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If you want a real carbon steel wok that works on a flat stovetop, the Souped Up Recipes wok is one of the easiest places to start. This 13.4-inch version comes pre-seasoned, sits flat on induction, electric, and gas burners, and ships with a wooden lid and a solid stainless steel spatula.
Our short answer: it’s a very good wok for the money, especially if you cook for three or more people. Just know that “pre-seasoned” doesn’t mean maintenance-free. Like any carbon steel pan, it needs drying, oiling, and a little patience before it turns truly slick.
Quick Verdict
- Best for: Families and batch cooks with induction, electric, or gas stoves who want a proper carbon steel wok with the lid and spatula already included.
- Skip it if: You want something you can put in the dishwasher, or you mostly cook for one or two on a small cooktop.
- Bottom line: Great heat, generous size, and a useful starter kit. The trade-off is the care routine, and some buyers find the factory seasoning needs extra work.
How we reviewed it
We haven’t cooked with this exact Souped Up Recipes wok ourselves. This review is built from the manufacturer’s specs, the Amazon listing details, and a close read of owner feedback across retailers and cooking forums. Where owners disagree, we say so.
What Is the Souped Up Recipes Wok?
Souped Up Recipes is the cookware line from Mandy, the YouTube cook behind a popular Chinese takeout recipe channel. Her original 12.5-inch flat bottom wok (see our Souped Up Recipes 12.5-inch wok review) launched on Amazon in 2018 and built a big following. This 13.4-inch model is the larger sibling, added in 2024 for people who cook bigger batches.
That background matters more than it sounds. The wok was designed around the dishes she cooks on camera, and the box includes a link to her video library (you can also browse the Souped Up Recipes YouTube channel). If you’re new to wok cooking, having a recipe walkthrough made in the same pan is genuinely handy.
Souped Up Recipes Wok Design and Build Quality
Carbon steel, not nonstick
This is a plain carbon steel wok with no Teflon-style coating. That’s the point. Carbon steel heats fast, cools fast, and handles very high heat, which is what you want for searing and stir-frying. America’s Test Kitchen’s wok testing is a useful outside reference on how woks perform on home stoves.
The trade-off is that the “nonstick” comes from seasoning, a layer of baked-on oil. It improves the more you cook. It also wears off if you scrub hard or let the pan soak.
Thickness and weight
The brand says the steel is about 50% thicker than a typical carbon steel wok while staying light. Thicker steel holds heat better when cold food hits the pan, and it’s less likely to warp. Owners generally describe it as manageable to lift and shake, though a full 13.4-inch wok of noodles is still a two-handed job for many people.
Handle, spout, and finish
You get a wooden main handle that stays cool on the stove, plus a small pour spout on the rim for sauces and frying oil. Buyers also mention a hammered-style texture on the surface, which helps food you push up the sides stay there while you cook the next batch in the center.
Cooking Performance: Heat, Stir-Frying, and Capacity
Owner feedback on how the Souped Up Recipes wok cooks is mostly positive. The most common praise is that it heats quickly and evenly and gives a proper sizzle when food goes in. Several reviewers say it became their everyday stovetop pan, not just a weekend stir-fry tool.
Because it’s carbon steel, you can also use it for more than stir-fries. Deep-frying, pan-searing, steaming with the lid, and simmering soups are all fair game. Just don’t leave acidic sauces like tomato or vinegar sitting in it for long while the seasoning is still young.
How big is 13.4 inches, really?
It’s big. The 7-liter bowl comfortably handles family portions of fried rice, lo mein, or a big batch of vegetables. That room is the main reason to buy this size, since crowding a wok steams food instead of searing it.
The flip side shows up in reviews too. A few owners who cook for two said they’d pick the smaller 12.5-inch model next time. On a compact four-burner range, this wok can crowd the pans next to it.
Is It a Good Flat Bottom Wok for Induction and Electric Stoves?
Yes, and this is one of its biggest selling points. Round-bottom woks need a gas flame or a wok ring, and they wobble on glass tops. This flat bottom wok sits steady on induction, coil electric, and glass-top ranges, and it works on gas as well.
One UK owner on a cooking forum noted that induction compatibility was the deciding factor for their household, and that the seasoning had held up well with careful cleaning. That lines up with what we see from US buyers using induction.
A word of caution for glass-top owners: a small number of reports mention warping. Thin and medium carbon steel can bend if you blast an empty pan on max heat. Preheat on medium-high, then add oil and food, and you’ll greatly reduce that risk.
Pre-Seasoned Carbon Steel Wok: What to Expect Out of the Box
Here’s where reviews of the Souped Up Recipes wok split. Many owners say it was close to nonstick from day one and only got better. Others say it took several cooks, or extra rounds of oil and heat, before eggs stopped sticking.
A small group of unhappy buyers went further. One said the factory pre-seasoning behaved strangely and never settled into a good surface, even after following the guide. Another simply said it took a long time to break in. These are a minority, but they’re worth knowing about.
Our take: treat “pre-seasoned” as a head start, not a finished surface. Read the included guide before the first cook, follow its first-use steps, and plan on adding a thin coat of oil after each wash for the first few weeks. Some experienced owners go further and re-season it in the oven, but that’s optional and means removing the wooden handle first.
The Included Lid and Spatula
Plenty of woks in this price range ship bare, like the Amazon Basics carbon steel wok. The Souped Up Recipes wok set includes a wooden lid and a stainless steel spatula (often called a wok chuan), and owners rate the spatula highly.
Because there’s no coating to damage, metal utensils are fine. One forum owner said their partner now uses the included spatula almost exclusively. Just skip sharp, gouging tools that dig into the seasoning.
If you’d rather see your food while it steams, the same 13.4-inch wok is sold with a stainless steel and glass lid instead. The Todlabe carbon steel wok is another flat-bottom option that comes with a glass lid. Pick whichever lid suits how you cook; the wok is the same.
Cleaning and Care
This is the part that decides whether you’ll love the Souped Up Recipes wok or resent it. The routine is simple, but you have to do it every time (Serious Eats has a deeper guide to buying and caring for a wok):
- Rinse with hot water while the wok is still warm, using a soft brush or sponge.
- Avoid harsh detergents, steel wool, and soaking, as the brand’s guide advises.
- Dry it completely, ideally over low heat for a minute.
- Wipe on a very thin layer of oil before putting it away.
- Never put it in the dishwasher.
Skip the drying step and rust spots can appear. They’re fixable with a scrub and re-seasoning, but it’s easier to avoid them. If you already own cast iron, this will feel familiar. The same routine works for flat carbon steel pans like the OXO Obsidian carbon steel frying pan.
What Owners Say About the Souped Up Recipes Wok
Across retailers, the pattern is consistent. The most frequent compliments are even heating, a big cooking area, easy cleanup once seasoned, and the quality of the spatula. Several buyers have bought a second one as a gift, which is a good sign.
The complaints cluster in three places: seasoning that needs more work than expected, the size being too big for some kitchens, and the ongoing care routine. Very few complaints are about the steel itself failing.
13.4-Inch vs. 12.5-Inch: Which Souped Up Recipes Wok Size Fits You?
| Feature | 13.4-inch (this wok) | 12.5-inch (original) |
|---|
| Capacity | 7 liters | 6 liters |
| Best for | Families of 3+, batch cooking | 1–2 people, smaller stovetops |
| Lid and spatula | Included | Included |
| Cooktops | Electric, induction, gas | Electric, induction, gas |
If you’re torn, think about your biggest regular meal and your stove space. A wok that’s too small forces you to cook in batches. One that’s too big can feel clumsy and crowd neighboring burners.
Who Should Buy This 13.4 Inch Carbon Steel Wok?
Buy it if you:
- Cook on induction, electric, or glass-top and want a real wok, not a deep skillet.
- Regularly feed three or more people, or like leftovers.
- Want a ready-to-go set with a lid and spatula, plus video recipes to learn from.
- Don’t mind a cast iron-style care routine.
Skip it if you:
- Need dishwasher-safe cookware.
- Mostly cook for one or two on a small cooktop (look at the 12.5-inch).
- Want a round-bottom wok for a high-output gas burner.
- Expect a slick, finished surface from the very first cook.
Alternatives to the Souped Up Recipes Wok
Souped Up Recipes 12.5-inch wok: The same idea in a smaller size, and the better choice for small households.
Yosukata 13.5-inch carbon steel wok: Another popular pre-seasoned option with a blue carbon steel finish. It typically doesn’t include a lid and spatula, so compare full set costs.
Joyce Chen carbon steel wok: A long-running, simpler option. You’ll usually season it yourself from scratch, which some cooks actually prefer.
Other flat-bottom options we’ve reviewed include the larger Babish 14-inch carbon steel wok, the Teewe carbon steel wok, the Leidawn 11-piece wok set, and the hand-hammered Craft Wok 12-inch flat bottom wok.
Final Verdict: Is the Souped Up Recipes Wok Worth It?
For most home cooks with a flat stovetop, yes. The Souped Up Recipes wok in the 13.4-inch size gives you real carbon steel performance, room for family-size meals, and a lid and spatula that would cost extra elsewhere.
It isn’t perfect. The factory seasoning can need extra help, it’s large for small kitchens, and it asks for a few minutes of care after every use. But if you’re willing to dry it, oil it, and cook in it often, it should keep getting better for years.
You can find more of our kitchen and cookware reviews here.
