When I ask influencer chef Jon Kung to name the purchase they regret most, there's no deliberation. “In my early twenties, I bought this used SMEG fridge,” the 42-year-old Chinese American TikTok creator tells me. “It's got this giant British flag on it, and I still have it. I've stuck Sex Pistols, Ozzy Osbourne, and Spice Girls stickers on the sides to try to make it a little better.”
It's become a conversation piece at the dinner parties Kung hosts at home. Every holiday season, Kung whips up their Chinese takeout feast; it's a seven-course spread that maps their upbringing across Los Angeles, Hong Kong, Toronto, and Detroit—mapo tofu, pumpkin and lotus root curry, superior stock wonton noodle soup, crab rangoons, Balinese crab fried rice, mushroom lo mein, and, for the grand finale, Cantonese roast duck with cherry duck sauce. And, obviously, dessert.
That layered, third-culture palate is exactly what has made Kung one of the most compelling food personalities of his generation, with over 2 million online followers. (They also published a cookbook, Kung Food, with over 100 recipes.) Whether they're demystifying global ingredients for a Western audience or sharing meal prep tips, Kung's perspective remains the same: good food should feel like home.
I caught up with Jon Kung over Zoom to talk about their favorite cooking techniques and kitchen gear.
Wash Your Rice
When I ask Kung what they wish they had that doesn’t already exist, they don’t hesitate: “A rice cooker that also washes your rice.”
“It’s so important to wash your rice, especially if you’re making Asian rice. Italians don’t wash their rice because they need that starch for risotto, but in almost any other culture, you have to wash your rice. Also, I don’t think people know there are bug eggs in rice. They’re called rice weevils, and unless you’re buying that super expensive prewashed rice, there are lots of bugs in rice.”
For now, you'll need to wash your rice by hand, but if you need a rice cooker, King likes the same Japanese rice cookers the WIRED Reviews team swears by: “Zojirushi rice cookers are fantastic, specifically the ones that have pressure options, because they keep rice fresh for so long.”
Drip Coffee Done Right
“I switch between a drip coffee and an Americano when I make it for myself,” says Kung. “I used to do a Chemex pour-over, but recently I switched to the super automatic Terra Kaffe. It’s kind of awesome.” (Our reviewers also really like the Terra Kaffe.)
Skip the Combination Pans
“Combination pans—the ones that are a mix between nonstick and stainless steel—just end up being garbage versions for both jobs," says Kung. "I would rather people just get one ceramic nonstick pan and one stainless steel pan.”
Demeyere is Kung's go-to brand for stainless steel pans, and he recommends GreenPan for ceramic cookware, particularly the ceramic pans with a three-ply stainless steel bottom for durability.
“I use the stainless steel pan for searing and frying, and a ceramic nonstick pan for more delicate things, specifically eggs," he says. "You can cook eggs on a stainless steel pan, but if you want to cook eggs easily with very little oil, then just use a ceramic nonstick.”
A $30,000 Stove From the UK
The priciest item in Kung's kitchen is his AGA Total Control, which he had shipped from the UK. “I first saw one when I went to this local chef's place," he says. “I was just a baby line cook at the time and mystified by this thing. I was like, ‘as soon as I make it, make it, that’s going to be the first thing that I buy. And so after TikTok blew up, that's what I did with my first check.”
It's an induction range top, which Kung prefers over gas any day. “No toxic fumes. No residual heat. It's a lot more comfortable to use. It's easier to clean. It's better for the environment, and it also performs better.”
Get Your Knives Sharpened by Professionals
“Instead of spending hundreds of dollars on one fancy knife, spend it on two affordable ones, so you can always send one to get sharpened,” says Kung. “You can have the fanciest knife in the world, but if you don't get it sharpened, there's no point—ha!”
For a starter knife, Kung recommends Victorinox. (So do we.) You can pay extra for brands like Miyabi or Shun, but it isn't worth it if you neglect their upkeep. As a professional, Kung sharpens their knives themself, but they advise most people to seek out mail-in subscription services or local restaurants and shops that provide the service. “You can hurt your knives if you don't know what you're doing, and getting them sharpened isn't as expensive as you think," they say. You can get five knives sharpened for $69 through Williams Sonoma's Knife Aid partnership—that's only $13.80 per knife.
“Somebody had converted an ice cream truck into a knife-sharpening shop in Brooklyn," Kung says, "It's fun to see the kids come out thinking that there's ice cream, and then, there's that.”
Meal-Prep Essentials
Power up with unlimited access to WIRED. Get best-in-class reporting and exclusive subscriber content that's too important to ignore. Subscribe Today.
.png){kind=logo}
