Consider the fork: a history of how we cook and eat

353 Pages·2013·2.614 MB·English

by  Lee, Annabel;Wilson, Bee

History / Cooking
ADVANCe PRAISe FOR wilson $26.99 US / $30.00 CAN
“This is mouthwatering history: broad in scope, rich in detail, C o n s id e r t h e Fo r k
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ince prehistory, humans have braved sharp
stuffed with savory food for thought…. Wilson is erudite
knives, fire, and grindstones to transform raw
and whip-smart, but she always grounds her exploration of
ingredients into something delicious—or at least
technological change in the perspective of the eternal harried
“Consider the Fork is a terrific delve into the history and modern use of kitchen tools so familiar that
edible. Tools shape what we eat, but they have
cook—she’s been one—struggling to put a meal on the table.”
we take them for granted and never give them a thought.  Bee Wilson places kitchen gadgets in their rich cultural
also transformed how we consume, and how we think about,
—Publishers Weekly, Starred Review
context.  I, for one, will never think about spoons, measuring cups, eggbeaters, or chopsticks in the same way again.”
our food. Technology in the kitchen does not just mean the
—Marion nestle, author of What to Eat Pacojets and sous-vide of the modernist kitchen. It can also
mean the humbler tools of everyday cooking and eating: a
“Mind meets kitchen: Bee Wilson sizes up every kitchen implement from the wooden spoon to the ergonomic wooden spoon and a skillet, chopsticks and forks.
Microplane, and gives us its history, including versions that led up to each object but did not survive for lack of fitness. In Consider the Fork, award-winning food writer Bee
Wilson provides a wonderful and witty tour of the evolution
Her climax is the kitchen, the room itself, the affluent modern version of which has never been ‘so highly designed; so well
of cooking around the world, revealing the hidden history of
equipped; so stylish; or so empty.’ She conducts us on a sobering, entertaining, and instructive tour.”
everyday objects we often take for granted. Knives—perhaps
—Margaret Visser, author of Much Depends on Dinner
our most important gastronomic tool—predate the discovery
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of fire, whereas the fork endured centuries of ridicule before

ms “A fast-paced and mind-opening investigation into the quirky stories behind our daily interactions with food.” H
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“Bee Wilson’s surprising history of common kitchen tools makes for a roiling o i of any well-stocked kitchen—mortars and pestles, serrated
Bee WIlSON f d

