The Missing Ingredient: The Curious Role of Time in Food and Flavor

The Missing Ingredient: The Curious Role of Time in Food and Flavor

by Jenny Linford

Narrated by Karen Cass

Unabridged — 11 hours, 38 minutes

The Missing Ingredient: The Curious Role of Time in Food and Flavor

The Missing Ingredient: The Curious Role of Time in Food and Flavor

by Jenny Linford

Narrated by Karen Cass

Unabridged — 11 hours, 38 minutes

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Overview

From hours in the oven to years in the barrel, this illuminating book examines the relationship between the cook and the clock, and the underappreciated impact that time has on our favorite dishes

Two minutes into boiling an egg, the white isn't set and the yolk is totally raw. After five minutes however, the white is fully set and the yolk slightly runny-a perfectly spoonable, soft-boiled egg. Boil for another three minutes for a set and tender yolk, or an additional five minutes for a fully set yolk. But be careful: once you boil the egg past ten minutes, you'll have a crumbly yolk and dry, overly firm white. When it comes to boiled eggs, you may think you're only dealing with one ingredient, but there is another less obvious, but still critical ingredient involved that should not be overlooked: time.

The Missing Ingredient is the first book to consider the intrinsic yet often forgotten role of time in creating the flavors and textures we love. Through a series of encounters with ingredients, producers, cooks, artisans, and chefs, acclaimed author of The Chef's Library Jenny Linford shows how, time and again, time itself is the invisible ingredient in our most cherished recipes. Playfully structured through different periods of time, the book examines the fast and slow, from the seconds it takes for sugar to caramelize to the centuries it takes for food heritage to be passed down from our ancestors. From the brevity of blanching and the days required in the crucial process of fermentation, to the months of slow ripening that make a great cheddar and the years needed for certain wines to reach their peak, Linford dissects each segment of time needed to cook-and enjoy-simple and intricate cuisine alike. Including vignettes from the immediacy of taste (seconds), the exactitude of pasta (minutes), and smoking and barbecuing meats (hours), to maturing cheese (weeks), infusing vanilla extract (months), and perfecting parmigiana and port (years), The Missing Ingredient is an enlightening and essential volume for foodies, bakers, home cooks, chefs, and anyone who appreciates a perfectly-executed dish.


Editorial Reviews

Waitrose Weekend

Thoughtful and engaging.

Joanna Blythman

Beautifully written and highly original. Jenny Linford scrutinizes time-honored food production methods and cookery techniques through the often-ignored lens of time. A gently informative, almost lyrical volume for our impatient times.

Jill Norman

Thoughtful, lively, and original. No one has approached food in regard to time before.

Booklist

Engaging . . . [through]personal reminiscences, historical gastronomical overviews, professional observations, and profiles of current culinary artisans, noted food writer Linford invites readers to dip into areas that pique interest while providing an overall structure that encourages cover-to-cover reading. . . . will ensnare browsers and prove irresistible to chefs and foodies.

Rachel Cooke - Guardian

Interesting and clever . . . revelatory. The Missing Ingredientis the result of a great deal of research; it’s also the product of a 25-year career in food writing, something you feel on every page.”

Bee Wilson - Sunday Times

Brilliant and original . . . From slow feasts to fast food, Linford shows that, no matter what we are cooking, time is of the essence.

From the Publisher

[The Missing Ingredient] explores so much more than time. . . . For the avid foodie or cook The Missing Ingredient is a treasure trove of information and curiosities. Linford has done her research and written a book that will inspire and entertain.”

Darra Goldstein - Times Literary Supplement

A compelling book . . . Time is the unacknowledged genie of the kitchen.The Missing Ingredientconsiders the meanings that go beyond quantitative measures.”

New York Journal of Books

Jenny Linford goes beyond our day-to-day experiences with time in the kitchen and provides readers with a deeper look at the role of time in food preparation . . . The Missing Ingredient is thoroughly researched with plenty of fascinating food revelations for the curious cook to enjoy.”

The Wall Street Journal

Innovative . . . Linford gives time the respect and attention it is due. . . . The pleasures of Ms. Linford’s book come from dozens of tiny epiphanies about the almost magical powers of this universal invisible ingredient. . . . The Missing Ingredient offers a unique perspective on how food is produced. Paging through the book is time well spent.”

Bee Wilson - The Sunday Times

Brilliant and original . . . From slow feasts to fast food, Linford shows that, no matter what we are cooking, time is of the essence.

Product Details

BN ID: 2940172639821
Publisher: Brilliance Audio
Publication date: 03/26/2019
Edition description: Unabridged
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