Home Feed
Home
Search
Search
Add Review, Blurb, Quote
Add
Activity
Activity
Profile
Profile
Cooked
Cooked: A Natural History of Transformation | Michael Pollan
The New York Times Top Five Bestseller - Michael Pollan's uniquely enjoyable quest to understand the transformative magic of cookingIn a culture of celebrity chefs and food reality shows, in countries which are crammed with fresh ingredients flown in from every corner of the Earth, we nonetheless year-on-year wade ever deeper into a great swamp of processed foods. The more we watch food on television, the less food we actually prepare and cook.Michael Pollan's marvellous new book is a clarion-call for the virtues and values of proper cooking - an essential, defining human activity which sits at the heart of our cultures, shapes family life and is in itself hugely enjoyable. Pollan recreates the transformative fundamentals of how we cook, building from the most basic principles: cooking with fire, cooking with water, cooking with air and cooking with earth.Cooked is an extremely funny and surprising plea to Pollan's readers to take control of their own fates and revel again in what should be a lifetime's engagement with the almost magical activity of making food. And it is, of course, about so much more - how cooking can transform both how we think about ourselves and about our families and friends.Reviews:'Pollan's book is many things, among them a memoir of learning to master the absolute basics of culinary creation: fire, water, air and earth. As Pollan chats with cheesemaking nuns and discovers Walt Whitman's views on composting, he reminds us that cooking used to be all about connection - with the world around us, with other times and cultures, and with those we cook for ... this book [is] both approachable and rewarding' Hephzibah Anderson, ProspectAbout the author:Michael Pollan is the author of Second Nature, A Place of My Own, The Botany of Desire, The Omnivore's Dilemma, In Defence of Food and Food Rules. He lives in California.
Amazon Indiebound Barnes and Noble WorldCat Goodreads LibraryThing
Pick icon
100%
review
JoeMo
post image
Pickpick

This is the first book I‘ve read by Pollan and I only learned of it by mistake while checking out cooking shows on Netflix. This book makes an excellent case for doing more for yourself to include cooking, baking, and fermenting. The benefits appear to be numerous for both one‘s physical and mental health. This could end up being a huge game changer if it results in any lifestyle changes…only time will tell. 4/5
#bookspin #bookspinbingo

WJCintron Sounds very interesting!! Thanks for sharing!! 😃🙏 3y
bthegood there is always at least one thing that I can take away and use from a Pollan book - 😊 3y
TheAromaofBooks Oh, this one sounds interesting!! Another book I read that explored some of the science of preparing food was this one - I found it to be surprisingly engaging! 3y
See All 6 Comments
JoeMo Thanks for sharing @TheAromaofBooks - that would help me in finding similarly minded recipes, which Pollan didn‘t provide much of in his book! And for those he did, he certainly failed to provide pictures for amateurs such as myself! 😂 3y
TheAromaofBooks I will say that the author of the book I recommended does include a lot of recipes, some of which I've tried, but some of which are just like... who do you think I am?? 😂 I also think authors of books like this tend to think that all of us live around the corner from a delightful farmers' market where we can pop in on our way home from work & pick up fresh veggies & meat every day, which just isn't practical for me haha 3y
TheAromaofBooks Another book I found to be both practical & engaging was this one. It's been a fun book for helping me make “basics“ that I always found intimidating - but aren't actually that hard. And the author does a great job explaining why she found some things just far more practical to purchase instead of make on a regular basis. 3y
26 likes2 stack adds6 comments
review
Scochrane26
post image
Pickpick

I liked the first half of this more than the last. Pollan wanted to learn to cook more at home & decided to learn about cooking with each element. Fire-barbecue, Water—soups, braises, etc, Air-bread, & Earth—fermenting veggies, making cheese, brewing. The last 2 parts were interesting but too much science for me. I‘m using this for my library challenge prompt of reading about food or cooking.

review
Schnoebs
post image
Pickpick

5⭐️

Focused on the influence on elements, Pollan takes the reader through a journey of fire, water, air and earth. He shows how in our modern civilizations we have become rather disconnected from the food we eat. The influences the 4 elements have on our daily lives is very apparent when you take to time to actually observe what is happening to our food and how it is made.

