Netflix and Cook? Michael Pollan’s ‘Cooked’ Premiers on Netflix This Week
Michael Pollan is at it again and this time he’s teaming with Netflix to bring entertainment-hungry viewers some incredibly important and nutrient-dense information in the form of a new docu-series.
The highly acclaimed food writer will play a large role in the four-episode show, which is based on his 2013 book, “Cooked.” The series will explore “different methods of cooking and their evolutionary and cultural impacts on humankind,” Eater reports. Pollan’s ultimate goal is to persuade chefs to return to the kitchen, “reclaim lost traditions and restore balance to [their] lives.” Each episode of the series is directed by a different person and will feature Pollan in his home kitchen in Berkeley, Calif.
Sounds like quite a lofty story to tell, but if anyone can get the above messages across, it’s Pollan.
Of course, Pollan isn’t the only big name attached to the series. Alex Gibney, the Oscar-winning filmmaker who has worked on groundbreaking documentaries, such as “Going Clear,” “The Prison of Belief,” and “Steve Jobs” is the executive producer of the Netflix show.
Each show of the four-episode series will examine one of the natural elements — fire, water, air, and earth — and how each element relates to modern and ancient cooking methods.
“Fire” will examine the “cross-cultural tradition of of barbecue by looking at fire-roasts of monitor lizards in Western Australia and visiting with a barbecue pitmaster,” Eater reports. In “Water,” Pollan takes “lessons from kitchens in India and cover[s] the issues surrounding processed foods.” “Air” will examine “the science of bread-making and gluten,” and “Earth,” explores fermentation and the preservation of raw foods.
And while each episode will be different, the overall series is cohesive. “It’s not some supposedly objective look at cooking through the ages, not a paint-by-the-number history series. It’s Michael’s point-of-view,” Gibney says. “That said, within that context, the directors were allowed a lot of freedom of style and content that brought a certain eclectic vitality to the series.”
You can catch the series on Netflix beginning February 19.
Related on Organic Authority
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Michael Pollan Clears Things Up: Cars are Driving on Food?
I’d Taste It: Michael Pollan’s Bellybutton Bacteria Made into Cheese
Image via Netflix, “Cooked” PR
