The Pedant in the Kitchen

The Pedant In The Kitchen is the 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. "The funniest piece of food writing - my own theoretical metier - that you will ever read" (Giles Coren, The Times).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?"I hope The Pedant continues to cook; a sequel would be most delicious." - Lisa Markwell, The IndependentThis 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'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." For Anyone Who Has Ever Been Defeated By A Cookbook. This Work Is An Elegant 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. Introduction / Mark Hix -- A Late-onset Cook -- Warning: Pedant At Work -- Take Two Medium Onions -- By The Book -- The Ten-minute Maestro -- No, I Won't Do That -- The Cactus And The Slipper -- The Tooth Fairy -- Good Things -- Service With A Scowl -- Once Is Enough -- Now They Tell Me! -- Keep It Simple -- In The Purple -- Not A Dinner Party -- Bottom Drawer -- The Moral Of It All. Julian Barnes ; Introduction By Mark Hix. Originally Published: 2003.