#audiobook #scribd #nonfiction #food #mpls #twincities

Crazeedi Sounds very interesting! 5y
35 likes1 comment
blurb
Schnoebs
post image

Accidentally got to my doctor‘s appointment a little early. Guess that means I can listen and follow along to my audiobook a little bit longer 🤷‍♀️💕

#scribd #audiobook #nonfiction #reading #mpls #twincities

review
cariashley
post image
Pickpick

Not my favorite Michael Pollan, but definitely interesting, and I can read/listen to books about food and cooking all day long. It‘s my first time listening to one of his books rather than reading, and he does a great job narrating.

TheKidUpstairs I haven't read this one, but the tv show based off of it is wonderful! 5y
cariashley @TheKidUpstairs you know, I‘ve had that on my Netflix queue forever but somehow never made the connection that it was from the book! I need to watch it! 5y
42 likes2 comments
blurb
cariashley
post image

Spending Sunday #audiobaking 🍌🍞 with Michael Pollan. Very enjoyable and informative listen (and love the multiple cameos by Samin Nosrat, who has become one of my faves). Switching from baking to cooking now!

mreads Looks delish 👍❤ 5y
Tanisha_A Michael Pollan is great to watch and listen to! 5y
58 likes2 comments
quote
jpmcwisemorgan
post image

I‘m not sure which book this quote came from but he writes about food regularly so it really probably could have shown up in a lot of them.

#tease #Quotsy #QuotsyJuly18 #LitsyQuoteChallenge

blurb
MEGR
post image

So happy to have time (and just enough energy) to read in bed after a long day! 👌🏽🤓

blurb
Samplergal
post image

blurb
TheKidUpstairs
post image

#riotgrams
A favourite hobby? Definitely cooking. I love to do it, sometimes using recipes (I've got a pretty big cookbook collection/obsession) and sometimes just winging it. Today is the latter, I'm making a big pot of soup to use up some veggies 😊

blurb
Craftylikefox
post image

Reading this tonight is wonderful but also kind of like torturing myself. It makes me want to work on my cooking skills. It also makes me want to get out and garden ( I can't right now because Maine can't figure out what season it is). I wanted to try all the stews and braises he talked out about, but I have been having a nasty flare up so my best food choice is rice right now. Still this book is worth reading :)

blurb
Craftylikefox
post image

#booknlunch I already ate the lunch but am finally diving into cooked. I have really enjoyed Michael Pollan's other books and already I am enjoying this one. Hopefully it will push me back into canning and making my own bread. I don't have the room to brew beer in this tiny rental but I will again someday :)

13 likes1 stack add
blurb
QuothTheAshes
post image

Also, shout out to Netflix for making this. I watched it one day on a whim and was fascinated from start to finish. As soon as it was over, I ordered the book. If 400+ pages about cooking isn't for you, I at least recommend you watch this.

review
QuothTheAshes
post image
Pickpick

I don't even know what to say about this book. It has deeply impacted my life. It changed the way I thought about food and cooking; I haven't bought a frozen thing since beginning to read it. It inspired me to finally learn to bake bread, something that I have always longed to learn. I've sent passages to friends and had deep discussions about life because of this book. Maybe it won't affect you like this, but I sincerely hope it does. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

5 likes1 stack add
quote
QuothTheAshes
post image

Who wants to go grab a beer? 🍻

blurb
QuothTheAshes
post image

You know that what you're reading is serious business when half the page is footnotes.

blurb
QuothTheAshes
post image

I love my days off...nothing is better than a relaxing morning with a good book, a cup of coffee, and Jelly curled up at my side. ❤

quote
QuothTheAshes
post image

So it turns out I've been cooking wrong my whole life. Maybe if I had this mindset, making dinner after a long day of work wouldn't feel like such a chore.
Don't get me wrong, I love cooking. But I don't think I've given it the thought and respect it deserves.

