Cooked

A Natural History of Transformation

By: Michael Pollan

Narrated by: Michael Pollan

Length: 13 hrs and 25 mins

Publisher's summary

Michael Pollan, the best-selling 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.

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 listener 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.

©2013 Michael Pollan (P)2013 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

"Pollan narrates his book in a conversational style filled with conviction and eagerness that drive the listener to join his evolutionary quest." (AudioFile)

Test

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Enjoyable!

I enjoyed this book very much! Michael put a lot of time into the content of the book visiting all kinds of chefs and the stories are interesting and nicely written

insuperable

writing and reading
substance and style
Polan’s got it all — insuperable
[4 more words required!] according to whom? — less is more]

Really Enjoyed It!

My wife bought the audio book and I was sceptical.
After listening for a few minutes I got hooked.
I love the authors way of storytelling! He makes you feel as if you are right there cooking a whole hog, bread, etc.
I recommend that you take the journey.

natural language

the use of language adjectives is a bit too forcefully flowerly bordering comedic at times

So good it will make you hungry

Would you listen to Cooked again? Why?

I would listen to "Cooked" again because there were so many metaphors about cooking and life that it was hard to put them all in order. It was very good to see how we are shaped by our culture reflected in our food.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Cooked?

If the section on bread doesn't make you want to go out and sample a good loaf of artisan bread or better yet to make you yearn to learn how to make it then something is wrong. While listening to this section I could almost smell the bread baking.

What about Michael Pollan’s performance did you like?

There was an ease to what he was saying.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I listened to it in two sittings, so that was close. It is that good.

not up to pollan's usual standards

love all his books, but this one just wasn't as interesting. still good, just not one i could recommend to a new pollan reader.

The best! Michael Pollan has enriched our world.

Pollan has enriched our world as much as any human being ever has. You gotta listen to him tell his stories.

Enjoyable, Inspiring and Insightful

I loved this book. Learned a lot and gained lots of inspiration and appreciation for how and what I eat.
Highly recommended

Enjoyable, with a small exception...

This book was enjoyable to listen too, primarily due to the author’s passion for the subject, evident in his narration. It sounds like he truly enjoyed researching his subject. My only exception to this enjoyment was the excessive discussion of evolutionary development of human beings and how it is only the use of fire that separates us from other animals. That doesn’t really set well with my world view.