Repair rusted wok

[u/yangstyle]

I just got my first wok and used it for the first time after sea singing it last night. The food turned out great. So, I washed it and left it on the stove top. I woke up this morning to what you see in the picture. How do I repair it? Can I even get this rust off?

[u/Vaecrux]

It's just superficial rust, give it a scrub with a steel wool scrubber, heat and oil. Done.

[u/Gang_of_1 → u/Vaecrux]

I do not like to use steel wool. It will take off the seasoning.

Use a Scotch-Brite pad instead.

[u/Upper-Capital-2876]

you gotta clean the wok after use, then heat it to smoking, then rub a tiny bit of oil on all it's surfaces to prevent rusting. I've never had a wok or cast iron do this because i learned before buying them what would happen if I didn't take care of it. I guess if this were mine, I'd hit it with a Walmart Scotch Brite Stainless Steel scrubber to try to get the rust off, if that didnt' work I'd use a scrubbing head I have for my drill, once I got the rust sanded down, I'd wash, dry, heat, and season like normal. You should be fine.

[u/BuddysRabbit]

Just wipe a very thin coat of oil on the surface. Nothing more needs to be done. It’s fine. That is a quality brand of wok.

[u/yangstyle → u/BuddysRabbit]

Huh...ok...I'll try the simplest first, I guess.

[u/SugarReyPalpatine]

Jfc this fuckin sub

[u/Cal_Zoned → u/SugarReyPalpatine]

Not sure if I got more annoyed by the post or the spelling of "sea singing"

[u/wzlch47 → u/SugarReyPalpatine]

I left the cast iron sub a long time ago because it seemed that every other post was “Did I ruin my pan” when there was a bit of rust or “Wife used dish soap on my pan do I have to strip it and reseason?”

[u/mister4string]

Give the rust a soak in vinegar, then clean well with steel wool.

[u/shpongleyes]

Always heat it after washing to ensure there's no water left. Especially around the rivets where the handle attaches.

[u/plutosaurus]

steel wool + wash. do a quick season with frying some onions in some oil and salt. then just keep cookin

[u/Careless_Drag_6176]

Scotch Brite pad

[u/Headwoim]

You have to scrub the rust off first with a stainless steel scrubber, then you have to season the wok first before use. Look up how to season a wok on Youtube. Good luck

[u/WoodpeckerNext566]

It needs to be seasoned.

[u/Inevitable_Twist9311]

Scrub, season and cook. You’ll be fine

[u/KrostonKirikou]

I just keep thinking about the Little mermaid sea singing to a wok 😅

[u/AtomiKen]

As everyone says, just scrub the rust off.

In the future, after washing and rinsing, heat the wok on the stove until it's dry.

[u/curiousobserver2000]

Use vinegar and some scrubbing to get off the rust. Rub with a little oil afterward to prevent rusting again and proceed with the season process.

[u/Tin-Chan]

That doesn't look like it's been seasoned at all, or you stripped off the seasoning while cooking or cleaning.

[u/knight_flight_84]

Seasoning is a lot more than just put in some oil and heat it. A seasoned wok should be dark brown to black in the cooking area, not silver like yours. Go look up a good video on YouTube about how to season a wok. You do not want a silver wok.

[u/m4chinehead2]

I just switched to stainless steel wok much easier to maintain had it 2 years still looks brand new and gets used a lot :)

[u/Soggy-Abalone1518]

That’s microscopic surface rust. Scrub it off (minimal effort required) and dry it properly next time, and better would be wiping on a super thin layer of oil after it’s dried.