What material makes the best wok

At that point the wok only had about 18 years of seasoning.

He held it up to me.

"See, Chef, spic and span." It was. I didn't kill him.

Would have been justifiable homicide, I think.

-Paul W.

You've got good advice about woks. I use the kind recommended, though I admit I've been intrigued by the iron ones that the Wok shop carries in their store.

As for a wok ring, I've not used one, but you might actually consider getting one, for the following reason: it will help prevent the heat from going up the sides of your wok and escaping. If you put a wok on a burner, and turn the burner on, try putting your hand next to the top of the wok. You'll feel a lot of heat that's not going into your cooking, and, believe me, you'll want all the heat you can get. Depending on the design, it may also get the bottom of the wok closer to the flame than just resting on the grate would.