Essentials

Togiharu Hammered Texture Damascus Gyuto 240mm

Essential Knife Skills for Chinese Cooking: Knife & Board

Welcome to my new series, Essential Knife Skills for Chinese Cooking. I’ll be introducing the most common knife cuts in Chinese recipes, with instructional videos that actually work with the produce you have on hand. Compared to many knife skill videos I’ve found online, my methods are based on traditional Chinese knife skills that are minimal waste. Step 1, if you’re struggling with knife work, your tools may be to blame. Fortunately, it doesn’t cost much to set yourself up for success. Here are some of my favorite tools at every price point, along with how to care for them.

Stocking Your Kitchen: Essential Ingredients for Chinese Cooking (Part I: The Basics)

For one of the world’s great cuisines, you need remarkably little to get started with Chinese cooking. The Chinese call basic ingredients 油盐酱醋 (yóu yán jiàng cù), meaning oil, salt, soy sauce, and vinegar. I’ve added a few essentials to expand the repertoire a bit. Everything here is what I use in my own kitchen. My picks are based on extensive reading of taste tests and, more importantly, from trying many brands myself.