Release
date: April 23, 2013
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.
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.
