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Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat by Samin Nosrat

Anna N

By Anna N
in Cookbooks & References

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Anna N

Anna N

Posted
Posted

 I pre-ordered this book and anxiously awaited its arrival.   It showed up in my Kindle library this morning and although I have only just started to delve into it, I have no doubt that it will not be a disappointment.

 

Nosrat cut her culinary teeth at Chez Panisse and taught Michael Pollan how to cook. 

 

I usually bypass any modern cookbook without photographs but the quirky drawings, mind maps  and various charts are not only charming but extremely useful. 

 

 Obviously, having just started the book I am not attempting any sort of review but I'm curious to know if it has caught the eye of anyone else on eG.

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Anna Nielsen aka "Anna N"

...I just let people know about something I made for supper that they might enjoy, too. That's all it is. (Nigel Slater)

"Cooking is about doing the best with what you have . . . and succeeding." John Thorne

Our 2012 (Kerry Beal and me) Blog

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Anna N

Anna N

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21 minutes ago, MelissaH said:

Me. I've just gotten so spoiled by the Kindle books that regularly show up for $2 or $3 that I'm wondering if this one is really worth $17!

Depends. If you are as interested in the why of cooking as in the how of cooking then grab it.  I have not yet got to the recipes but I do not regret one single cent of the money spent.   But I am not you and although I love spending other people's money.......

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Anna Nielsen aka "Anna N"

...I just let people know about something I made for supper that they might enjoy, too. That's all it is. (Nigel Slater)

"Cooking is about doing the best with what you have . . . and succeeding." John Thorne

Our 2012 (Kerry Beal and me) Blog

My 2004 eG Blog

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Anna N

Anna N

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5 hours ago, rotuts said:

I also have this on hold.  Im looking forward to it.

 

49 holds    17 copies.

  Make more brownies.:)

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Anna Nielsen aka "Anna N"

...I just let people know about something I made for supper that they might enjoy, too. That's all it is. (Nigel Slater)

"Cooking is about doing the best with what you have . . . and succeeding." John Thorne

Our 2012 (Kerry Beal and me) Blog

My 2004 eG Blog

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JoNorvelleWalker

JoNorvelleWalker

Posted
Posted
1 hour ago, blue_dolphin said:

Nice excerpt from the book in the New York Times.  It's on salt:  The Single Most Important Ingredient

 

 

I read that...did not make the connection with the book.

 

Meanwhile my copy is in transit.  Should be there for me when I go into work.

 

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Cooking is cool.  And kitchen gear is even cooler.  -- Chad Ward

Whatever you crave, there's a dumpling for you. -- Hsiao-Ching Chou

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Katie Meadow

Katie Meadow

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The recipe for Nosrat's Buttermilk marinated chicken sounded really good. I'm interested in any chicken recipe that does NOT involve a pre-saute with popping grease. I just don't do that any more. Nigella Lawson has a very similar buttermilk chicken recipe, only she uses chicken parts rather than a whole chicken and she specifies a variety of spices.

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JoNorvelleWalker

JoNorvelleWalker

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I started reading tonight.  I was going to comment, but that was before the glass or two of Singani I enjoyed following Nosrat's approbation of Bolivian salt.

 

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Cooking is cool.  And kitchen gear is even cooler.  -- Chad Ward

Whatever you crave, there's a dumpling for you. -- Hsiao-Ching Chou

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Anna N

Anna N

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Posted (edited)
9 hours ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

I started reading tonight.  I was going to comment, but that was before the glass or two of Singani I enjoyed following Nosrat's approbation of Bolivian salt.

 

At least she doesn't insist that one find it and use it in all of her recipes.   She's happy with either Diamond Crystal or Morton kosher salt. :)

Edited by Anna N (log)
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Anna Nielsen aka "Anna N"

...I just let people know about something I made for supper that they might enjoy, too. That's all it is. (Nigel Slater)

"Cooking is about doing the best with what you have . . . and succeeding." John Thorne

Our 2012 (Kerry Beal and me) Blog

My 2004 eG Blog

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gfweb

gfweb

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She was interviewed by C. Kimball on his NPR show (which is pretty listenable). Apparently she has the idea that cooking without a recipe is somehow more elevated than using instructions. I can see her point, that when you really know what you are doing you don't need an explicit recipe.  But at the same time the years of experience that got you to that point serve as a de facto recipe.  The instructions are in your head.

 

I think we settled this on eG years ago.

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JoNorvelleWalker

JoNorvelleWalker

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I continue to read.  I rather wish Nosrat had been Michael Pollen's writing mentor as well as his cooking instructor.

 

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Cooking is cool.  And kitchen gear is even cooler.  -- Chad Ward

Whatever you crave, there's a dumpling for you. -- Hsiao-Ching Chou

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Okanagancook

Okanagancook

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I am really enjoying this book.  Most of the info in the salt section I knew but there were a few new tip.  She also offers some concrete suggestions on the amount of salt required.  Her writing style is easy to read and I do like the hand drawn graphics.  

