Cooked : a natural history of transformation
Michael Pollan (Author)
"Michael Pollan, the bestselling author of The Omnivore's Dilemma, Food Rules, and How to Change Your Mind, explores the previously uncharted territory of his own kitchen in Cooked. "Having described what's wrong with American food in his best-selling The Omnivore's Dilemma (2006), New York Times contributor Pollan delivers a more optimistic but equally fascinating account of how to do it right. . . . A delightful chronicle of the education of a cook who steps back frequently to extol the scientific and philosophical basis of this deeply satisfying human activity." --Kirkus (starred review) Cooked is now a Netflix docuseries based on the book that focuses on the four kinds of "transformations" that occur in cooking. Directed by Oscar-winning filmmaker Alex Gibney and starring Michael Pollan, Cooked teases out the links between science, culture and the flavors we love. In Cooked, Pollan 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. 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. Cooking, above all, connects us. The effects of not cooking are similarly far reaching. Relying upon corporations to process our food means we consume large 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
cookbooks
1 online resource
9781101605462, 9780141975634, 1101605464, 0141975636
845342803
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
listenalaska.lib.overdrive.com This item is available as a downloadable title for registered borrowers of participating ListenAlaska libraries. Click here for access and availability
Check availability for this downloadable OverDrive eBook. Library card required for use.
www.molib2go.org Click Here To Access Title
nls.ldls.org.uk View item
ebooks.kcls.org Borrow this eBook from OverDrive
archive.org Free eBook from the Internet Archive
openlibrary.org Additional information and access via Open Library
public.eblib.com Click here to view book