CHICAGO — Cancer may have robbed Roger Ebert of the ability to eat, but it won’t stop him from dishing out cooking advice.
Four years after cancer surgery left the famed film critic unable to speak or eat, Ebert is publishing a cookbook dedicated to rice cookers, a kitchen appliance he lovingly calls “The Pot” and champions as an answer for those strapped for cash, time and counter space.
“To be sure, health problems have prevented me from eating,” Ebert writes in the book. “That did not discourage my cooking. It became an exercise more pure, freed of biological compulsion.”
The book includes more than two dozen recipes for dishes such as chili, risotto, jambalaya and oatmeal — Ebert’s favorite. He took a witty and funny tone when writing it; he says he didn’t want it to sound too specialized or difficult.
“The Pot and How to Use It. The Mystery and Romance of the Rice Cooker,” will be released Sept. 21. The Associated Press
