Last year, J. Kenji López-Alt published the definitive cookbook on cooking with a wok, and in the process of researching which tools were best to recommend to his readers, he found that spatulas in particular often fell short of what he wanted in such a tool, especially when it came to working in a flat-bottomed wok.

So, he spent several months working closely with Montana-based wooden kitchen utensil studio Earlywood to craft a spatula specific for wok cooking! (And even more specifically, with a 14″ wok.)

Every detail of this hard maple wok spatula (is “wokula” too dorky a name?) has been considered, including…

• The wide curved head that makes contact with every surface of the wok and lets you toss and tumble large amounts of food with little effort.
• The 16″ long ergonomic handle that safely and comfortably keeps your hand far away from the heat and sizzling food while you work.
• The raised bump on the bottom end of the handle that allows the spatula to be set down without juices running off it, and makes it easy to pick back up again when needed.
• The option for you to choose a left- or right-handed version of the spatula — a first for the company — as an ambidextrous version simply wouldn’t work as well.

Earlywood made their own little video showing off the spatula’s features:

As I write this on November 26th, 2023, you won’t be able to find the wok spatula on Earlywood’s Amazon store, so you’ll want to order it directly from their website for $44. If you don’t already have J. Kenji’s wok cookbook, you can have a signed copy included with your spatula for $90.

Posted By Chris Gonzales