Cooking is skilled labor, blue-collar, and always a fine opportunity to get your hands dirty. Before the advent of celebrity chefs, the work of the kitchen felt closer to masonry than artistry. In days of yore, putting food up for use in later weeks or months required a real understanding of bacterial processes, preservation, sanitation, and storage options. Mistakes might greatly affect how one survived the winter. This very fine book also reminds us that crackers, chips, dips, jams, jellies, dressings, pickles, olives, pastas, smoked and cured fish, and meat, all taste wonderful. And as kitchen projects go, they provide a great deal of satisfaction and a sense of accomplishment. A playful and exuberant writer,.... Read