Pot on the Fire: Further Exploits of a Renegade Cook

John Thorne has written five books, Simple Cooking, Outlaw Cook, Serious Pig, Pot on the Fire, & Mouth Wide Open, each of which is a compilation of essays about food, cooking, and cookbooks. In one sense, these five books are among the best written, best tested, and best tasting cookbooks available today. He approaches a wide variety of classic recipes or food item (Chowder, Pasta with Anchovies, French Toast) like a proverbial blood hound. Initially, he circles around the recipe, describing its origins, historical variations, and analyzing its tastes and flavors. Then he zeroes in for the kill; first deconstructing and then reconstructing it until he has perfected the recipe to his tastes.

However, these five books are far more than show more just recipes. Food and cooking are just Thorne's gateways to writings and reflections about the human condition. He takes simple, home-based, everyday events and items and unearths surprisingly savory qualities. By exploring a specific food's or recipe's history and context, Thorne reveals larger truths about the relationship between the food we eat and the values we share. All of his books are worth reading, cook or no cook.

See my full review of John Thorne's books. show less

Pot on the Fire is a collection of essays about food and cooking, each one exploring a particular dish or ingredient or meal, with recipes. It is all fascinating and eminently readable, and reading it I learned quite a lot about such diverse subjects as the history of the potato in Ireland, the Vietnamese sandwich and pizza-making in Naples. All this from a writer who, it appears, never leaves his home states of Maine and Massachusetts. I even discovered, finally, how to cook perfect rice. I don’t know if I’ll try any of the recipes, but the essays inspired me to be more thoughtful and self-aware of my own cooking, to consider the history of the foods I eat and to always strive for a better recipe.

Seems better balanced than the other book I have read of his, Outlaw Cook. I suspect some of the essays seem to share a common base. I liked parts of Outlaw Cook, but a few essays seemed overly dramatic and struck me as Thorne was trying too hard to examine himself. This book has a more more warm and stable feeling.

His descriptions of food are superb, as are his hints and citations which make me want to hunt down more books about food. (I'd empathize books on food, not just cookbooks.)

I got this from the library and it's hard to return it. I've been taking pictures with my cel phone of interesting citations, but I'm tempted to simply xerox the bibliography at the end.

Like food? Like shows like Good Eats or shows with more historical show more perspectives on recipes and cooking? I'd recommend reading it. show less

A food book, somewhat scholarly, but still very personal and engaging. I read about a third of this a while back and then got distracted, then enough time had passed that I just started at the beginning and found it was just as interesting the second time. He's quite a good writer.

I keep meaning to get all of John Thorne's books. The essay on rice in this one is worth the price of admission.

Note from a few hours after I wrote the above: I seriously don't understand why everybody isn't reading John Thorne all the time.

The best intelligent, thoughtful, down to earth food writing out there.