Ruined Wok

[pandora34]

My well-tempered Wok has been ruined today.
My cleaner (who has instructions to only Hoover and mop all the floors) has obviously taken a dislike to the patina inside my wok and took a brillo pad to it with a vengeance.
We cook with leccie, I don't know anyone on gas.
What can I do, and is it worth it ?

[mrs moustoir]

I'm nok a wok expert ;D but I would think you could "prove" or temper it again even on an electric hob. Give it a good even scrub and then rub over with some sesame oil and heat it up.

Don't bin a useful pot!

[Ali]

Steve35 used to wash my cast irons with wash up liq when I wasn't watching!! Really got to me that did, was trying to build up a good temper miself too

However, all was not lost as the implements pattination and 'good temperedness' duly returned after he was banned from scrubbing.

Reckon as mrs m says, get well oiled and on heat for a while and that should sort it.

[lif]

I don’t know how I know this, but salt is the answer

[stavros]

Oil in pan, rock salt, smoke heat, let it cool, then rub - and rub - and rub

[pandora34]

Thanks all. Will try

The manufacturer sent me this great piece of advice:

Woks

Often, somebody will claim to have a wok, and it will turn out to be some sort of wide pan with a flat bottom. Or it will have a coating of Teflon. Well, I hope they are happy with their purchases. Those things may be very nice, but they are not woks.
Woks have round bottoms, so you can use a small pool of oil to fry the food. They have bare metal surfaces. If you treat them wrongly, they go rusty. You can buy a real wok from a Chinese supermarket. It will be oily, to stop it rusting. Scrub the oil off the wok, as it is not cooking oil. This should be the only time you use detergent on your wok, and you must ensure you rinse it all off. Put the wok on the gas ring, and turn the gas up high. Do not forget to light the gas. If you do not have a gas cooker, move to a different house.Heat it for ages, then a bit longer. Add ground-nut oil, and spread it all over the cooking surface with kitchen towel. There will be a lot of smoke. Heat and oil again, if you like. You just created a non-stick surface NASA would envy, if they didn't love Teflon so much.
Now. In the unlikely event that anything sticks to the surface you just created, scrape it off with a wooden spatula. Cleaning is done with a damp cloth, and is followed by heating and oiling. If you use your wok at really high temperatures, the food will rarely stick, and you can use metal implements without worrying about scratching the wok.

[AnnieD]

love the bit about moving house

[pandora34]

Yes, but what a cheek !!!!!