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secreteeyore1's review against another edition
4.0
A lot of the facts in this book left me slack-jawed- especially the ones I learned about the title figure: the fork. Very interesting and a great conversation starter, I'm looking at my kitchen gadgets in a new way.
restaurantjunkie's review against another edition
4.0
I'm a sucker for food history, and this is very much a perfect companion to Bee Wilson's other book, "First Bite." It doesn't really matter, but FWIW I recommend reading this one first. This is one of those books I'm likely to read again.
mbrosi's review against another edition
5.0
I learned so much by reading this book! Everything was fascinating: how the fork is a more modern invention in terms of all of human history, the different variations of the egg whisk, and even how the wooden spoon cannot be improved. As a foodie every chapter was filled with information. Bee Wilson put a lot of research into this, as evident by the source notes in the back. Loved it!
k8so's review against another edition
funny
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.5
Great bedtime book!
avenus82's review against another edition
3.0
Good history of cooking tech! Enjoyed reading it, even if the writing is a bit repetitive
kuglar's review against another edition
DNF at 50%. There was too much and too little information in the book.
smsmontoya's review against another edition
5.0
I really enjoyed the insight into why we use certain tools in the kitchen and why some tools evolved in the way that they did.
roseamcc's review against another edition
4.0
This is so fascinating and well-written. My only critique is that Africa and South America aren’t mentioned at all!
jmaltman's review against another edition
4.0
I love this kind of book, bringing together history, culture, science and invention. It reminded me a bit of a food technology version of the Connections TV series from the early 90s.
I enjoyed her anecdotal style mixed in with her passionate musings on her own cooking journey and preferences.
Organizing it by broad areas: pot, grind, fire, knife, ice, kitchen really gave each area of human exploration, refinement, and change (as often for fashion as function) it's due, showing how experimentation in the kitchen is older than any other kind of science.
Learned a lot and enjoyed the journey! Highly recommended from either the cooking or history/culture angles.
I enjoyed her anecdotal style mixed in with her passionate musings on her own cooking journey and preferences.
Organizing it by broad areas: pot, grind, fire, knife, ice, kitchen really gave each area of human exploration, refinement, and change (as often for fashion as function) it's due, showing how experimentation in the kitchen is older than any other kind of science.
Learned a lot and enjoyed the journey! Highly recommended from either the cooking or history/culture angles.