A well-loved wok is a thing of beauty. Frequent cooking builds up a glossy, natural nonstick coating, and gentle cleaning removes excess grease, but doesn't disturb those precious layers of seasoning.

I love using my cast iron skillet and carbon steel wok, but on occasion I'll forget to clean them right away and I'm left with a stuck-on gooey mess. Soap will destroy the seasoning of the cookware, ...