Core concepts in new cookbook aim to teach elements of good cooking
Who is the interestingly named Samin Nosrat and why should you consider buying her new cookbook: “Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat: Mastering the Elements of Good Cooking”?
Nosrat, the daughter of Iranian immigrants, has written the kind of cookbook that will certainly make anyone who reads and absorbs all of her shared food tidbits a better cook and, perhaps, an engaging conversationalist.
Nosrat's book leaves numerous trails of culinary bread crumbs that can lead the reader to the ever-increasing possibility of cooking up better and better food. In short; she's a teacher and a smart one. NPR's All Things Considered called Nosrat: “the next Julia Child.”
Nosrat spends the first 200 pages going into knowledgeable detail about the book's core topics: salt, fat, acid and heat. At the end of those pages, Nosrat has seductively taught too-numerous-to-count cooking ideas and techniques.
Here are four Nosrat bits.
Salt: “The three basic decisions involving salt are: When? How much? In what form? Ask yourself these three questions every time you set out to cook. Their answers will form a road map for improvisation.”
Fat: “While salt is a mineral, used primarily to enhance flavor, fat plays three distinct roles in the kitchen: as a main ingredient, as a cooking medium, and, like salt, as seasoning.”
Acid: “Acid also helps to break down collagen, the main structural protein found in tough cuts of meat. Add wine or tomatoes as you begin to cook braises and stews since the more quickly the collagen melts, the sooner the meat will grow juicy and succulent.”
Heat: “Heat is the element of transformation. No matter its source, heat triggers the changes that take our food from raw to cooked, runny to set, flabby to firm, flat to risen, and pale to golden brown.”
Nosrat leads off her recipe section by writing: “ ... and now that you know how to cook ...” That's a limited truth. I believe beginners will find this book somewhat intimidating because it's based on Nosrat's professional experience blended with legitimate food science.
With some kitchen knowledge you will find this book fascinating, because you'll have an in-depth sense of what can and cannot be done with salt, fat, acid and heat and, most importantly, why.
You won't find a single photograph in Nosrat's book, but will find a gazillion beautiful illustrations by artist Wendy McNaughton, including some that fold out. You won't find nutritional information at the end of a single recipe, either.
You will find about 100 recipes in the remaining 226 pages along with loads of variations. Like Bright Cabbage Slaw followed by how to make it with kale instead of cabbage, or how to put a Mexican or Asian spin on it or take it down South with mayo, sugar and julienne carrots. If you're looking to make a leaner holiday turkey, check out Nosrat's Spicy Brined Turkey Breast with a variation using the same brine for a pork loin.
If you have a sweet tooth, Nosrat fills that too with Lori's Chocolate Midnight Cake made with oil instead of butter or her Fresh Ginger and Molasses Cake topped with Vanilla Cream. Her version of Bittersweet Chocolate Pudding will not disappoint a single chocoholic.
Here's a five-ingredient recipe from Nosrat's book that makes a creamy sauce without cream. The nutritional analysis is mine. Give it a try.
• Don Mauer welcomes questions, comments and recipe makeover requests. Write to him at don@theleanwizard.com.