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Become a More Creative Cook with J. Kenji Lopez-Alt, Chef and Author of The Wok
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The talent behind the bestselling The Food Lab returns with a culinary/scientific exploration of the world’s most popular cooking pan. As a proponent of molecular gastronomy, Lopez-Alt has blended science with art to explain why recipes work, but he leavens the facts with an engaging writing style that has brought him fans everywhere. Here, J. Kenji Lopez-Alt writes about his most consistent kitchen companion, how to become a more creative cook, and shares a few of his favorite recipes from The Wok.
Hi everyone. I’m so happy to be here talking about my new book The Wok.
There’s a common misconception in the West that it’s impossible to cook properly with a wok using a home burner. The reality is that there are hundreds of millions of meals cooked in woks using regular home ranges every single day and that once you learn how to properly wield it, there’s a whole world of dishes — both home cooking and restaurant-style — that opens up to you and your family.
For decades, my wok has been my most consistent kitchen companion, and I wrote The Wok to invite you to join me in the kitchen with a wok, too. In the book, I share the principles of wok cooking, from simple stir-frying techniques to how to capture wok hei (that elusive aroma my dad always called “that good smoky flavor”) at home. I share over 200 recipes including Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Thai, and other East Asian favorites such as Salt and Pepper Shrimp, Mapo Tofu, Pad Thai, and Bibimbap. You’ll learn how to recreate Asian-American staples you know and love, like Springfield-Style Cashew Chicken, Moo Shu Pork, and Crispy Orange Beef, as well as creative new dishes like Noodles with Pepperoni XO Sauce and Cheesy Congee with Bacon, Charred Corn, Scallions, and Cilantro.
The Wok will teach you how you can cook noodles and rice, deep-fry chicken wings, steam dumplings, poach chicken, simmer stocks, cook eggs a dozen different ways, and braise kabocha squash – all in the wok. Each of the six chapters in the book focuses on a different cooking method or base ingredient, including stir-frying, steaming and simmering, braising, pan-frying, deep-frying, rice, noodles, and more.
More than just recipes, in the spirit of my first book, The Food Lab, The Wok shows how an understanding of basic science and technique behind wok cooking can help you riff on recipes based on your personal taste, or whatever happens to be in your fridge. It will help you become a more creative cook. I share in-depth guides to selecting and caring for your wok, the tools you’ll need to cook with it, and fun lessons in the science of heat transfer. You’ll learn about pantry essentials (and how to store them), and how to pick the right rice or the right noodles for the job. I’ve included over 1,000 full-color photos offering step-by-step walkthroughs of recipes, detailed knife skills guides, and thermal images showing exactly how woks heat your food.
My wok — the exact same one I bought for $20 when I was still a college student — still sits on my stovetop, where it has more than earned its permanent spot. With the techniques, guides, and recipes in The Wok, I’m confident that you too will be feeding your friends and family from this simple tool that is as useful in a modern Western kitchen as it has been for centuries in Asia.