I Made the Wok of my Dreams, and it's Finally Here (Patreon)

Hey Super Frienjis! I made a wok!

You can order it now from Our Place, or paid Patreon folks can read in to get a 10% discount code (that alone worth a few months of Super Frienji-level membership!)

This has been a dream project of mine for years, and after working with the talented and passionate folks at Our Place, it's finally a reality. You'll hear more about the design process of my new super-nitride carbon steel wok in the coming days (product design is incredibly interesting and painstaking, but, ahem, hard wok pays off), but I wanted you all to be the first to know that if and when you decide to order one, you can get a nice little discount.

Order from Our Place using the discount code KENJI10 for 10% off through January 20th.

I had used the same carbon steel wok for over 20 years in my home kitchen until it finally broke just after my book, The Wok came out. I loved that pan and used it nearly every day. The only difficulty I had with it is the same difficulty that hits every carbon steel or cast iron pan: it’s reactive. It can rust, pit, and stick if you aren’t careful with it after use.

So I started working with the team at Our Place to design a wok that solves that one little issue. My parameters were strict: It had to cook exactly like carbon steel. That is, it needed to be:

Light enough to stir-fry.

Responsive to heat changes.

Able to withstand the intense heat that wok cooking often relies on.

The ability to produce true “wok hei” smokiness and flavor.

Tough enough to use metal utensils on.

And on top of that, I wanted it to be:

13-14 inches (my favorite size for cooking for a family or group of friends).

flat bottomed so it can be used effectively on Western-style ranges or on an induction or electric burner. 

14-16 gauge steel (thick enough to be sturdy and last forever, light enough to effectively use)

Have a comfortable handle for toss-frying and a looped helper handle for lifting big loads or hanging.

Have handles that are firmly riveted on (not welded) for the longest possible lifespan.

And the big ones:

It needed to be slick and ready to cook in right out of the box

Made with a material that is rust-, pit-, and stain-resistant, with no coatings or forever chemicals.

A year later, the wok became a reality.

It’s made from carbon steel that has undergone a high-temperature super-nitriding process that drives nitrogen atoms into the surface of the steel in order to form a very tough, durable, stain-resistant layer that’s multiple times harder than bare steel and maintains slickness like no wok I've ever worked with.Because I know that a lot of folks have questions about this wok—What makes it different? Why does it cost so much? And most importantly, do I really need it?—I decided to open up this week’s newsletter to the entire Patreon community and give some straightforward answers, along with links to a bunch of wok recipes that show what you can do in a wok (any wok, not just mine).

So why a New Wok?

Woks are an ancient technology that hasn’t really changed all that much in 2,000 years. They are an ideal tool for stir-frying, deep-frying, braising, simmering, steaming, smoking, and more. And even the most basic wok can do all of those things beautifully. (See my friend Sho Spaeth’s great guide to Everything you can do in a Wok.)

So why did I want to design my own? What makes this wok different, and do you really need it?

Let me start with this: you absolutely do not need a wok like mine in order to cook excellent food. Heck, I used the exact same inexpensive carbon steel wok in my home kitchen for over two decades before it finally gave out and I hung it up for good—and you should be able to do the same.

In fact, my original guide on How to Buy, Season, and Care for a Wok is still up (and freely available) over on Serious Eats, and I still stand by all the criteria I laid out back when I wrote it about ten years ago. (There’s an updated and more detailed version in my book, The Wok.)

Here are the basics: look for a wok that…

Is made from heavy-gauge carbon steel. Carbon steel is lightweight and tough, seasons well, responds quickly to heat changes, and helps create wok hei. Because it has relatively low thermal conductivity, it also maintains the heat zones you want in a wok: a ripping hot center and cooler sides.

Is 13 to 14 inches wide, which is the right size for the average family meal or dinner party.

Has a flat bottom, designed to add stability on Western ranges.

Is widely flared, which makes tossing and flipping easier.

Has a long handle and a small helper handle on the opposite side, making it easier to stir-fry and transfer food.

Avoid woks that…

Have a nonstick coating. Most nonstick coatings aren’t designed for high-heat cooking and will severely limit what you can do in a wok.

Are made from clad construction. Aluminum cores are great for Western cooking where even heating is desirable, but detrimental to wok cooking, where concentrated heat in the center matters more.

Are made from stainless steel or cast iron. Both materials tend to be heavier than thinner-gauge carbon steel, making them less responsive to heat changes and harder to toss.

Once you hit those criteria, basically any wok will do a great job, and you can find one that will last you a decade or more at any Asian restaurant supply shop or through online retailers like The Wok Shop in San Francisco.

So what changed? Why a new wok now?

In two words: materials technology.

The big difference: nitriding

Traditional carbon steel woks have one real downside: they need to be maintained carefully in order to keep the seasoning—and the nonstick properties that come with it—intact. That means washing them out, drying them thoroughly, and re-oiling them immediately after use (i.e., before you sit down to eat) in order to prevent rusting and pitting.

Pre-kid and pre-single-parenting, this wasn’t too hard. Give the wok a quick scrub in the sink with a bamboo brush, set it on a burner for a couple minutes to evaporate moisture, then rub it down with a little oil and a paper towel.

These days, the dinner table is…a little more hectic. I often find myself putting my pots and pans in the sink to deal with after dinner. Some wild nights I won’t get to washing them until after the kids are asleep. And if I accidentally fall asleep with my four-year-old while we snuggle before bedtime, those pots and pans may not get washed until the morning.

Which means the odds of me waking up to a rusted wok have gone way up.

That’s where nitriding comes in.

When carbon steel is heat-treated in a nitrogen-rich environment, some of that nitrogen gets absorbed into the surface of the metal, creating an integrated layer that is several times tougher than raw carbon steel and far more rust- and stain-resistant. It’s a really enticing treatment for a wok.

Nitrided woks have been available in Asia for a while, but they’ve been relatively uncommon in the U.S. The folks at Our Place took the technology a step further, using a process they’ve dubbed “Super Nitriding,” which combines heat and pressure during nitriding to create a nitrided carbon steel layer about twice as thick as standard nitriding.

Combine that with a wok designed to meet all of my personal criteria for shape, weight, size, and usability, and you wind up with the wok of my dreams: a wok that can be used like traditional carbon steel for high-heat cooking and true stir-frying (on gas, electric, induction, or even an outdoor wok burner), but is also:

far more rust-resistant

easier to maintain

more naturally nonstick

and requires no initial seasoning

This is the wok I plan on using until my arms can’t lift it anymore (at which point my kids will hopefully enjoy cooking in it).

A word on pricing

I understand that this wok is significantly more expensive than a basic carbon steel wok. Between the quality of construction, the work that went into development, and the unique technology involved, it simply costs more to produce.

I want to reiterate: a plain old $40–$50 heavy-gauge carbon steel wok will do you just fine. You can cook truly excellent food with it, and it can last you decades.

But if you want a tool that can make wok cooking easier and a more joyful—something that’s designed to be truly durable, low-maintenance, and beautiful to use—this might be your lifetime wok. (Or the wok you buy for someone you really, really like.)

If you do decide to order one, you can use the code KENJI10 at checkout for a 10% discount through January 20th. Order my wok from Our Place, (currently available only in the U.S., Canada, and the UK, unfortunately).

I believe that this is the wok that will carry me through the rest of my life. Stir-frying, deep frying, braising, simmering, steaming, and smoking, it’ll do it all.

Stay tuned for a deeper look into the development of this project, as well as plenty of wok-based cooking content coming up.

Are you ready to rock out with your wok out?

Order from Our Place using the discount code KENJI10 for 10% off through January 20th.