Heat by Bill Buford

When this book first came out about three years ago, I heard a lot of good things about it and saw it everywhere in the bookstores. I diligently waited a year for the book to come out in paperback, but then once it did I kept putting it off and putting it off. I still wanted to read it, there was just always something else I wanted to read just a little more. The problem is that, while I like to cook, the world of the high-end kitchen is really foreign to me. In fact, my own cooking knowledge is more rudimentary than I care to admit. No matter how good anyone said this book was, I was uncertain that I'd actually relate to it.

I finally picked up the book when I saw it shortly after watching the season finale of Top Chef. It still took me awhile after that to begin reading it, but I'm glad I finally did. Heat is an account of Bill Buford's experience integrating himself into the kitchen of Mario Batali, a chef you may know of if you are a dedicated follower of the Food Network (I don't have cable so the name was new to me). The book is partly about Buford's experience as a budding chef, working his way up in the intense kitchen environment, a strange and stressful environment that I have really only seen through cinema (Mostly Martha, Ratatouille, etc.). Reading convinced me that I would absolutely hate working in a kitchen, but was nevertheless fascinating in the same way reading about other things I would hate doing, like climbing Mt. Everest or hiking the entire length of the Appalachian Trail or experiencing a volcanic eruption, is equally fascinating.

But Buford is also very clealry a journalist, and the book is also about his journey to learn as much as he can learn about what he has set out to do. He writes about the life stories of the people he is working with, not just Mario Batali, but other members of the kitchen. He journeys to Italy and learns about pasta, and about polenta, and about meat. He delves into the history of Italian cooking, and examines historical texts for the elusive turning point when the first cook began adding egg to pasta dough.

The result of all of this is a book that is both interesting, and highly engaging. I love cooking and eating, but at the end of the day food is mostly just functional for me. The fun part of reading this book was that it provided a window into seeing food as a science and an art, as well.