Steingarten’s essays on food reveal a man who is so obsessed with good cooking and the pleasures it brings that he will do all of those things many of us wouldn’t dare to attempt in the search for a good meal. He will spend all day with French villagers taking apart a pig to learn the secrets of blood sausage. He will attempt to turn his home oven into a 900-degree pizza oven trying to reproduce truly great pizza crust at home. He will order every electric rotisserie and rotisserie attachment knkown to man to try to recreate spit-roasted chicken without the fireplace. And he writes about all of his culinary adventures with a dry wit, self-deprecating humor and complete disdain for food phobias, allergies, and the arcane rules and regulations of the USDA. It is not often that reading about cooking and eating is more fun than actually cooking and eating, but this book is the exception that proves the rule. And you can do it all afternoon without gaining a pound, unless you are overcome by the urge to try one or three of Steingarten’s exacting recipes.

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Though the book is essentially just a collection of Steingarten’s pieces for Vogue, it’s a well-curated compilation. Steingarten’s at his most enjoyable when his articles focus on the food he is passionate about (the chapters on bread, steak, and chocolate are my favorite examples), and less when he’s just trying to be funny (writing about when he broke his ankle, or about a trip into the desert). The book also reveals a side of Steingarten I wasn’t as familiar with before—the role of home chef (rather than food enthusiast/critic). Though it’s clear from his stories that Steingarten has expensive tastes and a sophisticated palate, his writing doesn’t come off as being snobbish (at least, most of the time). A nice, fun read for anyone who enjoys food and learning more about it.