Most of what I watch on TV is food related. My TV is always tuned to some cooking show. My favorites are the ones where I learn as I cook rather than the ones where they have to make some meal from unheard of ingredients or bake 15,000 cupcakes in an hour. I'm someone that wants to know not just what goes into my food, but why. Americas Test Kitchen and Cooks Country (both PBS) are, in my book, the best cooking shows around.
I also read a lot of books related to food. Not just recipe books but food history books. Here are some of my favorite reads...
Consider the Fork: A History of How We Cook and Eat by Bee Wilson
This book gives a history on some of the basic kitchen essentials we use to cook and eat every day. From the evolution of the stove and the oven to the humble beginnings of the wooden spoon and pot. The stories cross over easily for an American reader even having been written by a Brit. This may be why the author pokes a bit of fun at the fact that America is the only country that measures ingredients for cooking and baking by volume and not by weight like the rest of the world. It really is a bit silly that we do it that way. If a recipe calls for 1 cup of flour everyone will measure it out a bit differently, even the same cook can't get the same amount cup after cup. But 100g of flour is 100g no matter how it's packed in a cup. It doesn't matter too much in cooking, but in baking, where things get a bit scientific, exact amounts really matter. After reading this book, I feel a sense of history whenever I'm in the kitchen. I'm thankful for the invention of the stand mixer so I don't have to whisk my egg whites by hand (which I have done...it's an amazing arm workout!) or for the evolution of the oven so I don't have to cook over an open fire pit in the kitchen. My kids are thankful too, as kids were the ones that used to man the spits to turn meat roasting over an open flame in medieval kitchens. Put them behind a bale of wet hay to protect them from the heat and sparks and they were good to go for several hours!
The Fortune Cookie Chronicles: Adventures in the World of Chinese Food by Jennifer 8. Lee
This is a fascinating read on the history of Chinese food in America. You'll find the origin of the fortune cookie and why the little white containers that carry the food we order has become synonymous with Chinese takeout. The author travels to China to the rural home of the real General Tso only to find out that the villagers have never even heard of the popular Chinese/American dish called General Tso's chicken. She also uncovers the dark side of Chinese food in America with the near human smuggling of Chinese immigrants to this country. Entire rural villages in China consist of just women, children and the elderly as all the men of working age are shipped off to America to open Chinese take out restaurants in even the most remote of locations.
What Caesar Did for My Salad: The Curious Stories Behind Our Favorite Foods by Albert Jack
Again written by a Brit so some of the topics are decidedly British (fish and chips and full English breakfasts) or European in general (French sauces and soups). But the history of a lot of what we eat in America has it's origins in Europe. Take the humble sandwich that's the main item in nearly every packed lunch. It all started with the 4th Earl of Sandwich (a real place in Southeast England). The story goes that the Earl was playing cards late one night in 1762 and had the munchies. So he ordered the waiters to bring him some meat but between two slices of bread. This was to prevent his cards from getting greasy (as utensils weren't just yet commonly used) and giving away his playing strategy to his opponents. Apparently it worked and the snack was soon served at all the great gaming clubs of England. The author does cover more American dishes such as the cobb salad. According to his wife, Robert H. Cobb (cousin of baseball legend Ty Cobb and co-owner of the famous Brown Derby restaurant in Los Angeles) had returned to his restaurant one day in the late 1930's after a rather painful dentist appointment. He was hungry but couldn't eat due to his swollen mouth. So, his chefs found ingredients that could be easily and finely chopped up. Mr. Cobb loved the resulting salad so much that he added it as a permanent item to his restaurant menu.
Three Squares: The Invention of the American Meal by Abigail Carroll
From the landing of the first settlers in the New World to present day, this book gives a comprehensive look at how the American meal has evolved over the centuries. Early meals in our nations history were eaten quickly, without utensils and conversation. Kids and most women weren't even allowed at the table, which sometimes didn't even have chairs as most people ate standing up. You ate quick to get back to tending your crops before you lost daylight. Did you know that the main meal in America was, at one point, served at the lunch hour? And breakfast and dinner were merely snacks? Before the Industrial Revolution in the 19th century, when our countrys workforce was mostly agriculturally based, the main meal of the day was lunch. When those working the land had their midday break, they would need a substantial meal to take them through the remainder of the day on the farm. The women would toil all morning in the kitchen cooking the meal because come dusk, cooking became increasingly difficult due to the lack of natural light and candles and oil burning lanterns were expensive. So when the day was done, whatever was left from lunch would be eaten cold as a snack for dinner. And to stretch it even farther, if there was still anything left, that would make it to the table as breakfast the next day. Hope you liked what was made, because you're going to be eating it for three meals! Not a good plan if you aren't one to like leftovers! But with the coming of the Industrial Revolution and more people going to work in city factories, some far from home, returning home for a hot cooked meal during the lunch hour became increasingly impractical. Thus began the concept of the packed lunch as well as the larger evening meal. Since families were apart for most of the day (women at home, kids in school and the men at factories in the city) the evening meal became the most important meal, as well as the biggest meal of the day. It gave some the only opportunity to come together as a family to discuss the days events. So whether we're serving ourselves a bowl of cereal for breakfast, grabbing a quick bite for lunch or getting together at the end of day for a family meal these habits are part of our history and have been steadily changing over the years.
