J. Kenji López-Alt Shares Tips for Cooking With a Wok at Home

If you don’t already have a wok in your kitchen at home, J. Kenji López-Alt’s seminar and wok cooking demonstration at the 2023 Food & Wine Classic in Aspen will change your mind. López-Alt, author of the cookbook, The Wok: Recipes and Techniques; chief culinary advisor for Serious Eats; and the host of Kenji’s Cooking Show on YouTube, says the wok is the most versatile pan in the kitchen. Of course, he stir-fries vegetables, meat, fish, tofu, and noodles in it.

But you should think of your favorite wok for much more than that one technique. López-Alt loves it for deep-frying, steaming, and poaching, noting that the wide, flared sides that prevent the frying oil from splattering all over the stove when frying also make the wok ideal for simmering or poaching meat, fish, or eggs. He adds a bamboo steaming rack to his wok when he wants to steam dumplings, fish, or vegetables. He also scrambles eggs, wilts greens, crisps up leftovers, braises meat, boils noodles and other pasta, simmers soup, and even smoked chicken wings in his wok. Here are some tips from López-Alt on how to get started with wok-cooking at home. 

Buy the right wok for your stove

Too often, López-Alt explains, home cooks think they can’t cook with a wok on a range at home, because they need a special high-powered burner like the ones you see in restaurants. López-Alt says anyone can cook with a wok, whether you have an electric stove, gas range, or even an induction burner. He says home cooks should avoid buying nonstick woks, as they aren’t made for high-heat cooking. He also advises against buying stainless steel woks, as they are heavy and difficult to use. And cast-iron woks vary in quality depending on their thickness. López-Alt suggests buying a good flat-bottomed carbon steel wok, noting that a carbon steel wok will only get better with use over time. 

If you have a traditional round-bottom wok, you can use it on gas ranges; you just need a simple adapter ring to place over the burner so the wok can rest over the flames without tipping over. 

How to season your wok

As with a cast-iron pan, a wok needs to be seasoned in order to do its best work. Seasoning a wok gives it a protective coating and makes the surface nonstick. If you have a new wok, López-Alt says your first step is to scrub off the protective coating of oil with hot, soapy water, and then dry it carefully. Place the wok over a burner set to the highest heat, and turn it so every part of the wok gets burning hot. Then pour a small amount of neutral oil that can take high heat (such as corn, vegetable, peanut, canola, soybean, or flaxseed oil) into the wok, and use tongs to hold a wad of paper towel to rub the oil around the interior of the wok. Wipe up any excess, then let the wok cool. It is now ready to use. After cooking in your wok, clean it gently — López-Alt says it’s fine to use a little soap, but don’t scrub it. With repeated use, your wok will turn from silver to brown to black, developing a patina that makes it work even better. 

Start cooking in your wok

Now, you are ready to cook. Make a stir-fry like this Wok-Seared Steak Majong with Shishito Peppers, or these Wok-Seared Scallops with Tangerine Sauce. Get the crispiest texture on fried rice, like this Prawn and Chorizo Fried Rice. Simmer a warming bowl of Chicken and Chestnut Soup, or Longevity Noodles. With the right wok, anything is possible.