Book of the Week: Cooked

05 Sep 2026 - Warren Mar

This week I read Michael Pollan’s Cooked. He is the author of The Omnivore’s Dilemma, which I heard about and have not read. Add that to the list.

Michael tries to become the avatar of food by going through the four elements fire, water, air, and earth. Does he successfully become a foodbender? I don’t know. All I do know is that everyone should cook more. Cooking is good for the soul. He goes through cooking whole hog using fire, braising meat using water, baking bread using air, and fermenting food using microbes from the earth. The book had a lot of words, I’m pretty sure the majority of them were important. I am also familiar with Chad Robertson (Tartine) and Samin Nosrat (Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat). I also live in the Bay Area and am immersed in food. Most of the food I eat is cooked.

I appreciate the book, but it took me to places I visited before.