Eight tools. Eight staples.
Every dish in the book.
No gadgets. The exact pans, blades and filters behind every recipe, plus the eight pantry staples that make each dish taste like the place.
Less than one wagyu dinner for two in Osaka.
Start here
These three cover eight of the ten recipes in Vol. 1.
Start hereUsed in EP01 · EP08Cast-iron skillet, 12-inch
The $300 wagyu sear and the NYC smash burger start here. Heavy, cheap, lasts forever.
Start hereUsed in Bangkok · Mexico CityCarbon-steel wok, 14-inch
Pad thai, chilaquiles, anything that needs real heat. Seasons like cast iron, weighs half.
Start hereUsed in EP01 · EP05 · EP07Instant-read thermometer
Steak, katsu, Peking duck. The single tool that turns guessing into restaurant-grade.
Finish the set
Cheap, specific, and each one unlocks a dish you can't fake without it.
Used in Hanoi · EP10Vietnamese phin filter
Egg coffee and ca phe sua da. Costs less than one cafe coffee, makes hundreds.
Used in EP03Pizza steel
The Neapolitan leopard-spot crust in a normal home oven. Better than a stone.
Used in Tokyo · EP11Kewpie mayo
The konbini egg sando secret. Sweeter, richer, unmistakably Japanese.
Used in every episodeChef's knife, 8-inch
One good knife beats a block of bad ones. Victorinox is the pro-kitchen default.
Used in EP05Bamboo steamer, 10-inch
Dumplings, buns and the Peking duck pancakes. Stack two for a crowd.
The eight ingredients you can't substitute
Everything else is at any supermarket. These are the ones that make the dish taste like the place.
Used in Hanoi · BangkokFish sauce (Red Boat or Three Crabs)
Pho, banh mi pork, pad thai, nuoc cham. The one bottle that makes Southeast Asia taste right.
Used in BangkokTamarind paste
The sour backbone of pad thai. One jar lasts a year.
Used in HanoiSweetened condensed milk
Egg coffee, ca phe sua da, Thai tea. Buy the 4-pack.
Used in Hanoi · BangkokFlat rice noodles
Pho and pad thai. Dried is fine; soak, don't boil.
Used in coming soonGochujang
Not in Vol. 1 yet, but the next ranking is Seoul. Get ahead.
Used in EP02Ramen bowls, 2-pack
Tonkotsu tastes better in the right bowl. 40 oz, wide rim.
Used in Bangkok · MumbaiGranite mortar and pestle
Thai curry paste, salsa, chutneys. Blenders can't do this.
Used in EP04 · Mexico CityCast-iron tortilla press
Birria tacos with fresh corn tortillas. Ten seconds each.
Got the tools? Get the recipes.
The Cookbook Vol. 1: ten world-famous dishes with the price-shock math and the restaurant secret on every page. $24, instant PDF.
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