Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat

By: Samin Nosrat

Narrated by: Samin Nosrat

Length: 5 hrs and 56 mins

Publisher's Summary

Samin Nosrat reads "The Four Elements of Good Cooking", part one of her New York Times best seller Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat: Mastering the Elements of Good Cooking

A visionary new master class in cooking that distills decades of professional experience into just four simple elements, from the woman declared "America's next great cooking teacher" by Alice Waters.

In the tradition of The Joy of Cooking and How to Cook Everything comes Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat, an ambitious new approach to cooking by a major new culinary voice. Chef and writer Samin Nosrat has taught everyone from professional chefs to middle school kids to author Michael Pollan to cook using her revolutionary yet simple philosophy. Master the use of just four elements - salt, which enhances flavor; fat, which delivers flavor and generates texture; acid, which balances flavor; and heat, which ultimately determines the texture of food - and anything you cook will be delicious. By explaining the hows and whys of good cooking, Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat will teach and inspire a new generation of cooks how to confidently make better decisions in the kitchen and cook delicious meals with any ingredients, anywhere, at any time.

Echoing Samin's own journey from culinary novice to award-winning chef, Salt, Fat Acid, Heat immediately bridges the gap between home and professional kitchens. With a lighthearted approach to kitchen science, Samin demystifies the four elements of good cooking for everyone.

Download the accompanying reference guide.

©2017 Samin Nosrat. All rights reserved. (P)2017 Simon & Schuster, Inc. All rights reserved.

Critic Reviews

"Samin Nosrat's narration of her innovative cooking guide is informative and conversational. Nosrat is a helpful friend by your side in the kitchen, cheerfully imparting culinary wisdom through a combination of accessible scientific explanations and tales of past cooking disasters - and triumphs - of her own." (AudioFile)

EXCELLENT, BUT...

Would you listen to Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat again? Why?

No. The author reads the book and does a poor job. It is very hard to keep the unnatural, cadence and intonation from being a major distraction to the excellent content. I consoled myself by remembering that I have purchased the book and can re-read it later.

What didn’t you like about Samin Nosrat’s performance?

Her intonation. She does't talk to us. She "reads with expression," as a third grader does before finding her natural voice.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

This books explains the theory of cooking in a way that affirms the way I cook and which will make me a better cook because of explaining the how and why of these essential elements of a dish.

Any additional comments?

I highly recommend buying the book. I suggest that Audible have it produced with a different reader.

11 of 12 people found this review helpful

I no longer have an excuse

Numerous lessons about flavor and how to successfully use the simple ingredients we use daily while cooking. I'd certainly recommend this book to anyone that enjoys cooking or eating food....

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

This book is a must have.

If you are a beginner or s seasoned (haha) home cook- this is an excellent primer for just about everything. On top of that, Samin's voice and inflections are clear and delightful to listen to. I'm almost finished listening, and probably going to start it over again immediately to get some of this wealth of knowledge into my head. Loved this!!!

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Great

Loved this
Going to require some of my staff to read it
So much wisdom

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Great book for cooks

Any additional comments?

I started this book after reading Michael Pollan's Cooked, which made me interested in being a better chef. This book has so much good information, and at times it was even too much. I can see where anyone really dedicated to cooking would love this book, but for me, as an amateur cook, I was a little bored. I can definitely say I am a better chef though, and would recommend to anyone trying to improve their culinary skills.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

excellent breakdown of cooking techniques!

This book offers an excellent breakdown of cooking techniques--wish I had read it 30 years ago!

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

The Most Interesting Book About Cooking Ever

I loved this audio book. I want to listen to it again and again. It's the most interesting, informative and brilliant book about cooking and flavor ever. Very highly recommend Samin Nosrat's brilliant book about how to cook with flavor!!!!

Will Make You A Better Cook

Listening once has made me aware of so many things I needed to change. I shall be listening again and again until this knowledge becomes ingrained in my memory as if I have lived her experiences. It is already working.

Enlightening and entertaining at the same time

This book was enlightening in a way that no other cookbook or autobiography has been. These fundamentals, things most chefs I assume learn in school, seem simple, and probably are to many people, but weren't for me. For example, my husband doesn't cook with salt. Growing up, his father had health issues and they cooked without salt and added it at the table for those able to have it. My husband has cooked this way forever! So, when he started cooking for me, and I insisted that adding salt at the table WAS NOT THE SAME!! :) He was not convinced. I would hover while he was preparing meal, asking, want me to season that? After reading this book, I know why salt applied at different times makes a difference in how the meal tastes. I can now explain why I like salt applied before cooking, and I even learned what a difference salting meats hours or a day in advance can make! I also learned that adding lemon juice can give a salt like taste to meals and I've used it in soups when I wanted to limit salt, like when I cooked for my grandmother who like my husband's father, couldn't have a lot of salt. It works!!

Besides the great cooking advice, the stories the author tells were very entertaining, I greatly enjoyed this book. I bought it in hardback as well I liked it so much.

Supplement with hard copy for the full experien

Samin narrates her own writing wonderfully. Her genuine enthusiasm and eagerness to share her teachings kept me locked in throughout the reading. That guide of the basics of how to think about cooking made me more comfortable in the kitchen. When I make even a simple sandwich, I think about how the principals of Salt, Fat, Acid Heat can be used to choose and prep ingredients. I certainly feel a bit more in control when planning cooking. I strongly recommend getting the hard copy for both the recipes and a quick review of specific types of cooking. The need for the hardcopy is the only reason for the four stars.