This book has me rethinking a lot of things.

quote
QuothTheAshes
post image

I never thought I would use "badass" to describe a plant that I eat, but I guess there's a first time for everything. This is seriously cool.

Always keep fighting, little onions. I respect your effort.

quote
mllemay
post image

"...unspecified worry being the usual condition."

Was not expecting to find such a spot-on description of how my brain works in a book about food but here we are. (Sorry for the black blob to block out the text ? I really miss the blurring tool in the photo editor ?)

cathysaid Me too! Bring back the blurring tool! 7y
Laura317 It explains generalized anxiety especially well. And I agree on the blurring tool. 7y
pppooraikul I also miss the blurring tool and the splashing tool. 😢 7y
See All 8 Comments
mllemay @Laura317 right? "a low simmer of unspecified worry" - I've never been able to articulate it like that but that's exactly what it is! 7y
Laura317 @mllemay I know! It really is always just simmering underneath. 7y
KVanRead That is a great quote. But I have figured out that you can blur by choosing the focus option and then linear. It blurs out everything but the part you are focusing. @cathysaid @laura317 @pppooraikul 7y
Laura317 @KVanRead Thanks for letting me know! 7y
mllemay @KVanRead thank you so much for this!! 7y
34 likes8 comments
blurb
LibrarianChels
post image

I have never cared so much about how the delicious pigs I eat lived. 50 pages in and loving it.

blurb
mllemay
post image

My commute read at the moment. I'm only 50 pages in but I can already tell that I have a new intellectual crush 😍 #nonfictionchallenge17

tjwill I read his book The Omnivore's Dilemma last year, and it was so enlightening. 7y
Megabooks Awesome! 7y
mllemay @tjwill I have a feeling I'm going to read all of his other books after I finish this one. I love the way he presents information. 7y
TheLondonBookworm The only reason I don't mind commuting is the reading time 😂😂 7y
mllemay @TheLondonBookworm Same here! It's literally an excuse to read without being interrupted 👍🏻 7y
35 likes1 stack add5 comments
blurb
MPL
post image

On step 3 of Michael Pollan's seven water steps - we see a stew in our future!

8 likes1 stack add
blurb
katrrosee
post image

I don't historically have the healthiest of all relationships with food, so trying to reverse that one science-backed and focused on health, not restriction, book at a time.

AnnieReads Michael Pollan is such a sensible food writer. I really liked Cooked. 7y
Amandajoy You may want to look at this one. It's great for learning to listen to your body when it comes to food. 7y
katrrosee @Amandajoy Added to stack! Thanks 💕 7y
See All 8 Comments
Gulfsidemusing Loved the audio version (read by the author)❣️ 7y
Dolly This man is my hero! He has changed my life and my way of thinking about food. I've listened to most of his books rather than read them. 7y
JacqMac I loved the Netflix series. The book is in my TBR since watching it. 7y
hgrimes I really loved this book! 7y
85 likes10 stack adds8 comments
blurb
MPL
post image

Eat.Drink.Read's Dec/Jan #bookclub pick! Any Michael Pollan fans out there?

ApoptyGina69 I've read The Omnivore's Dilemma and In Defense of Food. I preferred the former. Let us know how Cooked is. I'll try to page through it at the bookstore on my Wednesday sojourn. 🌮🌯🍜🍝 7y
Copwithabook I thought it was better than In Defense of Food but not as great as Omnivore's Dilemma. 7y
MPL @ApoptyGina69 @Rachelm476 Sounds like we need to read Omnivore's Dilemma next. 7y
7 likes1 stack add3 comments
blurb
mllemay
post image

#augustofpages #bookphotochallenge #bookhaul 8 years at university + the past 6 months of bar prep courses and bar exams + the fact that I'm not yet employed = I'm not buying a lot of books right now.
These are the ones I acquired in August. Bottom two were a gift, and the others I got for 5$ (total) at my library's used books kiosk.

