Cooked by Michael Pollen {Book Review}
If you’ve been reading my blog for a while then you’ve probably heard me complain about the horrible traffic on my daily commute at some point. Sorry about that. I try to stay positive on here but sometimes a girl just needs to vent.
Anyway, I thought if I bought an audiobook to listen to while I drive that it would help distract me from the madness and stimulate my gyri and sulci enough to make me love staring at brake lights for almost two hours everyday.
I haven’t read any of Michael Pollen’s books before this one but I heard great things about them and thought to myself, why not start by listening to his brand new book Cooked?
Brief Summary
Cooked is written and narrated by Michael Pollen who dissects the transformation of cooking through the four classic elements: fire, water, air, and earth.
His research begins with fire as he travels to North Carolina to learn about the traditional methods of barbeque from a well known pit master. From there, he’s back in Northern California (his home) learning about the art of braising (water) from a student of his who worked at Chez Panisse in Berkeley. He then transitions to air and delves into the many complexities of bread making, including his intimate relationship with sourdough as he observes the owner of the renowned bakery in San Francisco, Tartine. Lastly, as he touches on the element of earth, he discovers the magic of fermentation and it’s role in human health and digestion.
Besides his analysis of of the classical elements, Pollan also draws attention to the role that cooking has in relationships as it provides a way for families to come together and connect with one another. In addition, he points out the many health benefits from cooking a homemade meal as opposed to eating processed, readily available foods.
My Review
When I first listened to a sample of Cooked on Audible, I was immediately drawn in by the beginning because it touches on how the tradition of cooking has transformed over the last fifty years due to the drastic changes in gender roles in the average American household.
Instead of staying at home to tend to cooking and cleaning, women are now working full-time alongside men while (in most cases) continuing to do the majority of the cooking and cleaning required at home. In the midst of these changes, the American food industry took it upon themselves to offer a solution for this problem by developing a wide array of fast food options and frozen meals that are ready to be microwaved and served within minutes.
This particular topic struck a chord with me since cooking at home is something I am very passionate about but also something, as a woman who works outside of the home 40+ hours a week, I struggle to find time for.
Although he doesn’t offer a direct solution to this problem, he brings light to the simplicity of cooking and points out that it can actually be an activity that families can do together instead of watching television or playing on the computer. He also states that as a male, he enjoys cooking and thinks it should be a role both genders take on, not just one or the other.
After the introduction, the book enters the fire element which I have to admit, I completely lost interest in. Hopefully I’m not offending anyone when I say this but roasting pigs over an open flame in a hot room full of smoke so thick you can barely see is exactly how I would imagine Hell to be. No thanks.
My favorite part was the third section of the book (air) as it traverses every step that goes into the bread making process. I loved listening to his experiences with sourdough starter and his time at Tartine, a bakery in San Francisco I hope to visit some day soon.
What I especially enjoyed about this section was the information Michael Pollen provides regarding our nation’s adoration for white bread and the resulting damage it has had on our health.
From this section, I learned that as diabetes, obesity, and hypertension began to sky rocket among Americans, the government tried to solve the problem by adding back the healthy nutrients that are removed from the grain in the process of making white flour. The result of this is known as enriched flour. In addition, I learned that after the bran and germ (the healthiest parts of the grain) are removed, they are eventually sent to feed livestock or to be made into supplements for us to consume in place of the nutrition that our food lacks.
I found this to be shocking and appalling. Consumers are eating white bread and then buying supplements (from the same wheat) to make up for the lack of fiber and nutrition in their diet. Rather than sell one healthy product in it’s original state, they are turning it into three in order to make the most profit. Jeez Louise!
Finally, the last section goes deep into the process of fermentation which I found incredibly fascinating. It made me love tempeh, wine and cheese even more than I did before and it got me thinking about giving Kombucha a second shot. (My first impression of it wasn’t very good.)
In conclusion, I thought this book was full of great information and I really enjoyed learning new things from it.
However, I will say that it is very long winded at times so I don’t recommend listening to it as an audiobook unless you want something to coerce you into an afternoon nap as soon as you get home.
Have you read any of Michael Pollen’s books?
Do you try to avoid white and enriched flours?
I love Michael Pollen. I’ve read all of his books except this one. It’s on my list!! Honestly, he speaks my language. I’m a farmer, I’m broke, but good honest healthy (real) food is what it’s all about. We all need to get behind this!!! Thanks for the book review lady!
This book sounds interesting. We read one of his books in school on farming and eating practices and I loved it. I think the way he dive into the topics is interesting and informative.
I’ve never read any of Michael’s Pollen’s books before, but this one sounds quite interesting. I’ll need to check into this. Thanks for the review!
