How a Black Pot Is Made
In Li Bai's eyes, using a nonstick pan was absolutely unprofessional. Sure, food didn't stick, but it also made it harder to control the heat.
Stir-frying called for a big, well-oiled wok with smoke rising from it. No matter how you looked at it, a nonstick pan couldn't reach the ideal oil temperature, because once it got too hot, its coating was done for.
"Huh? But without that coating, this pan's completely ruined!"
The third-generation Chinese-American chef was close to losing his mind. If the nonstick pan couldn't be used anymore, they could just throw it away. Why go to such lengths to brutalize it, scrubbing it to death with steel wool? Did Li Bai have some grudge against nonstick pans?
He didn't have a grudge. He just wanted to return the pan to its natural state and restore its original appearance.
If the pan had an aluminum base instead of a cast-iron one, Li Bai would probably have recommended throwing it away.
Though he didn't understand, the chef still fetched a big wad of steel wool. Foreigners used this stuff too. Even if the kitchen didn't have any, the chef carried some around himself. It was light, after all, and very handy.
Li Bai took the steel wool and vigorously scrubbed the mottled nonstick coating off the huge, 24-inch, two-handled wok.
The fine steel strands scraped away the coating. After a dozen or so strokes, he rinsed it with water, and the entire inside of the wok gleamed brightly, restored to the original silvery gray of cast iron.
When he saw Li Bai finish, the chef stared in disbelief. The wok was completely ruined!
Was it really necessary to go that far?
"Do you have any lard? Preferably pork lard!"
After wiping the