Pedant In The Kitchen

Product Description

The Pedants ambition is simple. He wants to cook tasty nutritious food; he wants not to poison his friends; & he wants to expand slowly & with pleasure his culinary repertoire. A stern critic of himself & others he knows he is never going to invent his own recipes (although he might in a burst of enthusiasm increase the quantity of a favourite ingredient). Rather he is a recipe-bound follower of the instructions of others. It is in his interrogations of these recipes & of those who create them that the Pedants true pedantry emerges. How big exactly is a lump? Is a slug larger than a gout? When does a drizzle become a downpour? & what is the difference between slicing & chopping? This book is a witty & practical account of Julian Barnes search for gastronomic precision. It is a quest that leaves him seduced by Jane Grigson infuriated by Nigel Slater & reassured by Mrs Beetons Victorian virtues. The Pedant in the Kitchen is perfect comfort for anyone who has ever been defeated by a cookbook & is something that none of Julian Barnes legion of admirers will want to miss.""