Do you own a wok? If you listen to Grace Young talk about stir-frying for long enough, you'll certainly start wanting one! The beauty of a carbon-steel wok is it heats quickly and evenly. When you stir-fry it sears meat and chicken perfectly, imparting wok fragrance. While the high sides of the wok are perfect for stir-frying meat and vegetables without crowding the pan or dumping ingredients over the side, a wok is also more than a stir-fry pan. You can pan-fry, braise, deep-fry, steam, boil, poach, and smoke with it. Carbon steel woks also become naturally nonstick the longer you use them, meaning less oil needed for cooking.

Ready to take the plunge? Here's how to pick a wok and season it for the first time. Also, Grace shows us how to give an adolescent wok a "facial" to keep it looking good as its true patina develops. More

One welcome question I heard from readers for Reader Request Week was, "More on pressure cookers please!" Pressure cookers are a very undervalued appliance in many American kitchens, although they are more widely used in other parts of the world. A pressure cooker can cook dried beans in under 20 minutes, a pot roast to tenderness in 45. Sounds amazing, right? Do you have a pressure cooker, and if so, what do you like to cook in it? More

We get this question a lot: what kinds of pots, tools, and gadgets are essential in the kitchen? This seems like an overwhelming topic, especially if you're a newbie cook just setting up your first real post-college kitchen. Thankfully, The Kitchn has a few guides to help you on your way. (Also helpful to pro cooks who want to pare down!) If you missed 'em, here are the five guides we've offered so far... with more to come! More

Q: My mom asked for new pots and pans for Mother's Day and although she is the best, it's hard to scrape together $1,400 or more between all of us to get her the "Dream Package" which is the All-Clad Copper Core 10 or 14 piece. I am wondering if there is a similar product — of same quality just not as expensive? More

Q: I've read that adding salt to stainless steel cookware before adding liquid will cause pitting, but a lot of recipes call for salting a piece of meat before searing it. Is it OK to put salted pieces of meat onto a stainless steel with just oil in it?

Sent by Ruby More

Q: I am moving from Europe to the US and have to leave a lot of my kitchen things behind. But now I get to go shopping in the US for all new shiny toys! What favorite and must-have kitchen tools and appliances should I get?

Sent by Meike More

Yesterday we shared our guide to the essential cookware pieces you should have in your kitchen. The type is one thing—skillet, saucepan, stock pot—but what about the material? Stainless steel or copper? Cast iron or aluminum? Here's a guide to the most common cookware materials, and the pros and cons of each: More

What are the essential tools and equipment every cook needs in the kitchen? We've already shared our guides to essential prep tools and utensils and essential cooking tools. Today it's all about cookware. More

Q: How do you clean a cast iron skillet? I have a really old one and a new one.

Sent by Jackie More

I have been coveting an enameled cast iron casserole dish for quite some time, so when this Mario Batali lasagna pan went on deep discount at Crate & Barrel, I snatched it up. Well, snatched is the wrong word. I ordered it online, and when I went to pick it up at the store, I found I could barely lift it! This pan is heavy — is it too heavy? More