This rousing call to action for healthy, conscious eating is an inspirational primer for those who want to move beyond packaged and processed food toward a more responsible and sustainable way of eating. Many people are learning about the political ramifications of what they eat, but don't know how to change their habits or expand their kitchen repertoire to include meatless dishes. This compendium offers a straightforward overview of the political issues surrounding food, and a culinary toolkit to put principles into practice. Without resorting to faux meat, fake cheese, or obscure ingredients, the recipes focus on fresh, local, minimally processed ingredients that sustain farmers, animals, and the entire food chain. Instead of a rigid set of recipes to be replicated, it offers tips for improvisation, creative thinking in the kitchen, practical suggestions for cooking on a budget, and quick and delicious vegan and vegetarian meal options for anyone who wants to eat fast, tasty, nutritious food every day.
Cook Food: A Manualfesto for Easy, Healthy, Local Eating
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Editorial Reviews
About the Author
Lisa Jervis is the founding editor and publisher of Bitch: Feminist Response to Pop Culture, the founding board president of Women in Media and News, and a member of the advisory board for outLoud Radio. Her work has appeared in numerous periodicals, including Mother Jones, Ms. magazine, the San Francisco Chronicle, and Utne Reader, and she is a contributor to the anthologies Body Outlaws and The BUST Guide to the New Girl Order. She is coeditor of Young Wives' Tales: New Adventures in Love and Partnership and BITCHfest: Ten Years of Cultural Criticism from the Pages of Bitch Magazine. She lives in Oakland, California.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
12 of 13 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Slow food, fast read. What a completely delightful book. Lisa Jervis takes the best of what's out there (by Michael Pollan and others) and digests it for us, so we can follow in her localvore footsteps... or not. As Jervis reminds us, she's not a guru. But she is a wise and supportive friend who might be just a step or two ahead of us on the journey. If you are interested in eating and cooking more sustainably, if you are wondering what all the fuss is about, or if you are already a vegan or vegetarian, you will find lots of support, inspiration and easy, affordable tips and recipes in Cook Food. And you will have fun along the way.
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
By Cynthia V.
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I was a little skeptical when I first opened this book. I had already read Michael Pollan, et al., and I was already a decent and mildly experienced cook. I wasn't a vegan, or even a vegetarian (though I rarely cook meat at home). I've also been known to go on a rant from time to time when faced with a lecture about how you have to be vegan or vegetarian in order to maintain a healthy, green/local lifestyle--it's not true, of course, I know many an unhealthy, un-green vegan, and many a healthy, green omnivore.
I got this book, then, because I like Jervis' other work and because some of the recipes looked pretty interesting. I skimmed the first part, figuring that I knew all that stuff already, and went straight for the oatmeal dried-fruit cookie recipe. This is a great recipe to start with because a) the result is wonderful, and b) it's a nice introduction to Jervis' style of recipe-writing. This recipe is chock full of information about the ingredients and suggestions of ways to alter the recipe to your tastes. It's written so that anyone can understand it, not just a seasoned baker. Bakers, however, will still find the information and advice incredibly interesting and useful.
From there, I realized that it might be useful to read the first half of the book instead of only using this for recipes (shocking, no?!). I was so impressed with all of the information and advice in the first half--I felt like I had just taken a full course in cooking conscientiously. The tone of the book is informative and very accessible, but not dumbed-down in any way (I think I was worried it would be, hence why I was reluctant to pay attention to the first half in the beginning).... Read more ›
I got this book, then, because I like Jervis' other work and because some of the recipes looked pretty interesting. I skimmed the first part, figuring that I knew all that stuff already, and went straight for the oatmeal dried-fruit cookie recipe. This is a great recipe to start with because a) the result is wonderful, and b) it's a nice introduction to Jervis' style of recipe-writing. This recipe is chock full of information about the ingredients and suggestions of ways to alter the recipe to your tastes. It's written so that anyone can understand it, not just a seasoned baker. Bakers, however, will still find the information and advice incredibly interesting and useful.
From there, I realized that it might be useful to read the first half of the book instead of only using this for recipes (shocking, no?!). I was so impressed with all of the information and advice in the first half--I felt like I had just taken a full course in cooking conscientiously. The tone of the book is informative and very accessible, but not dumbed-down in any way (I think I was worried it would be, hence why I was reluctant to pay attention to the first half in the beginning).... Read more ›
9 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I was lucky enough to be a test taster/test reader for this book, and all I can say is "DIY scrumptious."
Lisa's recipes are waaay easy to follow, leave room for a little creativity, and don't require a bunch of esoteric ingredients. More importantly, the end result is crunchy-salty-savory goodness.
This is in stark contrast to those monk monastery cookbooks out there that equate health with cold watery tofu. Or the equally annoying "add a teaspoon of low-fat bottled dressing, mix with plain nonfat yogurt" cookbooks that may as well be titled Weight Loss and Heart Disease Recovery for the Stereotypical American. But I digress.
