Introducing our first-ever digital issue! The Wok is all about its namesake equipment, its roots, and its greater sphere of influences. Find everything you need to make the most of it—no matter your level of experience.
, the second culinary opus from Kenji López-Alt, our former colleague and food-science wunderkind. There was no better moment to bring Kenji back to these pixelated pages than in our own full-throated celebration of what Kenji and many others will tell you is the single most versatile piece of cookware ever created.
One thing we all felt strongly about was that, while Kenji would play a leading role in this digital issue, contributing an introductory essay, two original recipes, and a wok-science excerpt from his book, the Serious Eats Wok Issue is about more than Kenji's amazing new book—the wok's roots run too deep and its reach is too broad for us to share one person’s story alone.
As you explore, you'll see all the expert hands that have touched this project. We have killer new recipes from celebrated chefs and recipe developers like Jenny Dorsey, Adam Liaw, Derek Lucci, Lucas Sin, and Clarissa Wei; fully updated and expanded articles on fundamental wok techniques by Tim Chin; and new and improved equipment reviews.
We hope the stories and recipes in this issue inspire you to continue wok traditions as enduring and bright as their thousands-years past. Or, at the very least, to throw out any of those nonstick pieces of crap once and for all.