Review: The Wok Shop
About.com Rating
As with any other type of cybershopping, shopping online for Asian cooking equipment has its benefits and drawbacks. The convenience of being able to shop from home twenty-four hours, seven days a week, can be outweighed by high shipping charges, slow delivery times, and items arriving damaged or not at all. The Wok Shop stands apart from other online stores with its quality of products and reliable service.
The Basics
Established in 1969, The Wok Shop is a family owned and operated business located on Grant Avenue, right in the heart of San Francisco's Chinatown district. Their online store is found at http://www.wokshop.com.
The Pros
Extensive Selection – You'll find everything you need to cook Asian food, from woks (a must-have in any Asian cook's kitchen) to Mongolian bbq grills, and a wide selection of cooking tools including wok steaming and tempura racks, wok whisks and spatulas. (Note: the store specializes in harder-to-find items such as mooncake molds and a Thai-style rice cooker with bamboo basket). True, most of these items can be found online elsewhere, but it's extremely handy to have them all aggregated on a single website.
When it comes to woks, they have a wide selection in a variety of sizes and types of material, with both round and flat bottoms. First time wok buyers might want to check out owner Tane Chan's excellent instructional video on seasoning a wok in the oven. While time consuming, it's a great alternative for those who don't want the muss and fuss of the traditional stovetop method of seasoning a wok.
Chan then breaks in the newly seasoned wok by stir-frying Chinese chives.
Excellent customer service with a personal touch. When I ordered a carbon steel wok online, I received follow-up instructions on how to season the wok and clean it.
When I visited the store in person and purchased a chopping block - made from sturdy Douglas Fir - the salesclerk made sure I didn't leave without instructions on soaking and cleaning the wood, along with the store's email so I could contact them if I had any follow-up questions. Similar positive feedback from other customers can be found here.
The Cons
While there really aren't any, since deliveries are normally shipped by ground, you're not going to get the ultra speedy delivery times that are typical of Amazon.com. On the plus side, shipping costs should also be lower.
Final Thoughts
The Wok Shop truly is a one stop store for all your Asian cooking needs.
More Information:
The Wok Shop
718 Grant Avenue (between Sacramento and Clay Streets), San Francisco CA 94108-2114
Telephone: 1.415.989.3797 or toll free 1.888.780.7171 Fax 1.415.782.2299
Open Daily 10AM to 6PM Pacific Standard Time
Website: http://www.wokshop.com
More Online Shopping for Chinese Cooking Equipment and Ingredients
As with any other type of cybershopping, shopping online for Asian cooking equipment has its benefits and drawbacks. The convenience of being able to shop from home twenty-four hours, seven days a week, can be outweighed by high shipping charges, slow delivery times, and items arriving damaged or not at all. The Wok Shop stands apart from other online stores with its quality of products and reliable service.
The Basics
Established in 1969, The Wok Shop is a family owned and operated business located on Grant Avenue, right in the heart of San Francisco's Chinatown district. Their online store is found at http://www.wokshop.com.
The Pros
Extensive Selection – You'll find everything you need to cook Asian food, from woks (a must-have in any Asian cook's kitchen) to Mongolian bbq grills, and a wide selection of cooking tools including wok steaming and tempura racks, wok whisks and spatulas. (Note: the store specializes in harder-to-find items such as mooncake molds and a Thai-style rice cooker with bamboo basket). True, most of these items can be found online elsewhere, but it's extremely handy to have them all aggregated on a single website.
When it comes to woks, they have a wide selection in a variety of sizes and types of material, with both round and flat bottoms. First time wok buyers might want to check out owner Tane Chan's excellent instructional video on seasoning a wok in the oven. While time consuming, it's a great alternative for those who don't want the muss and fuss of the traditional stovetop method of seasoning a wok.
Chan then breaks in the newly seasoned wok by stir-frying Chinese chives.
Excellent customer service with a personal touch. When I ordered a carbon steel wok online, I received follow-up instructions on how to season the wok and clean it.
When I visited the store in person and purchased a chopping block - made from sturdy Douglas Fir - the salesclerk made sure I didn't leave without instructions on soaking and cleaning the wood, along with the store's email so I could contact them if I had any follow-up questions. Similar positive feedback from other customers can be found here.
The Cons
While there really aren't any, since deliveries are normally shipped by ground, you're not going to get the ultra speedy delivery times that are typical of Amazon.com. On the plus side, shipping costs should also be lower.
Final Thoughts
The Wok Shop truly is a one stop store for all your Asian cooking needs.
More Information:
The Wok Shop
718 Grant Avenue (between Sacramento and Clay Streets), San Francisco CA 94108-2114
Telephone: 1.415.989.3797 or toll free 1.888.780.7171 Fax 1.415.782.2299
Open Daily 10AM to 6PM Pacific Standard Time
Website: http://www.wokshop.com
More Online Shopping for Chinese Cooking Equipment and Ingredients