When America's test kitchen was first established in the 90s, there was this editorial preference to avoid calling for specialized gear and ingredients in the kitchen whenever possible.

This was before online retailers were around and we didn't want any barriers to entry.

We just wanted our audience to start cooking.

So for a long time, we encourage people to stir-fry using a non-stick skillet instead of a walk.

Additionally, there was this assumption that a walk might not be well suited to the flat

Western-style burners found in most American households.

And then using a non-stick skillet, a pan designed for a flat burner would be good enough for stir-fry.

Therefore, there was no need to call for a walk in our recipes.

Well, one of the core tenets here at America's Test Kitchen is that we're always learning, and

there's nothing quite like learning from a mistake.

Stir-frying in a non-stick skillet certainly works, but is it really equivalent to making the same

recipe in a walk? There's even a Chinese term that describes the smoky flavor that only a walk can impart to food.

So today on proof,

on proof, ATK at 25, stories behind the iconic recipes, we're talking all about wokai.

We'll tell the story of how a brilliant recipe developer and an intrepid equipment reviewer challenged our long-standing stir-fry practice

and how all of that gave birth to our cumin stir-fryed beef recipe from season

24 of the TV show.

I'm your host Jack Bishop, You're in for a delicious ride. Hi proof listeners it's Joe Gitter a senior editor in test cook here at America's

Test kitchen as the resident Brit here at 80k I'm always looking to bring some

English culture to the office which includes getting my colleagues hooked

on the world of British TV, Telli, and we're not talking about Love Island here.

Never has this been easier than with the help of Acorn TV, the Premier streaming service.

...