Chef and food writer J. Kenji López-Alt

Episode notes

Photo: Norton, W. W. & Company, Inc.

J. Kenji López-Alt on wok cooking, working at Cook’s Illustrated, and more

J. Kenji López-Alt is a food writer and chef. He is the child of two scientists, and he approaches cooking with a methodical, careful approach. A lot of his recipes perfect the staples including steak, potatoes, beans, eggs, mayo, and mushroom soup. If you are a home cook, odds are you have a recipe from Kenji you swear by. In 2015, he compiled a lot of his signature recipes in his award winning book The Food Lab: Better Home Cooking Through Science. He has also written for the New York Times, Cook’s Illustrated, Serious Eats, and many more.

This year, López-Alt has followed up The Food Lab with a very different kind of cookbook. It is called The Wok: Recipes and Techniques. It is a book about everything and anything you can imagine needing to know when it comes to cooking with woks. In its nearly 700 pages you’ll find not only recipes but a guide to acquainting, understanding and eventually mastering one of the most versatile pans in the kitchen. 

Kenji López-Alt talks with Jesse about the new book and some of his favorite meals to make with a wok. He also shares how he used science to make the perfect chocolate chip cookie. Plus, he talks about how he balances inclusivity and appropriation when making recipes from other countries.

Here are a few of our favorite J. Kenji López-Alt recipes: 

The Best Crispy Roast Potatoes Ever Recipe

Two-Minute Mayonnaise Recipe

The Food Lab’s Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe

Roasted and Reverse Seared Prime Rib Recipe