Samin Nosrat’s “Salt Fat Acid Heat” will change the way you think about cooking!
It’s rare that a book changes my entire perspective on a subject. “Salt Fat Acid Heat” by Samin Nosrat did precisely that for me and cooking.
How?
I’m a big believer in First Principles Thinking.
To use Shane Parrish’s definition: “the idea is to break down complicated problems into basic elements and then reassemble them from the ground up.”
Food preparation — cooking, baking and all their variations — is incredibly complex. We don’t appreciate that enough. Done well, it involves physics, chemistry, biology, history, art, a lot of creativity, and much more. That’s why it’s so tricky to get a dish just right.
Nosrat breaks down all this complexity into four elements: Salt, Fat, Acid and Heat. She shows how they are at the core of all food preparation. As she says: “Master these four elements, master the kitchen.” They will unlock cooking superpowers you never knew you had!
Nosrat then shows how to apply this framework to any setting. At the end of it all, you’ll have the confidence to tackle any dish and deal with any culinary situation that pops up along the way.
If you prefer video she created a 4-part Netflix series with the same title.
In my opinion it’s fantastic but the video is a powerful complement to the book, not a substitute.
Happy cooking!
– Zeeshan Zaidi
