Simple food can be (very) good food when you take on board these culinary principles.
Having an online persona has meant that I’ve been invited to guest on a few podcasts. Some interviewers ask obvious questions but one recently really jumped out. I was asked: “Have there been any particular people or cookbooks that have changed the way you cook?”
Oh boy, yes! Hands down, there is one cookbook that literally changed the way I approach food Salt Fat Acid Heat (and its accompanying Netflix mini-series) has long been out in public view. However, it is one of the cookbooks that I will regularly return to again and again.
Author Samin Nosrat was studying English at the University of California at Berkeley, when a meal at Chez Panisse acted as a catalyst for her foray into the food industry. From there she worked in kitchens and traveled the world, developing her understanding of food and methods of cooking.
I read it as a sous-chef about two years into my cooking career — and it came at just the right time. I knew just enough about cooking to get away with it but was still eager to learn more. Since then, I’ve made an effort to buy it for my own sous chefs, and hope that it makes the same impact it once did with me.
It helps that Samin is a likeable writer, admitting her mistakes, so that we, too, can learn from her. The reader cannot help but be swept up in her food journey, from someone who used to put yogurt on her spaghetti bolognese to someone who understands the science of why she used to do that (spoiler alert, she loves acidic flavor profiles). I enjoy reading cookbooks like others might enjoy reading a novel, and her constant stream of personal anecdotes keeps you entertained.
The thing about Salt Fat Acid Heat is, it’s not just a cookbook. Textbook, might be a better way to describe the tome (and a heavy tome it is!). The first half breaks down the story of her discovering each of the elements, and the work she has done since learning the science of what she initially theorized. The second half is a collection of her recipes, showing off those principles in action.
Her entire premise is that simple food, if done well and with consideration to her four principles, can be good food. It’s as simple as that. You and I might follow the same recipe, but because I follow the Salt Fat Acid Heat principles, my final dish (theoretically) would end up being just that little bit tastier.
I’ll give you a taste of her principles:
- Salt enhances the flavor of food by bringing out its natural flavors. Samin explains the importance of how and when to use salt effectively throughout the cooking process (seasoning, brining, curing etc.). What stood out most to me was how far in advance the salting process can be done to really maximize the effects. I won’t lie, though, it’s still a challenge for me to remember to salt a chicken the day before I cook it, so I’ll settle for the morning.
- Fat adds richness and carries flavor. It helps in creating texture and balances dishes. Different fats, like olive oil, butter and animal fats, are used in various cuisines to achieve depth in flavor. My top takeaway? Use the right fat for the right cuisine! Don’t use olive oil to make a Thai curry, dangit.
- Acid brightens food and balances richness. It provides contrast and lifts flavors. Ingredients such as vinegar, citrus and tomatoes are highlighted for their role in balancing dishes. This chapter made me realize how much I value acidity in a dish and taught me about layering acids. I now add wine twice when making Bolognese — most of it right at the start, and then another gentle splash right at the end, to lift it back up again.
- Heat dictates texture and “done-ness”. It’s about understanding how to control temperature to achieve desired results, whether it’s a crispy crust or a tender interior. As a result of this chapter, I have now become hopelessly addicted to maximizing the Maillard reaction.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for a get-flavor-fast hack — tricks we use a lot in yachting to accommodate those last-minute requests. But when we have time to invest in the food we are making, I like to do it the right way, even if it takes a little longer and a bit more effort.
This resonates so strongly with my own personal cooking ethos. I would love to be the chef that experiments with elixirs, distillations, eight-week fermentations, wax etc, but that’s just not me. I like food that when I look at it, I know what it is. Show me a steak with a perfectly seared crust; a sandwich that’s been buttered to the very edges; garlic that’s been stemmed; onions that have been properly caramelized. Now you’re getting me excited.
Sure, these principles are not exactly groundbreaking, but having learned them as early in my career as I did, and having incorporated them into my approach, they are now habit and I appreciate them fully. I notice critically when others are not using them. So if Salt Fat Acid Heat is not sitting on your bookshelf, I strongly encourage you take a punt.