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.

June 24, 2013
Pollan (The Omnivore's Dilemma) narrates his latest, which explores the transformative cooking power of four vital elements: fire, water, air, and earth. Pollan's reading has an easygoing, next-door-neighbor tone that works to distance him from the "foodie" label that inevitably attaches itself to his name. While Pollan certainly tackles the heavy-duty science portions of his narrative smoothly, he's at his best when portraying the book's sometimes-colorful cast of characters. The most memorable of these figures include a barbecue pit master with a checkered business record and a deep attachment to the whole-hog slow cooking and a California hipster/baker. Pollan also ably portrays the role of his wife and teenage son in his culinary journey, making a case for the role of food in building family connections. A Penguin hardcover.