is a food writer, read that’s certain to be enjoyed by anyone with any interest in cooking or eating.” H knives, stainless steel pots, refrigerators. Others have proved BASIC
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historian, and author of three previous books, including —JoHn donoHue, editor of Man with a Pan: Culinary Adventures of Fathers Who Cook for Their Families w r only passing fancies, or were supplanted by better technologies;
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Swindled: The Dark History of Food Fraud, from Poisoned Candy one would be hard pressed now to find a water-powered
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to Counterfeit Coffee. She has been named BBC Radio’s Food “I was so enthralled by Bee Wilson’s new book that I found it hard to put down. As always she is a e h egg whisk, a magnet-operated spit roaster, a cider owl, or a on rule and
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Writer of the Year and is a three-time Guild of Food Writers’ o e turnspit dog. Although many tools have disappeared from cover
completely reliable guide to her subject, and this history of how we cook and eat is full of surprises—how human
Food Journalist of the Year. Wilson served as the food columnist o t h e F o r k the modern kitchen, they have left us with traditions, tastes, +PMS 8002 C
table manners have changed our bodies, and how technological changes can affect our personal tastes in food. Her k F Metallic
for the New Statesman for five years, and currently writes a and even physical characteristics that we would never have
a
weekly food column for the Sunday Telegraph’s Stella magazine. authority is complete, her scholarship lightly worn, and her writing terrific.” nd o possessed otherwise. FINISH:
e r Matte Poly
She holds a Ph.D. from Trinity College, Cambridge, and lives in —Paul leVy, editor of The Penguin Book of Food and Drink a k Blending history, science, and anthropology, Wilson
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Cambridge, england. reveals how our culinary tools and tricks came to be, and how
$26.99 US / $30.00 CAN A History of How we Cook and eat their influence has shaped modern food culture. The story of
how we have tamed fire and ice and wielded whisks, spoons, and
ISBN 978-0-465-02176-5
Jacket design by Nicole Caputo 52699
graters, all for the sake of putting food in our mouths, Consider
Jacket photograph © David Prince A Member of the Perseus Books Group
www.basicbooks.com bee wilson the Fork is truly a book to savor.
09/12
9 780465 021765
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CONSIDER
the FORK
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Also by Bee Wilson
Sandwich
Swindled
The Hive
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C O N S I D E R
F O R K
the
A History of
How We Cook and Eat
B W
EE ILSON
with illustrations by
ANNABEL LEE
A MEMBEROFTHEPERSEUSBOOKSGROUP
NEWYORK
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Copyright © 2012 by Bee Wilson
Published by Basic Books,
A Member of the Perseus Books Group
All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any manner whatsoever
without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied
in critical articles and reviews. For information, address Basic Books,
250 West 57th Street, 15th Floor, New York, NY 10107.
Books published by Basic Books are available at special discounts
for bulk purchases in the United States by corporations, institutions, and
other organizations. For more information, please contact the Special Markets
Department at the Perseus Books Group, 2300 Chestnut Street,
Suite 200, Philadelphia, PA 19103, or call [phone],
ext. 5000, or e-mail [email protected].
Designed by Linda Mark
Text set in 11.25 point Fairfield Light by the Perseus Books Group
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Wilson, Bee.
Consider the fork : a history of how we cook and eat /
Bee Wilson ; with illustrations by Annabel Lee.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-465-02176-5 (hardback)—ISBN 978-0-465-03332-4 (e-book)
1. Kitchen utensils—History. 2. Cooking—History.
3. Dinners and dining—History. I. Title.
TX656.W56 2012
643'.3—dc23
2012016283
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
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For my Mother
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C
ONTENTS
ix
INTRODUCTION
CHAPTER ONE
POTS AND PANS 1
With Rice Cooker
CHAPTER TWO
KNIFE 41
With Mezzaluna
CHAPTER THREE
FIRE 73
With Toaster
CHAPTER FOUR
MEASURE 111
With Egg Timer
CHAPTER FIVE
GRIND 147
With Nutmeg Grater
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CONTENTS
CHAPTER SIX
EAT 181
With Tongs
CHAPTER SEVEN
ICE 211
With Molds
CHAPTER EIGHT
KITCHEN 247
With Coffee
281
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
283
NOTES
291
BIBLIOGRAPHY
311
INDEX
viii
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I
NTRODUCTION
A WOODEN SPOON—MOST TRUSTY AND LOVABLE OF KITCHEN
implements—looks like the opposite of “technology,” as the word is
normally understood. It does not switch on and off or make funny
noises. It has no patent or guarantee. There is nothing futuristic or
shiny or clever about it.
But look closer at one of your wooden spoons (I’m assuming you
have at least one, because I’ve never been in any kitchen that didn’t).
Feel the grain. Is it a workmanlike beech factory spoon or a denser
maple wood or olive wood whittled by an artisan?
Now look at the shape. Is it
oval or round? Slotted or solid? Cupped or flat?
Perhaps it has a pointy part on one side to get at the
lumpy bits in the corner of the pan. Maybe the handle is extrashort,
for a child to use, or extralong, to give your hand a position of greater
safety from a hot skillet. Countless decisions—economic and social
as well as those pertaining to design and applied engineering—will
have gone into the making of this object. And these in turn will af-
fect the way this device enables you to cook. The wooden spoon is
a quiet ensemble player in so many meals that we take it for
granted. We do not give it credit for the eggs it has scrambled, the
ix