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Michael Pollan on How Cooking Became a Spectator Sport

by · August 3rd, 2009
Cooking, NYTimes

Michael Pollan’s thoughtful piece in this week’s New York Times Magazine examines the increasing popularity of cooking shows in a culture where eaters spend less time than ever preparing their own meals. Pollan’s argument that “The Food Network has helped to transform cooking from something you do into something you watch” is particularly relevant in light of Nora Ephron’s new movie Julie and Julia – America’s relationship to kitchen-related activities has certainly changed since Julia Child’s “The French Chef” debuted in 1963. Read more to find out how this shift happened, and why it’s important to reverse the trend.

How do you handle the struggle between the demands of a hectic life and the call of the stovetop? Any advice for those who wish they had more time in their day to spend with the cutting board? For those who could use some support and inspiration, the blog Not Eating Out in New York is a particularly useful resource for recipes and suggestions.

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4 Responses to “Michael Pollan on How Cooking Became a Spectator Sport”

  1. Susan Kleinman Says:
    August 3rd, 2009 at 5:00 pm

    TV and magazines often give the impression that “cooking” is/should be a ten-pot, twenty-ingredient marathon. But there are plenty of delicious things that take less time to prepare than you’d spend waiting for your table in a restaurant. These aren’t knock-the-neighbors’-socks-off meals, but just good, wholesome food that is ready in minutes. For new, fast (but not fast-food-y) ideas, I like to check out Mark Bittman’s column at http://www.nytimes.com/bitten.

  2. lisa Says:
    August 4th, 2009 at 10:16 am

    I like convenience appliances, like slow cookers, bread makers, and rice cookers. We can chop up some ingredients for the slow cooker at the start of the day; place baking items in the bread maker for homemade bread; once home, the rice cooker makes cooking grains a cinch. We can still eat homemade meals with little prep and planning.

  3. Liz Says:
    August 4th, 2009 at 11:46 am

    I am bothered by Pollan’s assertion that all people have time (or should have time) to cook meals at home; it has class implications that I find troubling. For folks holding down two or three jobs and raising a family, especially for single parents, finding the time to cook is simply not an option.

    In my case, though, it’s more a matter of inclination. Frankly, I don’t want to have to cook a homemade meal every day, and there are times, like the past two weeks here in Portland, with our 100+ temps, when it’s just too hot to cook. So I often make large batches of foods, particularly soups in winter, or a big pot of refried beans for veggie burritos, which will feed my family for several days (or I freeze some for later). That way I can enjoy my cooking time and not feel oppressed or obligated to do it (I’m the main cook in my family, as my sweetie cannot smell, so her abilities in the kitchen are limited), and still enjoyed home-cooked food most days, even if I don’t cook every day.

    Also, one of the best ways to get more interested in cooking is to grow your own food. You don’t need a lot of land to do this; a community garden plot will work. You can also grow a surprising amount of food in pots and other containers, which are portable, an advantage if you are renting.

    Speaking of eating what you grow, I’m off to whip up some cucumber yogurt salad…

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