This book works equally well for those who don't know how to cook, those who only know how to cook stuff they would no longer be caught dead eating, and those who cook all the time but want some new, interesting, and fast recipes.
As well as those who just can't resist anything called a manualfesto.
Lisa's recipes are waaay easy to follow, leave room for a little creativity, and don't require a bunch of esoteric ingredients. More importantly, the end result is crunchy-salty-savory goodness.
This is in stark contrast to those monk monastery cookbooks out there that equate health with cold watery tofu. Or the equally annoying "add a teaspoon of low-fat bottled dressing, mix with plain nonfat yogurt" cookbooks that may as well be titled Weight Loss and Heart Disease Recovery for the Stereotypical American. But I digress.
This book works equally well for those who don't know how to cook, those who only know how to cook stuff they would no longer be caught dead eating, and those who cook all the time but want some new, interesting, and fast recipes.
As well as those who just can't resist anything called a manualfesto.
11 of 13 people found the following review helpful
By Tana
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
The kindle edition of this book lacks editing. For instance, take this quote:
"Speaking of which, tomato paste is great for building richness of flavor, so you may want to consider putting it in soups, stews, stir-fries, tomato products such as tomato paste, crushed tomatoes, or fresh tomatoes. flavor, so you may want to consider putting it in soups, stews, stir-fries, and the like even when you aren't planning for them to be particularly tomato-ey."
I mean, really, would one expect to find such nonsense in the printed version of this book? Why must we put up with it in the ebook edition?
"Speaking of which, tomato paste is great for building richness of flavor, so you may want to consider putting it in soups, stews, stir-fries, tomato products such as tomato paste, crushed tomatoes, or fresh tomatoes. flavor, so you may want to consider putting it in soups, stews, stir-fries, and the like even when you aren't planning for them to be particularly tomato-ey."
I mean, really, would one expect to find such nonsense in the printed version of this book? Why must we put up with it in the ebook edition?
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
By Elise
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I have been wanting to get into cooking -- I was really inspired by "The Omnivore's Dilemma" by Michael Pollan -- and this book is just perfect. Jervis writes in a very approachable style that makes me unafraid to tackle these delicious-sounding recipes. A wonderful, inspiring book that came along at just the right time. Highly recommended to anyone who cares about not only the politics of food, but eating delicious cuisine!!
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
By R. A. Weil
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
More than finding a specific recipie, absorbing the way Lisa Jervis thinks about food and its preparation has made reading Cook Food worthwhile. It hasn't meant that I won't make mistakes like not realizing that 6 cardamon pods won't equate to a teaspoon of cardamon seeds. My dish of Indian Greens was overwhelmed by that mistake. However used as compote over white rice brought some balance back to the mixture. This book pushed me into discovering beet tops and stems which I actually like better than the roots.
Even though I have read Michael Pollan and others, the hands on perspective of this "manualfesto" has helped me improve what is served at our table and made me more at ease with my food choices.
I also really enjoyed the conversational and slightly acerbic tone of the author.
Even though I have read Michael Pollan and others, the hands on perspective of this "manualfesto" has helped me improve what is served at our table and made me more at ease with my food choices.
I also really enjoyed the conversational and slightly acerbic tone of the author.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
1.0 out of 5 stars
Elitist and Dated Rubbish
One, if not the worst thing I've ever read on eating locally grown and organic produce. Typical Bay Area transplant rich person's apologist for how over priced organic foods and... Read more
Published 11 months ago by TrueBrit
4.0 out of 5 stars
A cookbook, not just a recipe book
"Cook Food" is a wonderful guide for people who are just starting to cook their own meals beyond making scrambled eggs and toast. Read more
Published on February 18, 2011 by Kitty L.
3.0 out of 5 stars
A light and easy introduction...
I began reading this book with some skepticism... the author's feminist pedigree had me worried that aggressive, holier than thou attitudes, carefully melted into some... Read more
Published on January 30, 2011 by Old School Fool
5.0 out of 5 stars
This book literally changed my life!
A year ago I was a pretty healthy vegetarian, but my cooking skills hit an ugly dead end at brown rice. Read more
Published on January 28, 2011 by Kaitlin Elizabeth
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great perspective on food prep
This book is great because it is very easy to read and it has quick tips on how to make meals that aren't cooked with processed food. Read more
Published on March 9, 2010 by A. Tolino
5.0 out of 5 stars
Motivating!
This book is a great motivator to begin exploring a more natural diet. Great, simple recipes and ideas. Read more
Published on September 16, 2009 by J. Edwards
5.0 out of 5 stars
Educate, don't alienate
The vegetarian cookbook genre, to put it bluntly, is a mess -- shot through with asceticism (Francis Moore Lappé), quasi-religious gibbering (Laurel's Kitchen), and outright... Read more
Published on July 19, 2009 by Brian Connors
