own, with very little direction needed from you, the cook.

THE WOK: THE BEST VESSEL

FOR DEEP-FRYING

Frying in a Dutch oven works reasonably well, but

it’s     got     its     problems:   its     straight    sides   make

maneuvering food    inside  it  difficult.  You could   go  out

and  get     a   dedicated   deep    fryer,  but     do  you     really

have     room    on  your    counter     for     that?*  Here’s  a

better   alternative:    I’d     be  willing     to  wager   that

anyone  who complains   about   how difficult   and messy

it  is  to  deep-fry    at  home    has never   tried   deep-frying

in  a   wok.    Why don’t   people  fry at  home?   The most

common   answers     are:    it’s    messy,  it’s    expensive

(“What  do  I   do  with    all the leftover    oil?”), and it’s

unhealthy.  Well,   a   wok can help    solve   your    first   two

problems;   you’re  on  your    own for the third.  Frying

adds     fat     to  your    food,   period—try  eating  a   few

fewer   French  fries   or  only    one piece   of  fried   chicken

if  you don’t   want    the extra   calories.

The  flared  sides   of  a   wok     offer   several

advantages  over    a   straight-sided  saucepan    or  Dutch

oven:

• There is less mess. If you’ve ever tried deep-frying