The Missing Ingredient: The Curious Role of Time in Food and Flavor - Hardcover

Linford, Jenny

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1468316389 ISBN 13: 9781468316384

Publisher: Abrams Press, 2018

Synopsis

Two minutes into boiling an egg, the white isn't set and the yolk is totally raw. After five minutes however, the white is fully set and the yolk slightly runny--a perfectly spoonable, soft-boiled egg. Boil for another three minutes for a set and tender yolk, or an additional five minutes for a fully set yolk. But be careful: once you boil the egg past ten minutes, you'll have a crumbly yolk and dry, overly firm white. When it comes to boiled eggs, you may think you're only dealing with one ingredient, but there is another less obvious, but still critical ingredient involved that should not be overlooked: time.The Missing Ingredient is the first book to consider the intrinsic yet often forgotten role of time in creating the flavors and textures we love. Through a series of encounters with ingredients, producers, cooks, artisans, and chefs, acclaimed author of The Chef's Library Jenny Linford shows how, time and again, time itself is the invisible ingredient in our most cherished recipes. Playfully structured through different periods of time, the book examines the fast and slow, from the seconds it takes for sugar to caramelize to the centuries it takes for food heritage to be passed down from our ancestors. From the brevity of blanching and the days required in the crucial process of fermentation, to the months of slow ripening that make a great cheddar and the years needed for certain wines to reach their peak, Linford dissects each segment of time needed to cook--and enjoy--simple and intricate cuisine alike. Including vignettes from the immediacy of taste (seconds), the exactitude of pasta (minutes), and smoking and barbecuing meats (hours), to maturing cheese (weeks), infusing vanilla extract (months), and perfecting parmigiana and port (years), The Missing Ingredient is an enlightening and essential volume for foodies, bakers, home cooks, chefs, and anyone who appreciates a perfectly-executed dish.

About this title

Review:

Brilliant and original . . . From slow feasts to fast food, Linford shows that, no matter what we are cooking, time is of the essence.--Bee Wilson

Beautifully written and highly original. Jenny Linford scrutinizes time-honored food production methods and cookery techniques through the often-ignored lens of time. A gently informative, almost lyrical volume for our impatient times.--Joanna Blythman, author of Shopped: The Shocking Power of British Supermarkets

Thoughtful, lively, and original. No one has approached food in regard to time before.--Jill Norman, food and wine writer

Thoughtful and engaging.

Engaging . . . [through] personal reminiscences, historical gastronomical overviews, professional observations, and profiles of current culinary artisans, noted food writer Linford invites readers to dip into areas that pique interest while providing an overall structure that encourages cover-to-cover reading. . . . will ensnare browsers and prove irresistible to chefs and foodies.

Jenny Linford has created something quite remarkable: a treatise on the single most vital and most overlooked element of food and cooking that's as page-turning as a thriller. A glorious, essential addition to every food lover's book shelves.--Marina O'Loughlin, restaurant critic

About the Author:

Jenny Linford is a food writer and a member of the Guild of Food Writers whose recipes and food articles have appeared in many outlets, including the Financial Times, Time Out, and Square Meal. She is the author of numerous books including The Chef's Library and Garlic, and editor of 1001 Restaurants You Must Experience Before You Die.

About this edition

• Publisher: Abrams Press
• Publication date: 2018
• ISBN 10: 1468316389
• ISBN 13: 9781468316384
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 384