Product Description

The Pedant's ambition is simple. He wants to cook tasty, nutritious food; he wants not to poison his friends; and he wants to expand, slowly and with pleasure, his culinary repertoire. A stern critic of himself and 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, and of those who create them, that the Pedant's true pedantry emerges. How big, exactly, is a 'lump'? Is a 'slug' larger than a 'gout'? When does a 'drizzle' become a downpour? And what is the difference between slicing and chopping? This book is a witty and practical account of Julian Barnes' search for gastronomic precision. It is a quest that leaves him seduced by Jane Grigson, infuriated by Nigel Slater, and reassured by Mrs Beeton's Victorian virtues. The Pedant in the Kitchen is perfect comfort for anyone who has ever been defeated by a cookbook and is something that none of Julian Barnes' legion of admirers will want to miss.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #20993 in Books
• Published on: 2004-05-13
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 136 pages

Scotland on Sunday
‘This a hob-side classic’

The Herald (Glasgow)
‘Fizzing with decades of pent-up frustration and creative rebellion, this is a tiny masterpiece of observational wit’

Publishing News
‘My only complaint about this book is that it is too small; there is not enough of it’

Customer Reviews

Good things...
This is the perfect book for anyone who loves to cook and has experienced the anguish of striving to match the glossy perfection presented by contemporary cook books and tv shows. It was good to know that I'm not the only amateur chef who feverishly buys and hoards cook books (thanks to Amazon I now can't afford any of the ingredients, but at least I have an extensive recipe library). It's equally reassuring to know that Julian Barnes has also spent valuable time worrying about what exactly constitutes a medium-sized onion. Written with humour and a good pinch of style, their were many times I laughed out loud with tears roling down my face (makes a change from the tears I normally shed when chopping a medium-sized onion). Great book - would go well with the turkey and lightly buttered sprouts.

Brilliant
Don't expect a cookbook - you won't get one. This is just Julian's observations about cooking and the terrible havoc that the generalities of most cookbooks can cause to a pendant who slavishly follows recipes.
It is frankly hilarious, especially the chapter entitled "No, we won't do that". Cookbook writers take note

A beautiful book
I agree with everything Amazon reviewers have said here but I'd like to add a word about the illustrations which are witty and beautiful. I own the hardcover version and had to search for the artist's name. I found it in tiny print on the dustcover's inside back flap. There is also a mingy little acknowledgment along with 'moral rights' and ISBN notes inside. Congratulations to a chap called Joe Berger for making The Pedant in the Kitchen so attractive.