Teaching the fundamentals of good cooking

I am doing ok in the kicthen, and this book gave me great tips to improve and experiment further!
This is not a boring recipe book but really a guide with simply explained principles for good cooking in general. I keep those in mind and already saved a few dishes with remembering the elements salt, fat, acid and heat.
The reading by the author is entertaining.

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1 person found this helpful

great advice

I was already incorporating tips from the salt chapter by the time I moved onto fat.

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It’s like being given a map

Great overview of cooking methods as well as using the different elements to be a better cook as well as improvise in the kitchen. If you cook a lot, you’ll find it covers some fairly basic information but also the way it structures that knowledge it gives you a new understanding of how different elements affect food and relate to one another. It’s like having visited a few places and then suddenly been shown a map of them and you go AHA! Thoroughly enjoyed it and also learned new things about the science behind how different foods transform from the addition of salt, fat, acid and heat as well as covered gaps in my knowledge of those elements. Certainly enhanced my toolbox of cooking knowledge and it’s a book I’ll refer back to as I experiment in the kitchen.

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9 people found this helpful

Read and read again!

This is a book you must read if you want to know what you are doing when cooking. Really good, enjoyed it and bought the physical book too

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Ideal for anyone interested in cooking

Finally, someone explains the principles behind cooking, rather than just a series of seemingly random steps!

The author reads very well, making it a really pleasant listen, even the third or fourth time through.

Highly recommended

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15 people found this helpful

Excellent but a physical copy is probably needed

Great book on mastering the principles of cooking and it was very pleasant to listen to, but there are just so many references and sections you will want to reread to absorb that you should probably get the physical copy.

I still recommend the audiobook for those who are auditory learners or want a chill but informative book for a long trip, just be aware that you might feel compelled to also buy the physical book as a reference after listening to it, I know I will.

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Learn to honour your ingredients

My background:
M 36. I cook about as often as my wife, but none of us have any professional experience.
I prefer to know ingredients over following a recipe.

Description
The cook Samin Nosrat takes shows us a world of cooking through the lens she has come to see food.
Carefully considering Salt, Fat, Acid and heat, and adding thematic ingredients of different regions allow you to create delicious food from all over the world.
The book is not a set of recipes, but equally entertainment and introductions for how to approach salting, using fat, using acid and applying heat to make any dish taste delicious.

Concerns
The conversational style and dense flow of information can lull you into consuming the book as entertainment rather than cooking education.
It requires focus and diligence to sponge up the vast amount of knowledge shared in such a short time.

Strengths
The book is succinct. It does not repeat itself outside of overarching principles that naturally repeat throughout.
It is entertaining. Filled with small anecdotes and told in a very conversational style.
There is a wealth of knowledge and tips that you can keep coming back to.
The narrator (which is also the author) is passionate and has a great and friendly voice.
There is a great pdf attached that you can print out that has an overview of so many of the concrete applications of the general principles given in the book.

Conclusion
This is the perfect book for those who wants to be a better cook. Who wants to honour each ingredient, but is unsure what that means exactly.
The book is packed with information and entertaining to listen to. So multiple listens are warranted.
Recommended.

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Excellent

This book was very in formative. I look forward to implementing its advice in my cookin

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Interesting and useful. But beware - no recipes!

WARNING: This audiobook does NOT include the recipes that are in the printed version of this book!
This is not a cookbook. "Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat" is more a manual on making the most out of any ingredients and recipes by understanding how cooking and food preparation actually work.
The author mentions dinner parties and fancy occasions. This type of cooking is not something I am interested in as I simply want to make delicious and healthy food for my family, ideally on a budget. However, the principles, rules, recommendations, and advice Nosrat introduces will be helpful and transformative, I dare say, for any cook and any occasion.
I really liked this book and I will definitely be going back to it again and again for more inspiration and understanding.

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11 people found this helpful

Works better in print but still brilliant!

Since this is one of those books that you want to refer back to often, I'd recommend the print version - I got it for my sister and it's a real thing of beauty.

That said, this is the perfect book for your average cooking novice like me who enjoys cooking but hadn't put any thought into *why* things work. The joy of cooking that exudes from Nosrat's writing stops this from turning into a dry academic study and is instead a celebration of finding the delicious in everything - I have recommended this book to every foodie I know

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2 people found this helpful