1. Before stir-frying, thoroughly dry all ingredients. 
  2. Preheat wok until hot. You can tell when your wok is ready when you add some water droplets into it and the beads of water dance across the surface. 
  3. Add oil to hot wok: then tilt wok to coat sides with oil. 
  4. Crush ginger, garlic, and green onion against the sides of the wok using the back of a spatula so that their juices season the oil. 
  5. Always wait until oil and wok are hot before adding additional food. 
  6. Unless the recipe states otherwise, food should be added in batches. Place food in the centre of wok. Then push cooked foods up the sides of the wok to make room for the new batch to cook. 
  7. When stir-frying minced meat, use the edge of spatula to separate clumps for even cooking. 
  8. When adding wine or stock, splash liquid against the sides of the hot wok. The liquids should sizzle to intensify their flavours. 
  9. If too much liquid accumulates in the wok, push food up sides and reduce liquid in the centre of wok over high heat: then proceed.
Yes, I think so! Not even Chen Kenichi from the Iron Chef can beat my mom. Mamma Fong said the key to successful stir-frying is timing, preparation, and organisation. Here are some quick tips to follow:
  1. Most stir-fried dishes cook in only 3 to 5 minutes. Sauces should be prepared ahead of time and seasonings arranged in small dishes within easy reach of the stove. 
  2. Meats and vegetables should be cut into suitably sized pieces before you begin cooking. Hard vegetables with longer cooking times, should be cut into bite-sized pieces and either steamed or blanched in boiling water prior to adding to the wok. 
  3. Make sure you have rinsed your raw ingredients with cold water. Adequately drain them and pat dry. 
  4. Generally, seasoning, condiments, meats and vegetables are cooked separately in batches in the order of required cooking times. Each is tossed in hot seasoned oil to accentuate its individual flavour. Then all the foods are stir-fried together. 
  5. Make sure you don’t over stir. It will take only a few minutes for vegetables to become crisp and colourful and meats to be lightly brown and juicy. 
  6. Finally, a corn starch solution is added to lightly bind all the flavours and textures together. Quite a mouthful, right? But trust me, keep practicing and you will master the stir-fry in no time!
A traditional Chinese-style dinner would offer many different main dishes served along with steamed rice. If you want to create such a meal at home, you may be puzzled as to how much food to prepare for all your guests. Here is a simple guideline: Add the pounds of boneless meat, poultry, and seafood in all the main dishes you plan to serve. Allow for a total of ¼ to ½ pound of meat, poultry, and seafood for each person. In other words, if the total weight of all the meat, poultry, and seafood in your dishes is 1 pound, the dishes will serve 3-4 people. If the total weight is 2 pounds, they will serve 6-8 people, and so on. Here is a simple guideline: add the pounds of boneless meat, poultry, and seafood in all the main dishes you plan to serve. Then allow a total of ¼ to ½ pound of meat, poultry, and seafood for each person. In other words, if the total weight of all the meat, poultry, and seafood in your dishes is 1 pound, the dishes will serve 3-4 people. If the total weight is 2 pounds, they will serve 6-8 people, and so on.
Getting your wok’s temperature right is important for both the cooking and cleaning process. A wok that is too cold can cause the food to stick to it. A wok that is too hot will cause food or oils to burn.
Wok hei, or ‘wok’s breath’, refers to the flavour and tastes imparted by a hot wok on food during stir frying. It is particularly important for those Chinese dishes requiring searing heat.

