Manifold Destiny: The One! The Only! Guide to Cooking on Your Car Engine! [Paperback]

Chris Maynard (Author), Bill Scheller (Author)

Book Description

Release date: August 4, 1998

How many miles does it take to braise a fish fillet? Should you use your exhaust manifold or your valve cover for a pork tenderloin? Were Jaguars really designed with veal scallopini in mind?
        In the new revised and expanded Manifold Destiny, Chris Maynard and Bill Scheller, two experienced rally drivers--and cooks--answer these and any other questions you've got about cooking under the hood. After all, why drive to a diner when you can turn your Chevy into one, especially when you can make a better meal right on top of your engine? With a little bit of ingenuity--and a whole lot of aluminum foil--you can whip up dishes like Cutlass Cod Supreme, Cruise-Control Pork Tenderloin, Nifty NAFTA Nachos, Donner Pass Red Flannel Hash, and Fupped Duck Catera.
        Witty, preposterous, and great highway fun, the more than forty recipes in this cult classic are road-tested and taste-bud-approved. It's a must for anyone hitting the road with an empty stomach and a full tank of gas.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Feeling a mite peckish on those long road trips? Pack along this humorous cookbook and whip up Cajun-style shrimp in your car or recreational vehicle. All you need are shrimp, pork fat, "whatever 'Cajun' seasonings you've seen advertised," a set of wheels and someplace to go. Cook on a medium-hot part of the engine for about 55 miles. If that's too much work, pick up several stuffed peppers (preferably from a backwater North Jersey Italian deli), wrap them in foil and pop under the hood. Maynard, a photographer, and Scheller, a travel writer, are as adept at roasting trendy cookery as they are at warming pastrami sandwiches while they drive an auto rally. They teach drivers to view their vehicles in a new way, locating cooking surfaces via the "burn your finger" method of temperature verification. They may even change the way people select new cars: the Chevrolet Celebrity GL offers six servings, while the Camry has only three but sports a bun warmer, a feature seldom mentioned in Toyota ads. The authors sober up to serve a clear warning: carelessness under the hood can be dangerous to car and driver. Illustrations not seen by PW. Author tour.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

"[A] witty, cleverly conceived and actually workable guide." -- Los Angeles Times

"You'll be the envy of everyone at the rest stop!" -- Missoula Independent

"[A] witty, informative paperback by Chris Maynard and Bill Scheller, a couple of fun-and-food-loving guys who first published in 1989 to let chefs and chauffeurs know they can cook up a right smart snack or meal using the heat of the engine while driving on a reasonably long trip." -- Chicago Tribune --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Villard (August 4, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0375751408
• ISBN-13: 978-0375751400
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.2 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (29 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #366,822 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

32 of 34 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars it works! December 2, 1999

By Al Kihano

Format:Paperback

The cooking times in _Manifold Destiny_ are given in mileage. This cookbook lists many tasty dishes and gives detailed, practical advice on how to prepare them on your car engine.

It works like this: find a hot spot on your engine, then wrap your food in tin foil, wedge the package into the hot spot, and drive....

Pull up the hood when you stop, then unwrap the package and chow down. I tried salmon filets with a suburban; they cooked very nicely after about fifty miles.

This book is a genuine contribution to cookbook literature.

43 of 48 people found the following review helpful

1.0 out of 5 stars Out of Date, Out of Mind September 26, 2007

By Future Southerner

Format:Paperback

I was given Manifold Destiny in the early 1990s for a college graduation gift because my friends knew that I was going to travel a lot (and did) by car. It was a hilarious read and I enjoyed it. However, unlike the majority of reviewers here, I actually TRIED a bunch of recipes. Folks, I'm here to tell you that your results aren't as good as the read. I even secured the efforts of a couple of truckers (who had years of experience cooking food on their engines) and found out that newer cars are better insulated, making cooking anywhere on their engines mighty difficult. Not to mention that everything is STEAMED. Got that? You know what my steak with mushrooms looked like 4 hours after being attached near the hot part of the engine block? Disgusting and undercooked. Chicken wasn't much better. Steamed vegetables weren't ever completely done no matter where they were placed. I tested this in 8 different states (including Hawaii) and 4 different vehicles. My college buddy did try fish in a Chevy truck on the way to Montana. That seemed to work well, but the flavor was not that great. Manifold Destiny was a great idea whose time has passed. I'll stick to wayside stops and my campstove, thank you.

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars an enduring winner July 23, 2001

By Michael Christman

Format:Paperback

I have an old edition of this book (eighties) and I have been amused by it from start to finish. The premise sounds wacky but the authors, despite their obvious humor, are serious. Anyone who likes to cook will love this book- in fact, the more serious the better, since the book takes such a preposterously irreverent approach to recipes and dining.

It's also uniquely American- I can't imagine this book being born in any other culture. Buy it, if you can find it, it's a gem.