Want to learn the ideas in Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat better than ever? Read the world’s #1 book summary of Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat by Samin Nosrat here.
Read a brief 1-Page Summary or watch video summaries curated by our expert team. Note: this book guide is not affiliated with or endorsed by the publisher or author, and we always encourage you to purchase and read the full book.
Video Summaries of Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat
We’ve scoured the Internet for the very best videos on Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat, from high-quality videos summaries to interviews or commentary by Samin Nosrat.
1-Page Summary of Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat
Overview
For many people, cooking is about following a recipe. A recipe is a set of instructions written by an expert on how to make your desired dish. The expert tells you what ingredients and tools to use, but never explains why those ingredients or tools are best for the job. You just have to trust her!
The more complicated the instructions are, the harder it is to follow them. When you don’t understand something, you feel less able to be creative and take pleasure out of cooking.
Cooking can be tricky, but there are some simple tricks that will help you make better food and become a better cook.
Cooking is a science. It can be broken down into four basic elements: salt, fat, acid and heat. Understanding these concepts will help you make better food. For example, to cook a great cookie you need the right amount of each element; if there’s too much salt it’ll taste too salty; but if there’s not enough salt it won’t taste good either. You also have to consider how long you cook something for and at what temperature in order to get the best flavor out of your food.
Big Idea #1: Use plenty of salt in your cooking water and pick the right method of salting.
James Beard, a famous American cook, said that if you don’t use salt in cooking, then your food will be bland. If you know why salt is so important to flavor and taste, then you’ll understand the importance of learning how to harness the culinary power of salt. To see why this is true, imagine cooking green beans without any salt. What would happen? The water might not have enough minerals (salt) for the beans to absorb. This can cause them to become limp and boring because they’re absorbing all those minerals from the water instead of having their own natural flavor enhanced by them.
If you add enough salt to the cooking water, it will help season the beans and soften them. This will allow them to cook faster, while also keeping their color green.
Salt is important, but not always. Different dishes require different amounts of salt, and you can use one of three methods to apply the amount that’s right for your dish.
The first method is salting by the palmful. You scoop up salt and add it to water while you’re boiling something like pasta or vegetables. The goal is to add enough salt so that the water tastes salty, so you want to use a lot of salt at once.
To evenly salt meat or vegetables on a tray, you should use the wrist wag method. First, turn your hand over and fill it with some salt. Next, gently shake your hand to allow the salt to fall onto the food in an even manner until everything is covered in salt.
If you’re salting small appetizers, such as sliced hard-boiled eggs, use just a pinch of salt. For larger dishes, the best way to measure is by pinching the salt between your fingers.
Big Idea #2: While salt even has a place in sweet dishes, pepper is less universal.
Despite their differences, salt and sugar can actually work well together. They complement each other in a delicious way. Salt is necessary to improve sweet dishes.
Salt can enhance flavors because it’s a flavor enhancer—it enhances the flavors of bland ingredients. It does this by incorporating nutty, buttery and caramel-like notes into dessert recipes. This is important to know when you’re baking cookies or other desserts that call for bland ingredients like eggs, flour and sugar. You should add salt to these recipes in order to bring out their best qualities.
But be careful. Too much salt is not good for you, so use a little when seasoning your food. You should also be more selective with pepper because it’s a spice that’s used in certain cuisines.
