Hi there,
I've used the same wok for more than 20 years, and it’s been by far the most-used tool in my kitchen: 14 inches, carbon steel, heavy gauge, with a flat bottom and helper handle. When I wrote my book The Wok: Recipes and Techniques, it was the best option I could recommend.
But if I'm being honest, I also wished a few things were different about it. Traditional carbon steel is a phenomenal cooking material, but it asks a lot in return. You have to season it before cooking, it can be a challenge to clean, it can rust and pit, and if you don't preheat it just right, food can stick, and your dinner becomes more difficult than it needs to be. I accepted all of that because those tradeoffs were par for the course.
The new Our Place Carbon Steel Wok exists because new technology has allowed me to challenge that assumption.
Working with the team at Our Place, we kept the non-negotiable things that make a wok special (like a flat bottom designed for Western ranges, perfectly sloped walls to make tossing simple, and the lightweight advantages and responsiveness of carbon steel), but pushed the materials further. I couldn't be more excited about the result: a true carbon steel wok with a super-nitrided treatment that is harder, more durable, more naturally nonstick, and far easier to maintain than traditional carbon steel. It arrives pre-seasoned with a slick, hard surface, but like traditional carbon steel, its performance only improves with time and use as each meal you cook improves that seasoned patina.
The shape honors what woks do best: stir-frying (which should really be called toss-frying). The high walls and the super-nitrided material make achieving restaurant-style wok hei (the elusive, smoky “breath of the wok") a reality whether you cook on a home burner or a high-powered outdoor wok range. But it can also do so much more: it steams, it sears, it braises, it stews, it deep fries, and it smokes. Think tender smoked duck breast, steamed dumplings, crisp vegetable tempura, fast-cooked omelets, fragrant fried rice, and so much more.
We also focused on the realities of modern kitchens. The wok's flat bottom is stable on any cooktop (no added wok ring required), and it's induction compatible. It comes with a tight-fitting tempered glass lid so you can steam or smoke your foods, and I'm really excited about the 15-inch beechwood spatula custom-designed to fit the contours of the wok for perfect stirring.
Is this the only pan you'll ever need? No, I don't think so. But it comes pretty close. I'll say this: It's the wok that finally convinced me to leave my decades-old wok in storage.
Happy cooking, wok stars.
Kenji López-Alt
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