This is my most prized kitchen cast iron possession to date. The Chinese know a thing or two about cooking with cast iron and this wok was made in china, very thin walled gets hot fast and cools off fast. The Chinese like lots of heat, professionals may use several hundred thousand btu's. The stove in this pic puts out about 10,000 btu, the average home gas stove is around 750 btu on the top eyes I think. Get the heat high enough and you do not have to worry about everything being dry before you toss it in to get a good sear. If you want to sear thin cuts of meat (fajitas) the wok is my go to tool. The wok has a round bottom which is superior to a flat bottom when it comes to woks, less oil is needed. I paid a whopping $25 for the wok new. Because it is thin you don't want to drop it or bang it hard with the side of a metal spatula. Use one of these and you will not want to go back to a lodge IMHO.