Michael Pollan is the author of seven previous books, including Cooked, Food Rules, In Defense of Food, The Omnivore's Dilemma and The Botany of Desire, all of which were New York Times bestsellers. He's also the author of the audiobook Caffeine: How Caffeine Created the Modern World. A longtime contributor to the New York Times Magazine, he also teaches writing at Harvard and the University of California, Berkeley. In 2010, TIME magazine named him one of the one hundred most influential people in the world.
“[A] rare, ranging breed of narrative that manages to do all . . .
It’s nothing short of important, possibly life-altering, reading
for every living, breathing human being . . . In Pollan’s
dexterous hands, we get the science, the history, the inspiration,
ultimately the recipe. What feels like all of it. It doesn’t hurt
that he also happens to be very funny.” —Boston Globe
"Because of the power of his prose and his reasoning, Cooked may
prove to be just as influential as Pollan’s seminal book, The
Omnivore’s Dilemma . . . The results are fascinating, but the magic
of Cooked lies not in its ability to unlock the secrets of
slow-roasting a whole hog or brewing beer . . . No, what Pollan
pulls off is even more impressive: He manages to illuminate the
wealth of connections that stem from our DIY time in the
kitchen.” —The Washington Post
"As in The Omnivore’s Dilemma, Pollan is never less than
delightful, full of curiosity, insight, and good humor. This is a
book to be read, savored, and smudged with spatterings of olive
oil, wine, butter, and the sulfuric streaks of chopped
onion." —Outside
“The book's surplus of fascinating tidbits—about everything from
barbecue (which Pollan connects to ritual animal sacrifice) to the
mysterious workings of bread yeast—makes it a feast for
intellectual omnivores.” —Entertainment Weekly
“Through cooking, Pollan argues, we clear a space, allowing
ourselves not only to consider our sometimes troubled bond with
nature but to reestablish our ties to one another, and to become
makers instead of consumers. Cooked is a potently seductive
invitation to discover—or rediscover—our most primal connection to
the natural world.” —Bookforum
"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. . . . Engaging and enlightening
reading." —Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“New York Times best-selling author Pollan (The Botany of Desire;
The Omnivore’s Dilemma) delivers a thoughtful meditation on cooking
that is both difficult to categorize and uniquely, inimitably his .
. . 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."
—Library Journal (starred review)
"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)
"Pollan’s newest treatise on how food reaches the world’s tables
delves into the history of how humankind turns raw ingredients into
palatable and nutritious food. To bring some sense of order to this
vast subject, he resurrects classical categories of fire, water,
air, and earth . . . Four recipes accompany the text, and an
extensive bibliography offers much deeper exploration. Pollan’s
peerless reputation as one of America’s most compelling expositors
of food and human sustainability will boost demand." —Booklist
(starred review)
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