An edition of Cooked (2013)

Cooked

a natural history of transformation

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  • 3.8 (5 ratings) ·
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Last edited by Tom Morris
March 22, 2024 | History
An edition of Cooked (2013)

Cooked

a natural history of transformation

  • 3.8 (5 ratings) ·
  • 29 Want to read
  • 7 Have read

"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. "--

"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"--

Publish Date
Publisher
The Penguin Press
Language
English
Pages
468

Buy this book

Previews available in: English

Edition Availability
Cover of: Peng
Peng: ren lei ru he tou guo peng ren zhuan hua zi ran, zi ran you ru he jie you peng ren zhuan hua ren lei
2014, Da jia chu ban, Yuan zu wen hua shi ye gu fen you xian gong si fa xing
in Chinese - Chu ban
Cover of: Cooked
Cooked: A Natural History of Transformation
2014, Penguin Books, Limited
in English
Cover of: Cooked
Cooked: A Natural History of Transformation
2014-04-29, Turtleback Books
Cover of: Cocinar
Cocinar: una historia natural de la transformación
2014, Debate
in Spanish - 1® ed.
Cover of: Cooked
Cooked: A Natural History of Transformation
2014, Thorndike Press
in English
Cover of: Cooked
Cooked: A Natural History of Transformation
2014, Penguin Books, Limited
in English
Cover of: Cooked
Cooked: a natural history of transformation
2013
in English - Large print edition.
Cover of: Cooked
Cooked: A Natural History of Transformation
Apr 23, 2013, Recorded Books, Inc. and Blackstone Publishing
audio cd
Cover of: Cooked
Cooked: a natural history of transformation
2013, Allen Lane, Penguin Export
in English
Cover of: Cooked
Cooked: a natural history of transformation
2013, The Penguin Press
in English

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Book Details


Table of Contents

FIRE : Creatures of the flame
WATER : a Recipe in seven steps
AIR : The Education of an Amateur baker
EARTH : Fermentation's cold fire
Afterward : Hand Taste
Appendix : Four Recipies
A Short shelf of books on cooking.

Edition Notes

Includes bibliographical references (pages [447]-458) and index.

Published in
New York

Classifications

Dewey Decimal Class
641.5
Library of Congress
TX652 .P646 2013, TX652.P646 2013

The Physical Object

Pagination
468 pages ;
Number of pages
468

ID Numbers

Open Library
OL26638859M
Internet Archive
cookednaturalhis00mich
ISBN 10
1594204217
ISBN 13
9781594204210
LCCN
2012039705
OCLC/WorldCat
796756055

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History

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March 22, 2024 Edited by Tom Morris Merge works
December 28, 2023 Edited by Merge works
August 7, 2021 Edited by New York Times Bestsellers Bot Add NYT review links
August 6, 2021 Edited by New York Times Bestsellers Bot Add NYT bestseller tag
January 9, 2019 Created by MARC Bot import new book