Consider the Fork: A History of How We Cook and Eat

Consider the Fork: A History of How We Cook and Eat

by Bee Wilson (Author)

Synopsis

Leisurely but lively.... A pure joy to read. --Los Angeles Times
Since prehistory, humans have braved sharp knives, fire, and grindstones to transform raw ingredients into something delicious--or at least edible. But these tools have also transformed how we consume, and how we think about, our food. In Consider the Fork, award-winning food writer Bee Wilson takes readers on a wonderful and witty tour of the evolution of cooking around the world, revealing the hidden history of objects we often take for granted. Technology in the kitchen does not just mean the Pacojets and sous-vide machines of the modern kitchen, but also the humbler tools of everyday cooking and eating: a wooden spoon and a skillet, chopsticks and forks. Blending history, science, and personal anecdotes, Wilson reveals how our culinary tools and tricks came to be and how their influence has shaped food culture today. The story of how we have tamed fire and ice and wielded whisks, spoons, and graters, all for the sake of putting food in our mouths, Consider the Fork is truly a book to savor.

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More Information

Format: Paperback
Pages: 336
Publisher: Basic Books
Published: 01 Oct 2013

ISBN 10: 0465056970
ISBN 13: 9780465056972

Media Reviews

Reading [ Consider the Fork ] is like having a long dinner table discussion with a fascinating friend.... Leisurely but lively...a pure joy to read. -- Los Angeles Times

Delightful... [An] ebulliently written and unobtrusively learned survey. -- Harper's Magazine

[A] sparkling...fascinating and entertaining book. -- The Sunday Times (London)

One part science, one part history, and a generous dash of fun. -- Good Housekeeping

Wilson's insouciant scholarship and companionable voice convince you she would be great fun to spend time with in the kitchen.... [She is] a congenial kitchen oracle. -- New York Times Book Review

Fluid yet engaging, just like a good conversation over a pan of sizzling vegetables. -- New Republic

A delightfully informative history of cooking and eating. -- ELLE Magazine

Wilson is a good tour guide.... [A] dizzying, entertaining ride. -- Wall Street Journal

A book to savour.... You will never look at a kitchen knife in the same way again. -- The Independent (London)


Reading [ Consider the Fork ] is like having a long dinner table discussion with a fascinating friend. Leisurely but livelya pure joy to read. Los Angeles Times
Delightful [An] ebulliently written and unobtrusively learned survey. Harper s Magazine
[A] sparklingfascinating and entertaining book. The Sunday Times (London)
One part science, one part history, and a generous dash of fun. Good Housekeeping
Wilson s insouciant scholarship and companionable voice convince you she would be great fun to spend time with in the kitchen. [She is] a congenial kitchen oracle. New York Times Book Review
Fluid yet engaging, just like a good conversation over a pan of sizzling vegetables. New Republic
A delightfully informative history of cooking and eating. ELLE Magazine
Wilson is a good tour guide. [A] dizzying, entertaining ride. Wall Street Journal
A book to savour. You will never look at a kitchen knife in the same way again. The Independent (London)

Reading [ Consider the Fork ] is like having a long dinner table discussion with a fascinating friend.... Leisurely but lively...a pure joy to read.
Los Angeles Times
Delightful.... [An] ebulliently written and unobtrusively learned survey.
Harper s Magazine
[A] sparkling...fascinating and entertaining book.
The Sunday Times (London)
One part science, one part history, and a generous dash of fun.
Good Housekeeping
Wilson s insouciant scholarship and companionable voice convince you she would be great fun to spend time with in the kitchen.... [She is] a congenial kitchen oracle.
New York Times Book Review
Fluid yet engaging, just like a good conversation over a pan of sizzling vegetables.
New Republic
A delightfully informative history of cooking and eating.
ELLE Magazine
Wilson is a good tour guide.... [A] dizzying, entertaining ride.
Wall Street Journal
A book to savour.... You will never look at a kitchen knife in the same way again.
The Independent (London)

Reading [Consider the Fork] is like having a long dinner table discussion with a fascinating friend.... Leisurely but lively...a pure joy to read.
Los Angeles Times
Delightful.... [An] ebulliently written and unobtrusively learned survey.
Harper s Magazine
[A] sparkling...fascinating and entertaining book.
The Sunday Times (London)
One part science, one part history, and a generous dash of fun.
Good Housekeeping
Wilson s insouciant scholarship and companionable voice convince you she would be great fun to spend time with in the kitchen.... [She is] a congenial kitchen oracle.
New York Times Book Review
Fluid yet engaging, just like a good conversation over a pan of sizzling vegetables.
New Republic
A delightfully informative history of cooking and eating.
ELLE Magazine
Wilson is a good tour guide.... [A] dizzying, entertaining ride.
Wall Street Journal
A book to savour.... You will never look at a kitchen knife in the same way again.
The Independent (London)

A delightful compendium of the tools, techniques and cultures of cooking and eating. Be it a tong or a chopstick, a runcible spoon or a cleaver, Bee Wilson approaches it with loving curiosity and thoroughness. --Spectator (London)
Reading [Consider the Fork] is like having a long dinner table discussion with a fascinating friend.... Leisurely but lively...a pure joy to read. --Los Angeles Times
Delightful.... [An] ebulliently written and unobtrusively learned survey. --Harper's Magazine
[A] sparkling...fascinating and entertaining book. --The Sunday Times (London)
One part science, one part history, and a generous dash of fun. --Good Housekeeping
Wilson's insouciant scholarship and companionable voice convince you she would be great fun to spend time with in the kitchen.... [She is] a congenial kitchen oracle. --New York Times Book Review
Fluid yet engaging, just like a good conversation over a pan of sizzling vegetables. --New Republic
The path from Stone Age flints to sous-vide machines whirs so smoothly that I found myself re-reading passages just to trace how the author managed to work in a Victorian copper batterie de cuisine along the way. --Washington Post
Wilson celebrates the unsung implements that have helped shape our diets through the centuries. After devouring this delightful mix of culinary science and history, you'll never take a whisk for granted again. --Parade
Author Bio

Bee Wilson is a food writer, historian, and author of three previous books, including Swindled: The Dark History of Food Fraud, from Poisoned Candy to Counterfeit Coffee. She has been named BBC Radio's Food Writer of the Year and is a three-time Guild of Food Writers' Food Journalist of the Year. Wilson served as the food columnist for the New Statesman for five years, and currently writes a weekly food column for the Sunday Telegraph, Stella magazine. She holds a Ph.D. from Trinity College, Cambridge, and lives in Cambridge, England.