Cooked

Starred review from March 25, 2013
Spurred by a number of objectives—improving his family’s general health, connecting with his teenage son, and learning how people can reduce their dependence on corporations, among others—Pollan (The Omnivore’s Dilemma; In Defense of Food) came to the realization that he’d be able to accomplish all those goals and more if he spent more time in his kitchen. He began cooking. Divided into four chapters based on the four elements, Pollan eloquently explains how grilling with fire, braising (water), baking bread (air), and fermented foods (earth) have impacted our health and culture. In each case, Pollan examines the process as well as the science of barbecue, bread, and beer-making in addition to each particular method’s effect on humanity. Cooking over high heat, for example, enabled primates’ brains to grow much bigger and digest their food faster, making them more efficient; fermented foods like kimchi can promote and encourage the growth of good bacteria in the gut, a function that highly processed foods are unable to accomplish. These and other revelations (obesity rates are inversely correlated with the amount of time spent on food preparation, “microbiologists believe that onions, garlic and spices protect us from the growth of dangerous bacteria on meat,” which could explain why we are drawn to flavorful foods, etc.) make for engaging and enlightening reading. Liz Farrell, ICM.

Cooking and eating food may seem like mundane activities, but they're responsible for humanity's intelligence. The double meaning of Pollan's title becomes apparent as he unveils the anthropological process and primal magic that transformed raw items into cooked food. Pollan narrates his book in a conversational style filled with conviction and eagerness that drive the listener to join his evolutionary quest. He enthusiastically explores the culinary power of harnessing fire, water, air and earth. "Cooking is baked into our biologies," he states. Pollan brings the listener along on his visits to a North Carolina pit master, a Chez Panisse braising expert, a master bread baker, brewers, and "fermentos." Society, he warns, needs nourishment to be found not in corporate food preparation but in what connects us--meal creation together. A.W. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award

Starred review from July 1, 2013

Pollan both writes and narrates this chronicle of his adventures with the four elements of food preparation: fire (barbecuing); water (braising and stewing); air (bread making); and earth (fermenting pickles, cheese, and alcoholic brews). Scientific explanations of gastronomic processes, discussion of foodways, and ruminations about the "White-Flour-Industrial Complex" enhance this narrative, as do interesting metaphors. Jars of pickled vegetables are compared to bubbling tanks of colorful tropical fish; cheese, to the Eucharist! Resources at the end of the book were not recorded. VERDICT This book is highly recommended for gastronomes, locavores, and libraries catering to such tastes. The author's excellent narration adds nuance to the recording. ["Intensely focused yet wide ranging, beautifully written, thought-provoking, and, yes, fun, Pollan's latest is not to be missed by those interested in how, why, or what we cook and eat," read the starred review of the New York Times best selling Penguin hc, LJ 3/15/13.--Ed.]--David Faucheux, Louisiana Audio Information & Reading Svcs., Lafayette

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