The Missing Ingredient: The Curious Role of Time in Food and Flavor

“Brilliant and original . . . From slow feasts to fast food, Linford shows that, no matter what we are cooking, time is of the essence.” ―Bee Wilson, TheSunday Times

The Missing Ingredient is the first book to consider the intrinsic yet often forgotten role of time in creating the flavors and textures we love. Through a series of encounters with ingredients, producers, cooks, artisans, and chefs, acclaimed author of The Chef's LibraryJenny Linford shows how, time and again, time itself is the invisible ingredient in our most cherished recipes. Playfully structured through different periods of time, the book examines the fast and slow, from the seconds it takes for sugar to caramelize to the centuries it takes for food heritage to be passed down from our ancestors. From the brevity of blanching and the days required in the crucial process of fermentation, to the months of slow ripening that make a great cheddar and the years needed for certain wines to reach their peak, Linford dissects each segment of time needed to cook―and enjoy―simple and intricate cuisine alike. Including vignettes from the immediacy of taste (seconds), the exactitude of pasta (minutes), and smoking and barbecuing meats (hours), to maturing cheese (weeks), infusing vanilla extract (months), and perfecting parmigiana and port (years), The Missing Ingredient is an enlightening and essential volume for foodies, bakers, home cooks, chefs, and anyone who appreciates a perfectly-executed dish.

“Something quite remarkable: a treatise on the single most vital and most overlooked element of food and cooking that's as page-turning as a thriller. A glorious, essential addition to every food lover’s book shelves.” ―Marina O’Loughlin, restaurant critic

Jenny Linford is a food writer and a member of the Guild of Food Writers whose recipes and food articles have appeared in many outlets, including the Financial Times, Time Out, and Square Meal. She is the author of numerous books including The Chef's Library and Garlic, and editor of 1001 Restaurants You Must Experience Before You Die.