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ashlurtis's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
lighthearted
slow-paced
2.75
Truly if I hadn't read this for a library challenge, I probably would have DNF pretty early on. I am thankful Wilson started with the pots & pans chapter as it was the most dull by far. That said, the only chapter I really enjoyed was fire.
I usually can't get through any history book, so I was surprised I was even able to finish this really. I think it has to do with how poor the writing is somehow. This reads more like the dialogue of a silly documentary, which I would have found more appealing than a book I think. Though there is structure in that each chapter focuses on a specific aspect of cooking, the chapters themselves are pretty haphazard.
At times, I found myself forgetting I was supposed to be reading about ice in the ice chapter as Wilson went on about something totally unrelated. Overall, this wasn't the worst book ever, but I definitely wouldn't have chosen it on my own.
I usually can't get through any history book, so I was surprised I was even able to finish this really. I think it has to do with how poor the writing is somehow. This reads more like the dialogue of a silly documentary, which I would have found more appealing than a book I think. Though there is structure in that each chapter focuses on a specific aspect of cooking, the chapters themselves are pretty haphazard.
At times, I found myself forgetting I was supposed to be reading about ice in the ice chapter as Wilson went on about something totally unrelated. Overall, this wasn't the worst book ever, but I definitely wouldn't have chosen it on my own.
iblendspoons's review against another edition
4.0
Really interesting. That last chapter is so oddly placed that I wondered if the audio book got the chapters out of order. There's this perfect ending with the author and her mother and then one random chapter about coffee. I'm going to look into it.
ssgoosecookie's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoyed reading this discussion of kitchen technology. The treatment of the subject matter is quite good. The author goes into enough detail to feel like the subject is thoroughly discussed, while not so much as to reduce it to academic-like tedium. The splashes of humour are very refreshing, and I do appreciate the good bibliography and index at the end. Now I have some interesting trivia for my next dinner party. (I say this with absolutely no sense of irony and a completely straight face)
Some things that bumped it down from a five stars: I would have liked a few more illustrations, particularly when different items were contrasted in the text. I found myself putting down the book and going to the Internet to look up the differences between Puritan and trifid spoons, or Rex and Lancashire potato peelers. Perhaps this is a flaw with the ebook and not the paper version. The last problem I had was with the book's treatment of the Chinese chef knife, what the author calls 'tou'. There is no knife by that name. I went looking for a video showing the knife in action and couldn't find reference to it anywhere. I had to resort to calling it the 'Chinese cleaver' to find any videos. Maybe it's a mis-romanization of the name.
All in all, I enjoyed it and I'm recommending it to a friend.
Some things that bumped it down from a five stars: I would have liked a few more illustrations, particularly when different items were contrasted in the text. I found myself putting down the book and going to the Internet to look up the differences between Puritan and trifid spoons, or Rex and Lancashire potato peelers. Perhaps this is a flaw with the ebook and not the paper version. The last problem I had was with the book's treatment of the Chinese chef knife, what the author calls 'tou'. There is no knife by that name. I went looking for a video showing the knife in action and couldn't find reference to it anywhere. I had to resort to calling it the 'Chinese cleaver' to find any videos. Maybe it's a mis-romanization of the name.
All in all, I enjoyed it and I'm recommending it to a friend.
lost_hitsu's review against another edition
4.0
This was a pleasant read although the narrative got a bit meandering at times and I found it difficult to follow some of the leaps between unrelated topics.
tuai's review against another edition
informative
medium-paced
3.75
Full of interesting insights on how food shaped how we lived and life shaped how we ate. It's a fascinating topic and I loved the organization of the chapters, from the mortar and plestle to the cuisinart, from the open fire to the convection oven. This is exactly the kind of knowledge I seek, so I can be in the kitchen with someone and say "actually, did you know that English cooking sucks because they simply had too much wood for making fires?" and become the most annoying person at the party.
yaarnvark's review against another edition
5.0
really interesting, did make me think about utensils in a very different way!
bibliovermis's review against another edition
5.0
bibliovermis.com Illustrated Review
Consider the Fork is not just a history of the kitchen. It’s an overview of human innovation, of changing cultural mores reflected in kitchen gadgets, and of the global influence of various cooking styles and techniques. With chapters nominally focusing on one…
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jerihurd's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed that. Entertaining and informative. And now I’ll never forget that though food in Tin cans was invented in 1816, it took another 50 years to invent the can opener.
As a complete side note, this author really loves the colon. I also wish it had included photos of the tools and gadgets discussed. I spent a lot of time googling!
As a complete side note, this author really loves the colon. I also wish it had included photos of the tools and gadgets discussed. I spent a lot of time googling!
mcrews's review against another edition
3.0
This book is really well researched and written, but I still zoned out for large chunks of it. Wilson makes some great observations about society, technology, humanity and food. I would tell anyone to read the Introduction as well as the chapter on the fork and refrigeration.
I thought it was a good point that with new technology something is gained but something is lost. It was exciting when we got to eat tomatoes all year round, but it doesn't mean they are worth eating all year round.
The chapter on the refrigerator is short but great. Wilson states that the idea of the refrigeration this method of cooling food is so deeply American, which I had not thought about before. I love her bit about how we constantly open the refrigerator door and stare in for some kind of answer about what we should be doing at that moment or maybe even with our lives.
There were plenty of historical factoids that absolutely blew my mind, like the amount of time the average American woman is spending in the kitchen has not changed since the 1920s?! How is this possible?!
Overall, it is worth skimming.
I thought it was a good point that with new technology something is gained but something is lost. It was exciting when we got to eat tomatoes all year round, but it doesn't mean they are worth eating all year round.
The chapter on the refrigerator is short but great. Wilson states that the idea of the refrigeration this method of cooling food is so deeply American, which I had not thought about before. I love her bit about how we constantly open the refrigerator door and stare in for some kind of answer about what we should be doing at that moment or maybe even with our lives.
There were plenty of historical factoids that absolutely blew my mind, like the amount of time the average American woman is spending in the kitchen has not changed since the 1920s?! How is this possible?!
Overall, it is worth skimming.