LeahBergen Oh, Emily 😍 8y
mllemay @LeahBergen she's my book soulmate 😍 I was so happy to find these copies! 8y
rubyslippersreads Emily Lyons of New Moon is my favorite book in the entire world. 💕📚💕 8y
mllemay @rubyslippersreads I'm so happy when I find other people who love those books as much as I do ❤️ 8y
30 likes4 comments
blurb
gracemom
post image

"... The answer to several of the questions that most occupied me was is fact one and the same: Cook."

review
hgrimes
Pickpick

Wait, this is a Michael Pollan book?! I thought it was "Good Eats: The Book". Well, in any case, if you enjoy "Good Eats", you will definitely enjoy this book! Also a perfect book to follow Omnivore's Dilemma.

blurb
hgrimes
post image

Reading about cheese while making cheese.

1 like1 stack add
blurb
Kalystia

Bailing but only for now. I'll be back, Mr Pollan.

quote
hgrimes
post image

Only mind-blowing to those who have no idea how cheese is made. (most people and especially the FDA)

blurb
hgrimes
post image

why do I like reading this?

blurb
hgrimes
post image

Finally, I have actually arrived at the bread chapter. Maybe it will get me to stop hating kneading so much. Probably not.

quote
hgrimes

"If you don't eat processed foods, you don't need to worry about it [salt]. Which means: Don't ever be afraid of salt!"
Thank youuuu! So fucking sick of these snooty overpriced restaurants in the Bay that serve the blandest food because everyone's into demonizing salt!

quote
hgrimes
post image

I am an expert at this method of cooking. I graduated from college at the beginning of the recession and am still just scraping by 10 years later. We eat like peasants.

review
AlwaysBeReading
post image
Pickpick

I learned more than I thought I would!! The sequence of the chapters is perfect and tied together beautifully at the end. I've watched the Netflix series 3 times already, and I will probably watch it many times more. I think it's important to look at food and cooking through his lens!

BookishMarginalia Loved the series! 8y
7 likes2 stack adds1 comment
quote
AlwaysBeReading
post image

Science! 🍷

kdwinchester My favorite of his books! You never forget your first Michael Pollan! ❤️🧀🍗🍑🍞🍇🍉 8y
Gezemice I got to get my medicine... 🍷 8y
AlwaysBeReading @kdwinchester it was my first Pollan book and pretty darn good! I'm going to cleanse my palate with a novel before starting another though lol I can only read non-fiction for so long. I already like cooking but this gave me a greater desire! 8y
4 likes3 comments
quote
AlwaysBeReading
post image

"Bacteria-free food may be making us sick."

blurb
hgrimes

Michael Pollan gives weird hermit mountain man a five-star review for his authentic wood-smoked cuisine.

quote
hgrimes

"Bittor likes to work in solitude, seldom leaves Axpe, and is not given to pronouncements, except perhaps one: "Carbon es el enemigo" - Charcoal is the enemy." Where the hell does he find these characters?

quote
AlwaysBeReading
post image

"In the end, what has been removed from industrial bread by the addition of so many chemical additives is the ingredient of time."

blurb
hgrimes

Michael Pollan: the original beer/pig garden hipster of the East Bay.

blurb
hgrimes

"The pork was the best I've ever had, but to my disappointment, the restaurant uses factory farmed pigs, losing its authenticity. This is why I only gave it 4 stars." - Michael Pollan's yelp review

blurb
hgrimes
post image

Some of this feels like a really long yelp review.

quote
AlwaysBeReading
post image

blurb
hgrimes
post image

Reading Michael Pollan always puts me in a snobby bread-making mood. I made this one in the dutch oven out of leftover whey I needed to get rid of before it went bad. (I don't know if this all makes me a snob, or someone's grandma)

[DELETED] 2678557665 The bread portion of Cooked was by far the most appetite inducing. Bread looks amazing! 8y
2 likes1 comment
quote
AlwaysBeReading
post image

"And that is how Ed Mitchell got into the barbecue business. The good Lord had brought me right back to where I started, cooking for my mom." Awww! ?

quote
AlwaysBeReading
post image

🍖😋🍖