As I read more, I will add more!
I also read a lot of books related to food. Not just recipe books but food history books. Here are some of my favorite reads...
Consider the Fork: A History of How We Cook and Eat by Bee Wilson
This book gives a history on some of the basic kitchen essentials we use to cook and eat every day. From the evolution of the stove and the oven to the humble beginnings of the wooden spoon and pot. The stories cross over easily for an American reader even having been written by a Brit. This may be why the author pokes a bit of fun at the fact that America is the only country that measures ingredients for cooking and baking by volume and not by weight like the rest of the world. It really is a bit silly that we do it that way. If a recipe calls for 1 cup of flour everyone will measure it out a bit differently, even the same cook can't get the same amount cup after cup. But 100g of flour is 100g no matter how it's packed in a cup. It doesn't matter too much in cooking, but in baking, where things get a bit scientific, exact amounts really matter. After reading this book, I feel a sense of history whenever I'm in the kitchen. I'm thankful for the invention of the stand mixer so I don't have to whisk my egg whites by hand (which I have done...it's an amazing arm workout!) or for the evolution of the oven so I don't have to cook over an open fire pit in the kitchen. My kids are thankful too, as kids were the ones that used to man the spits to turn meat roasting over an open flame in medieval kitchens. Put them behind a bale of wet hay to protect them from the heat and sparks and they were good to go for several hours!
The Fortune Cookie Chronicles: Adventures in the World of Chinese Food by Jennifer 8. Lee
This is a fascinating read on the history of Chinese food in America. You'll find the origin of the fortune cookie and why the little white containers that carry the food we order has become synonymous with Chinese takeout. The author travels to China to the rural home of the real General Tso only to find out that the villagers have never even heard of the popular Chinese/American dish called General Tso's chicken. She also uncovers the dark side of Chinese food in America with the near human smuggling of Chinese immigrants to this country. Entire rural villages in China consist of just women, children and the elderly as all the men of working age are shipped off to America to open Chinese take out restaurants in even the most remote of locations.
What Caesar Did for My Salad: The Curious Stories Behind Our Favorite Foods by Albert Jack
Again written by a Brit so some of the topics are decidedly British (fish and chips and full English breakfasts) or European in general (French sauces and soups). But the history of a lot of what we eat in America has it's origins in Europe. Take the humble sandwich that's the main item in nearly every packed lunch. It all started with the 4th Earl of Sandwich (a real place in Southeast England). The story goes that the Earl was playing cards late one night in 1762 and had the munchies. So he ordered the waiters to bring him some meat but between two slices of bread. This was to prevent his cards from getting greasy (as utensils weren't just yet commonly used) and giving away his playing strategy to his opponents. Apparently it worked and the snack was soon served at all the great gaming clubs of England. The author does cover more American dishes such as the cobb salad. According to his wife, Robert H. Cobb (cousin of baseball legend Ty Cobb and co-owner of the famous Brown Derby restaurant in Los Angeles) had returned to his restaurant one day in the late 1930's after a rather painful dentist appointment. He was hungry but couldn't eat due to his swollen mouth. So, his chefs found ingredients that could be easily and finely chopped up. Mr. Cobb loved the resulting salad so much that he added it as a permanent item to his restaurant menu.
Three Squares: The Invention of the American Meal by Abigail Carroll
From the landing of the first settlers in the New World to present day, this book gives a comprehensive look at how the American meal has evolved over the centuries. Early meals in our nations history were eaten quickly, without utensils and conversation. Kids and most women weren't even allowed at the table, which sometimes didn't even have chairs as most people ate standing up. You ate quick to get back to tending your crops before you lost daylight. Did you know that the main meal in America was, at one point, served at the lunch hour? And breakfast and dinner were merely snacks? Before the Industrial Revolution in the 19th century, when our countrys workforce was mostly agriculturally based, the main meal of the day was lunch. When those working the land had their midday break, they would need a substantial meal to take them through the remainder of the day on the farm. The women would toil all morning in the kitchen cooking the meal because come dusk, cooking became increasingly difficult due to the lack of natural light and candles and oil burning lanterns were expensive. So when the day was done, whatever was left from lunch would be eaten cold as a snack for dinner. And to stretch it even farther, if there was still anything left, that would make it to the table as breakfast the next day. Hope you liked what was made, because you're going to be eating it for three meals! Not a good plan if you aren't one to like leftovers! But with the coming of the Industrial Revolution and more people going to work in city factories, some far from home, returning home for a hot cooked meal during the lunch hour became increasingly impractical. Thus began the concept of the packed lunch as well as the larger evening meal. Since families were apart for most of the day (women at home, kids in school and the men at factories in the city) the evening meal became the most important meal, as well as the biggest meal of the day. It gave some the only opportunity to come together as a family to discuss the days events. So whether we're serving ourselves a bowl of cereal for breakfast, grabbing a quick bite for lunch or getting together at the end of day for a family meal these habits are part of our history and have been steadily changing over the years.
As I read more, I will add more!