Cooked : a natural history of transformation / Michael Pollan.
2013
TX652 .P646 2013 (Mapit)
Available at General Collection
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Details
Title
Cooked : a natural history of transformation / Michael Pollan.
Author
Pollan, Michael.
ISBN
9781594204210 hardcover
1594204217 hardcover
1594204217 hardcover
Published
New York : The Penguin Press, 2013.
Language
English
Description
468 pages ; 25 cm
Call Number
TX652 .P646 2013
Dewey Decimal Classification
641.5
Summary
"Fire, water, air, earth--our most trusted food expert recounts the story of his culinary education In Cooked, Michael Pollan explores the previously uncharted territory of his own kitchen. Here, he discovers the enduring power of the four classical elements--fire, water, air, and earth--to transform the stuff of nature into delicious things to eat and drink. Apprenticing himself to a succession of culinary masters, Pollan learns how to grill with fire, cook with liquid, bake bread, and ferment everything from cheese to beer. In the course of his journey, he discovers that the cook occupies a special place in the world, standing squarely between nature and culture. Both realms are transformed by cooking, and so, in the process, is the cook. Each section of Cooked tracks Pollan's effort to master a single classic recipe using one of the four elements. A North Carolina barbecue pit master tutors him in the primal magic of fire; a Chez Panisse-trained cook schools him in the art of braising; a celebrated baker teaches him how air transforms grain and water into a fragrant loaf of bread; and finally, several mad-genius "fermentos" (a tribe that includes brewers, cheese makers, and all kinds of picklers) reveal how fungi and bacteria can perform the most amazing alchemies of all. The reader learns alongside Pollan, but the lessons move beyond the practical to become an investigation of how cooking involves us in a web of social and ecological relationships: with plants and animals, the soil, farmers, our history and culture, and, of course, the people our cooking nourishes and delights. Cooking, above all, connects us. The effects of not cooking are similarly far reaching. Relying upon corporations to process our food means we consume huge quantities of fat, sugar, and salt; disrupt an essential link to the natural world; and weaken our relationships with family and friends. In fact, Cooked argues, taking back control of cooking may be the single most important step anyone can take to help make the American food system healthier and more sustainable. Reclaiming cooking as an act of enjoyment and self-reliance, learning to perform the magic of these everyday transformations, opens the door to a more nourishing life. "-- Provided by publisher.
"In Cooked, Pollan explores the previously uncharted territory of his own kitchen. Here, he discovers the enduring power of the four classical elements--fire, water, air, and earth--to transform the stuff of nature into delicious things to eat and drink. In the course of his journey, he discovers that the cook occupies a special place in the world, standing squarely between nature and culture. Both realms are transformed by cooking, and so, in the process, is the cook"-- Provided by publisher.
"In Cooked, Pollan explores the previously uncharted territory of his own kitchen. Here, he discovers the enduring power of the four classical elements--fire, water, air, and earth--to transform the stuff of nature into delicious things to eat and drink. In the course of his journey, he discovers that the cook occupies a special place in the world, standing squarely between nature and culture. Both realms are transformed by cooking, and so, in the process, is the cook"-- Provided by publisher.
Bibliography, etc. Note
Includes bibliographical references (pages 447-458) and index.
Linked Resources
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Table of Contents
Introduction: Why cook?
Part I: Fire : creatures of the flame
Part II: Water : a recipe in seven steps
Part III: Air : the education of an amateur baker
Part IV: Earth : fermentation's cold fire
Afterword: Hand taste
Appendix I: Four recipes
Appendix II: A short shelf of books on cooking.
Part I: Fire : creatures of the flame
Part II: Water : a recipe in seven steps
Part III: Air : the education of an amateur baker
Part IV: Earth : fermentation's cold fire
Afterword: Hand taste
Appendix I: Four recipes
Appendix II: A short shelf of books on cooking.