Wok buying Guide

Look for a 14 to 16 inch wok of a reasonable thickness. Your wok should have two handles; a long handle used to move and tilt the wok when cooking and a smaller handle on the opposite side to make it easy to lift the pan. Many professional chefs choose traditional rounded-bottom woks over a flat-bottom woks because of their even heat distribution. Carbon steel woks are relatively inexpensive and conduct heat evenly, making them a popular choice. Although a non-stick aluminium wok will be easier to clean, it does not retain heat as well as carbon steel, making it less effective for stir-frying. Cast iron does a better job of retaining heat than carbon steel, but the weight of a cast iron wok may make it difficult to handle. We recommend carbon steel woks for their relatively light weight, quick heat conduction, and excellent heat retention. Many professional chefs choose a traditional rounded-bottom woks over a flat-bottom wok because of the even heat distribution. Carbon steel woks are relatively inexpensive and conduct heat evenly, making them a popular chose.
If you’re going to stir-fry or make authentic Asian meals, we recommend using a quality wok. If you think that you wouldn’t use a wok frequently enough to warrant the purchase, you can use a sauté pan instead. However, you will not achieve the same results as using a wok.
A round wok made of carbon steel delivers the best results every time. Carbon steel conducts heat efficiently, allowing the pan to reach a high temperature at lightning speed. This is what it’s all about when cooking in a wok.
Heat is evenly distributed up the sides of the wok rather than being concentrated only at the bottom. Ingredients always fall back into the middle of the pan where the heat is.
The difference is in the style of the handle. Mandarin woks feature a long stick handle, while Cantonese woks have two small loop handles. Our Mammafong® wok combines the best of both worlds; offering you the long handle plus the second loop handle giving you a choice.
A riveted handle is connected by small metal pieces (called rivets) that are crushed between the handle and the pan body to attach them together. This type of handle is more common on copper and aluminium cookware. For a handle to be welded, the metal must first be melted and then adhered to the pan body. This creates a strong bond that leaves little to no space in between, so bacteria and other foodstuffs can’t collect and cause sanitation issues. Both are long lasting solutions for frypan and saucepan handles as they are durable and can withstand heat.
The ideal lid size is approximately 1" - 2" smaller in diameter than your wok. This is so the lid can sit securely inside the rounded edges of your wok.

Shipping Information

90% of our orders are shipped within one business day. However, there are a few exceptions. If your order contains items that are backordered, special order, or limited availability, your whole order will be held until these items are ready to ship. If your order is flagged as a security risk, it will be held until we can verify the information in question.
You pay only what our shipping company charges - we never charge extra handling fees! When you provide a post/ZIP code on the shopping cart checkout page, you will receive our most accurate shipping rate quote based on the items in your cart. We send your postcode and the cubic volume and weight of your order to our shipping partners, and they provide the shipping quote directly to you. You will be charged the actual dollar value of the shipping quote displayed during checkout. Although we make every effort to ensure these quotes are accurate, we reserve the right to refuse orders with major discrepancies between the shipping quote, and our actual shipping cost.
Orders may be subject to duties and customs fees at point of delivery. Although charges are not always incurred, assessment of duties and taxes are based on the value of the order and the tax-free threshold. Because the rules and standards vary so much from country-to-country, it is best to contact local customs office if you have any further questions specific to custom fees. We do not cover the cost of any custom duties or taxes due. These fees are responsibility of the recipient and these fees are collected at the time of delivery. Customs fee are determined your by country's government and we does not acquire any of the funds.
Please note that refunds for any order will not be given for any mistakes, delays, items lost in transport, returned packages or missed deliveries due to any third party. This includes Australia Post, USPS, or any other third party courier or transportation service. If items are returned to us due to them not being collected, your item will be se-sent and you will be charged for the additional postage costs.
When your order is shipped from our warehouse, you will receive an email confirming your order was shipped, and will be provided with one tracking number per box shipped. You can track all of your orders by logging in to your account.
Orders of multiple items may be shipped in more than one delivery as we use 3rd-party fulfilment services which will dispatch your items based on location and stock level. You will receive multiple tracking number. if you find any item of your order were missing. Please contact us for investigation.

Orders and Returns

We're proud of our product quality, value and craftsmanship. If for any reason you're not satisfied with your purchase please email hello@mammafong.com and we would be more than happy to help you with this matter.
We strive to deliver you the best in quality and value, if for any reason you are not satisfied with your order we are happy to take back the product and issue you a full refund of your purchase. Please read our Return Policy for more information.

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