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  • 2 weeks later...
JoNorvelleWalker

JoNorvelleWalker

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I'm a little more than halfway through.  I too enjoy her writing style and the cute graphics.  But the content makes my eyes glaze over, not even a mai tai helps.  So when my copy of Bugialli's Classic Techniques of Italian Cooking arrived I had no trouble putting Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat aside.  (Even though I do not yet possess an unlined copper pot* and seldom have the need to bone a hare.)

 

One specific criticism of Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat:  she has one start cooking chicken pieces skin side down, at least from my memory.  This is how I always did it until I studied Kenji.  Kenji calls for starting chicken pieces skin side up.  Much crisper skin by Kenji's method.  Try it yourself.  Better still buy a CSO and steam bake the chicken pieces...as I am doing at the moment.

 

 

*Currently on sale from Falk but I am resisting.

 

 

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Cooking is cool.  And kitchen gear is even cooler.  -- Chad Ward

Whatever you crave, there's a dumpling for you. -- Hsiao-Ching Chou

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  • 5 weeks later...
rotuts

rotuts

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My copy finally arrived from the library.

 

actually jt goes back today as I forgot all about it for the last 2 weeks

 

a very interesting book :

 

for review purposes :

 

593fe3e330076_SFAH1.thumb.jpg.820f839b9bf97b471b91c70a749e19a8.jpg

 

593fe3f402623_SFAH3.thumb.jpg.619c1f06ae7a7dd081a8abbbfecd000a.jpg

 

Ill re-reserve it and give it a closer look next time

 

its definitely a book to read.

 

tempting to buy.

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Anna N

Anna N

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42 minutes ago, rotuts said:

re-reserve it and give it a closer look next time

 

its definitely a book to read.

 

tempting to buy.

 It fell out of favour with me very quickly once I got over my enchantment with the charts and drawings. I have elsewhere confessed to being a loose woman as far as books are concerned and I am easily tempted by new offerings. None of her recipes called out to me the way, for instance, that those of Ottolenghi do.  But I'm fickle and tomorrow it could easily be someone else.  

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Anna Nielsen aka "Anna N"

...I just let people know about something I made for supper that they might enjoy, too. That's all it is. (Nigel Slater)

"Cooking is about doing the best with what you have . . . and succeeding." John Thorne

Our 2012 (Kerry Beal and me) Blog

My 2004 eG Blog

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  • 1 year later...
Katie Meadow

Katie Meadow

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Posted
On 6/13/2017 at 6:55 AM, Anna N said:

 It fell out of favour with me very quickly once I got over my enchantment with the charts and drawings. I have elsewhere confessed to being a loose woman as far as books are concerned and I am easily tempted by new offerings. None of her recipes called out to me the way, for instance, that those of Ottolenghi do.  But I'm fickle and tomorrow it could easily be someone else.  

I was given a copy last xmas. Not enamored. Maybe I cooked one thing, but I can't even remember what. My most useful cook books are ones that I borrowed from the library and liked so much I had to purchase them. If there are only a handful of recipes in a library book that interest me I just make a copy of the page. My books could really stand a thinning; there's quite a few that get little or no attention. I am thinking that perhaps as I get older I tend to rely on tried-and-true favorites or I improvise rather than actively searching for new recipes.

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Porthos

Porthos

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Her 4-episode show on Netflix, titled and based on her book, is entertaining and I have learned a few things watching it. I believe I've watched it through about 4 times. I'm not a baker, certainly not a bread baker, but every time I watch the foccottia being made I think I should try that. I most likely never will.

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Porthos Potwatcher
The Once and Future Cook

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eugenep

eugenep

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Posted (edited)
54 minutes ago, Porthos said:

Her 4-episode show on Netflix, titled and based on her book, is entertaining and I have learned a few things watching it. I believe I've watched it through about 4 times. I'm not a baker, certainly not a bread baker, but every time I watch the foccottia being made I think I should try that. I most likely never will.

I wasn't a fan of the book because it was too wordy for me and I'd rather get the analysis upfront etc. 

 

But I also watched the Netflix series and it was good and I wanted to make focaccia  bread when I saw it. 

 

I used this Cook's Illustrated recipe and the work is like 15 min or so - super easy (1 day to ferment) 

 

It tastes great and I baked 4 of them for this dinner party as an appetizer 

 

not a fan of the book but liked the show and it motivated me to finally do the focaccia and it's a bread I'll probably keep in my repertoire 

Edited by eugenep
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rustwood

rustwood

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On 3/6/2019 at 4:59 PM, eugenep said:

not a fan of the book but liked the show and it motivated me to finally do the focaccia and it's a bread I'll probably keep in my repertoire 

 

Thanks for this.  I don't remember exactly why, but I also was not a fan of the book.  I either stopped reading or started seriously skimming not very far into it.  Because of that,  I hadn't even considered watching the show.  Perhaps I will now.

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  • 3 weeks later...
JoNorvelleWalker

JoNorvelleWalker

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Posted
26 minutes ago, Porthos said:

bon appetit article on Samin Nosrat.

 

Everyone Loves Samin

 

To me it seems more appropriate to post it here instead of food media and arts.

 

 

Where can one find Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez making soup?

 

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Cooking is cool.  And kitchen gear is even cooler.  -- Chad Ward

Whatever you crave, there's a dumpling for you. -- Hsiao-Ching Chou

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