I adore Pollen’s books! I actually have this one on reserve at the library, it sounds really interesting.
I try to make most of my grains of the whole variety, but I’m ok with the fact that it doesn’t happen 100% of the time.
I’m glad you did a review of this book. I’ve been debating if I should buy it for a while now.
Hm that is very interesting! As a wife that works 40+ hours a week and cooks 6 DIFFERENT meals a day, I really think I could benefit from reading this! I love it (really I do), but making 3 meals a day for 2 people with different diets can get a little exhausting!
I can only imagine how much work that is to make separate meals every time you cook. Your hubby is a lucky man!
I have been dying to read one of Michael’s books and just never get around to it. I really must – any others you might want to read? That’s such a good way to pass the traffic time – did it end up working? Are you all zen and happy by the time you get to work? :) Try kombucha again – so delish and awesome for you! Thanks for the great review!
With this book, I was struggling to stay awake! It’s great but A LOT of information to just listen to. I might read Salt Sugar Fat next, it looks good.
I need to try kombucha again, do you recommend any flavors or brands?
I’ve read The Omnivore’s Dilemma and In Defense of Food, and I really liked them both. I also recently read Salt Sugar Fat (not a Pollan book); it goes into a lot of detail about the food industry. Sounds like you would like it!
I’ve heard of Salt Sugar Fat and thought it sounded good! I’ll have to check it out, thanks!
I’ve never read any of Michael Pollen’s books before but it sounds really informative! Although, like you say, I probably would do better with an audiobook because I think parts of this one would put me to sleep! I try to eat whole wheat as much as possible but I do really love white bread as a treat!
I love Michael Pollan. I’ve read all of his books except for this one. The only time I eat white “bread” is the occasional bagel and Jimmy Johns… I don’t buy it for home so I feel these two indulgences are okay sometimes ;)
Sounds like an interesting book! I’ve never heard of him before. I’ve never tried Kombucha but I know I should, but as I know a lot of ppl haven’t loved it I’ve been reluctant to try it :)
I have two of his books, “In Defense of Food” that’s really good and “Food Rules”. I think I will get this to listen to on my way to work too! I commute about 30 minutes or so one way depending on traffic. Not too bad and it’s highway all the way, 26.5 miles one way which can seem lilke forever sometimes! Thanks for sharing! :)
Sarah is your link to the book for the audiobook? I purchased for $9.00 on itunes and think I got the wrong one….
No, the link is to Amazon for a kindle version or printed copy. I purchased mine through Audible. Why do you think it’s the wrong one?
I think I got the wrong one because when I dowloaded it from itunes onto my ipod, I could only view it like on a Kindle and I could not hear anything…. :( That’s probably why it was just $9.99…. lol!! :)
Oh no! Yes, that is cheap for an audiobook. You should see if you can return it.
Michael Pollan is just fantastic, isn’t he? I love the way he rephrases this information about food to make it more accessible and not such a polarizing topic. I haven’t checked out this book of his, but will have to – audiobooks are so handy when you’re on the road a lot!
Great review! I love Michael Pollan’s books, although I must admit that his chapter on corn in The Omnivore’s Dilemma could have been just a *tad* shorter :)
Even though you said that you wouldn’t recommend this on audiobook, I think if it’s available at my library I may have to give it a try because I need something to listen to on my long 3 hour drives from home to my summer apartment.
I’ve actually never heard of Michael Pollan before. Sounds like a really interesting read. I’m going to have to do some research on him – his other books sound amazing too!
I love kombucha. Definitely give it another shot!
Hi, Sarah! I’m a Mammographer (hooray for Radiology!) and a vegan food blogger (hooray for not eating animals!) living in Alaska and I also have a horrific commute (100 miles a day!) I’ve put Cooked on my list of books to read before it came out but I still haven’t gotten to it! As a vegan I was interested in hearing a vegetarian’s take on the book. Thanks for sharing! I love your site!
Yay for Radiology and for not eating animals!! :) How cool that we have that much in common and you live all the way in Alaska! My commute is only 50 miles a day but the traffic makes it take forever. 100 miles is awful! You definitely need an audiobook but like I said, this one was a bit sleepy at times and had a lot of information on cooking meat which was not enjoyable to listen to. I’m so happy you found me and I’ll be checking your site out too! :)
So excited to read this review! Cooked is definitely on my to-read list. I’ve read The Omnivore’s Dilemma, In Defense of Food, and Food Rules. I enjoyed them all but found that he repeats the same message and material from book to book. If you’re going to read another of his books, I’d recommend The Omnivore’s Dilemma. Be prepared for the white bread spiel again, though :)
Thanks for the recommendation, I’ll have to check that one out! As long as I don’t have to listen to him talk about barbequing pigs again, I’ll be good. :)
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