My name is Jeffrey B. Rogers - The Culinary Fanatic. I am a trusted authority on cast iron cooking, collecting, maintenance and restoration. My 'UP CLOSE' series gives you a look at what is new in cast iron cookware. I cover the majority of the new cast iron manufacturers – Finex, Field Company, Smithey Ironware, Nest Homeware, Solidteknics, etc. – as well as well-established companies like Lodge Cast Iron.
Without a doubt, there is no other company that makes such a vast array of cast iron cookware than Lodge Cast Iron. From their popular workhorse 12” skillet (which everyone should own), to Dutch ovens, to mini servers of all different sizes and shapes – if there is a cast iron need, Lodge makes a piece meet it. When I saw their new 9” mini wok, I realized that Lodge had unearthed a cookware ‘need’ that I didn’t even know I had. I couldn’t wait to make a trek to the Lodge Factory Store in Commerce, GA to get a firsthand look.
I have owned Lodge’s larger, modern wok for years, and was gifted their vintage wok with the long handle a couple of years ago. I love both of them, but for my stove, the vintage model has worked better because it’s a bit smaller. When I saw this new 9” mini wok I thought, “Very smart!” My other Lodge woks are fantastic, but because of their size, there are times when I’d prefer something a bit smaller. The mini wok fills that void.
The mini wok was developed by Lodge “to meet the needs of their food service businesses and customers. The small shape is advantageous and desired for the industry. The piece was also developed to serve, and is popular among their international markets, particularly Japan and South Korea.”
The mini wok arrives on the heels of Lodge’s new 10” and 12” dual handle pans, which have two assist handles rather than the normal long handle. The handles on the mini wok are of the same design. Omitting the long handle opens possibilities on where a piece can be used. During the holidays when my oven is tied up, I often times turn to my small Breville Smart Oven to do small jobs. The mini wok fits comfortably inside.
The 9” bowl is big enough to do a stir fry for two, but will get the job done quicker than the larger wok because it heats faster. As with any wok, the concave shape of the bowl enables you to use less oil – a little oil goes much further in a wok. For me, that’s huge plus! Along with wok-style cooking, I immediately envisioned other uses for the mini wok, such as serving and baking. It would be absolutely perfect for making a smaller version of my Ultimate Five-Cheese Macaroni and Cheese!! It will also look fantastic on our holiday table filled with candied yams or cheese and bacon mashed potatoes. Oh man!!
The first thing some will ask is if there is a lid available for the mini wok. I confirmed with Lodge that the 9” cast iron lid (L6SC3) is a perfect fit. There is no glass lid available at this time, but that would be a nice addition in the future.
Here are a few weight and size specs…
Weight: 5lbs 13.7ozs
Bowl width (across the top): 9.125”
Bowl depth (from top to cooking surface): 2.5”
Width (handle to handle): 11.375”
Flat area of cooking surface: approx. 3”
Height (from base to top): 2.75”
I had the opportunity to cook in both of my woks before posting this review. One thing that was nice is that they both fit side by side on my gas stove, centered directly over the burners. Why use two woks instead of one larger one? Well, because people in my family can be kind of finicky, and being able to vary dishes somewhat is important. At other times, I might want to do my beef in one, and my vegetables in another. I preheated both woks to around 425°F, and kept them on high during cooking. Both woks retained their heat very well after cold food was added. I was very pleased with how well they performed.
I also had the opportunity to heat test the mini wok on my NuWave PIC Titanium 2015 portable induction cook top. It heated quickly and even had decent heat up the sides of the wok without the ambient heat that I normally get from my gas stove. So, I will be able to use them for on-location cooking demos. You can be assured that they will also work just fine on electric coil and glass top stoves.
With the mini wok being smaller, getting it into the sink was easy, and clean up was a breeze. It came perfectly clean using only my green, non-scratch Scotchbrite pad and hot water. The woks were seasoned from the bare iron with Crisbee Cast Iron Seasoning, and as Is common with all Lodge cookware, they remained seasoned.
The Lodge mini wok is a beautifully-made piece of cast iron cookware that will easily become a favorite in our family for years to come. It is a wonderful addition to a long line of well-thought-out, practical cast iron from Lodge. Nice job on this one guys!!
