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Features
- *More than 1 million copies sold * New York Times bestseller * Winner of the James Beard Award and multiple IACP Cookbook Awards * Available as a Netflix series *
Top Reviews
Trust you gut and just buy itby Colleen (5 out of 5 stars)
July 18, 2017
*sets down glass of rose that came out of a box* Buy this book. I pre-ordered it when it first came out and, frankly, was overwhelmed by the amount of text. As Samin predicted, I wanted to sneak ahead to the recipes and ignore her warnings to read and re-read part one before moving forward. Over the course of a few months, I've picked up this book and casually read sections that piqued my interest. Now I really do feel comfortable in her recipes and I'm following her suggested cooking lessons, which begin with something as "simple" as soaking and simmering beans to achieve optimal saltiness. Believe me, you probably don't know why you do what you do in the kitchen and this book will prove that. Also believe me, you're probably not salting your food enough. Pull the trigger; enjoy.
Want to love it but ...
by erika serow (2 out of 5 stars)
September 11, 2017
I want to love this book. The first half is interesting, even for experienced cooks. And then you get to the recipes. The section is a mess and seems like it bypassed the editing table. The text will often reference bolded recipes, not all of which can be found in the book; reference page numbers are wrong, and the index does silly things like list a text reference under "tart dough" but a recipe under "Aaron's tart dough" - which is helpful if you can remember Aaron but that's not really the point. Illustrations - which are lovely - in some cases contradict text and/or recipe 'matrices' (cf: onions or no in a beet and citrus salad?). Of course the whole point of the book is that you don't need strict recipes to follow - and I love that notion plus the very clever flavor wheels that talk about logical combinations - but this book reads like it was made to be hyperlinked, and if you're trying to follow a paper version I find it endlessly frustrating.
Theoretically exceptional, but scientifically lacking
by Hassan (3 out of 5 stars)
November 24, 2018
Disclaimer: I have not read the entire book yet, updates to follow ASAP.
This is an amazing concept for a "cookbook", and I absolutely love the setup and flow of the text. It keeps me engaged by presenting information concisely, but manages not to be dry or overwhelming.
I was so sad to find a pretty glaring scientific error at the very beginning of the book in the section entitled How Salt Works (subsection Cooking Foods in Salted Water, pg 35-37). I have a lot of sympathy for typos and grammatical errors as they don't typically effect my comprehension of the subject matter, but this was a more serious problem with the science being presented. Specifically, Ms. Nosrat has conflated salt (NaCl) with all minerals, and presents the idea that salting cooking water enough will prevent osmosis of nutrients and minerals from inside whatever is being cooked into the water. Le Chatelier's principle dictates that osmosis over a permeable barrier (like the skin/flesh of a green bean) occurs when there is an imbalance of a particular mineral or compound, ergo, the only thing adding NaCl potentially prevents is leeching NaCl, Na, and Cl. Other minerals and nutrients will freely pass out of your food and into the water as easily as they do in unsalted cooking water. Steaming and other cooking methods might mitigate this issue as exposure to water is limited, however, I expect these processes might yield similar results if food is cooked to the same extent. The way we account for this nutrient loss, in reality, is by eating more of a given cooked food than we would its raw counterpart, which is what cooking allows us to do by physically breaking foods down!
I hope this is the only error of it's kind because it is quite confusing and misleading, but I'm not at all confident that I could discern a similar future error. I gave the book 3 stars simply because of my skepticism of the underlying science and the authors understanding. I guess we just have to take it with a grain of salt. ;)
I Feel As Though This Book Were Written JUST FOR ME!
by L. Bernstein (5 out of 5 stars)
November 7, 2018
I hardly ever use a recipe when I cook. I look at what I have in my kitchen and make whatever I can from whatever I have. I joke with people when they say they love something I threw together: "Well, I'm glad you enjoyed it. I didn't write it down, and I may never make it again."
Of course, I also have failures. What that happens, I'm glad I will never make it again.
Even after countless years of cooking and baking, this book has helped me learn and grow. You know how sometimes you make something . . . and it's good . . . but it just needs a little something . . . but you don't know what?
SALT, FAT, ACID, HEAT will solve it. My cooking and baking have improved so much since devouring this book, and I do mean devouring it! First, I watched the 4-part series on Netflix. Then, I bought the Audible audio version because I love listening to Samin. She is a happy, food-loving, life-loving person who smiles when she talks, and she seems to genuinely enjoy everyone she knows while she does everything she does. She is a down-to-earth no-pretention gal. So cool. THEN, I finally broke down and bought a hard copy of the book because, well, with a great cookbook, you gotta have a hard copy.
I studied it as though I were a student and loved it. It is destined to become a classic. It is beautifully written, beautifully illustrated and a fun read. I learned so much. Would you believe I never knew how to properly salt water for blanching vegetables? (Yes, I salted water in the past, but not the way this book trained me to do.) Good grief, I'm a senior citizen who has been cooking for far longer than I care to admit. AND I DIDN'T KNOW HOW TO SALT THE DARN WATER CORRECTLY? Who knew that there's a big deal secret behind salted water? (I sure didn't.)
What I love the most is that now, when I throw a meal together, and I want it to taste more like restaurant-good instead of thrown-together good, I can do it. And I can do it easily. Thank you, Samin. I really appreciate that.
So, if you want a cookbook that will make you look good and make it look like you really know what you are doing, buy it.
Awesome cooking book, lots of humor and visuals.
by Lisa Loo (5 out of 5 stars)
December 12, 2017
I bought this as a gift for my sister. I flipped through it extensively when it came in. I love it so much I am going to buy 2 more - one for a friend and one for me! I am a very visual person and the pictures in here are awesome. I love that they aren't photos, but rather hand-drawn-looking pics done in a watercolor way. I love the recipes that are full page visuals. There is lots of humor throughout. Make no mistake though, this is a cooking book, NOT a cookbook. It is teaching methods and how-to techniques. Yes, there is a section in the back third of the book with recipes to apply all you have learned. I love everything about this book. Can't wait to really dive into my copy. I highly recommend it.
Note: Like many people, I rely heavily on Amazon reviews before purchasing anything, online or brick-and-mortar. Because of this, I am very honest when reviewing products. If I love something, you'll be the first to know. And if I hate it, I'll tell you that too. I try to be thorough to help people make informed decisions before buying new products. If you've found my review helpful, please click Helpful below. Thanks! :-)
This should be everyone's first cookbook
by Michael Sherrillo (5 out of 5 stars)
August 1, 2017
This was an excellent, excellent book. I read it cover-to-cover over the course of about two weeks. