Joyce Chen Joyce Chen Excalibur 10-Piece Non-Stick Wok Set Review

Growing up, my parents always had an electric Wok and my dad always made the best stir fry.  I wanted a Wok when I was registering for gifts, but I did not want one that needed to be plugged in because we have limited space for that in our kitchen.  Instead I registered for the Joyce Chen Excalibur 10-Piece Non-Stick Wok Setwhich is used on a stove-top.

What it comes with
This 10 piece set comes with:

1. 14" non-stick wok
2. dome lid
3. 14" tempura rack
4. 12" bamboo spatula
5. bamboo cooking chopsticks
6. 6 pairs of bamboo table chopsticks
7. steaming rack
8. bamboo tongs
9. bamboo rice paddle
10. recipe booklet

It's basically everything you need to cook your next stir fry!  The only thing you'd need extra is a pot to cook the rice in.  Everything fits nicely into the box and when we are done with it, we store it back in the box so it doesn't get spread out all over the kitchen.

What we use
We haven't used all of those pieces yet but this set was still a great value for the pieces we do use.  Of course we always use the actual wok.  It's large and deep enough that we can stir fry without worrying about things being knocked over the edge.  You could easily make enough for a dinner party, there is plenty of room.  You only need a little oil to stir fry your whole meal and you don't have to worry about anything sticking. 

We also use the spatula and rice paddle.  We actually use both to stir fry instead of using one for the rice.  It makes it easier to stir fry if you hold one in each hand and just toss the ingredients around.

When done cooking, the lid is great for keeping your dinner warm while you eat.  It's a large dome lid to if we ever decide to steam veggies, the lid gives the steam a place to go.

What we plan to use
So far we have only made a few simple meals with this, so we have yet to use the rest of the 10 piece set but we do plan to use the other pieces.  The recipe booklet is really just three simple recipes.  These offer an alternative way to make chicken stir fry, beef stir fry and fried rice.  Eventually we will try all of these but right now we are sticking to the simple recipes we already know.

I'm interested in trying out the steaming rack to steam veggies.  This rack is placed inside the wok and lifts your whatever you place on it a few inches so you could put water underneath.  The only thing I don't get is that it has really big holes so I don't know exactly if this would work for veggies or what it is meant for.  The product doesn't come with very good usage instructions!

If the steaming rack doesn't work like I think, I'm also going to try the tempura rack which is clips to the top of the wok and covers half the wok.  It has smaller holes and might work better for veggies but I've read only the tempura rack is meant for fried foods.  Who knows!  Maybe someone with experience can enlighten me on these two racks and how I should use them because the product doesn't have any description of these at all.

What I don't plan to use
I will probably never use the cooking chopsticks, table chopsticks or tongs (which basically look like wider chopsticks).  Maybe if I'm board I'll try eating with chopsticks, but probably not!  After all that cooking, I'm hungry and I don't want to learn to use chopsticks just yet!  It's a cool addition for anyone who is into that or wants to try that.

In the end
I really like the actual wok, lid, and the two paddles.  I'm excited to use the two racks, if only someone will tell me how!  All together, these pieces are worth the $50 price tag at Bed Bath and Beyond.  Buy it with one of those 20% off coupons to make it an even better deal.  Enjoy!!