The Pedant in the Kitchen Quotes

“Cooking is the transformation of uncertainty (the recipe) into certainty (the dish) via fuss.”
― Julian Barnes, The Pedant in the Kitchen

“But the moment I realized that Pomiane was not just sympathetic but deeply on my side came in his recipe for Bœuf à la Ficelle (top rump suspended in boiling water by a string). When it is done, you are told to: ‘Lift the beef from the saucepan and remove the string. The meat is grey outside and not very appetizing. At this moment you may feel a little depressed.’ Isn’t that one of the most cheering and pedant-friendly lines a cook ever wrote? ‘You may feel a little depressed.”
― Julian Barnes, The Pedant in the Kitchen

“Et combien faut-il de ces petites garces pour faire 2,5kg à votre avis? Je vais vous le dire : il en faut 300, c'est-à-dire, une fois coupées, 600 morceaux baignant dans leur jus, des pépins à ôter 600 fois à la pointe du couteau, avec l'inquiétude d'en oublier.”
― Julian Barnes, The Pedant in the Kitchen

“Why should a word in a recipe be less important than a word in a novel? One can lead to physical indigestion, the other to mental. I”
― Julian Barnes, The Pedant in the Kitchen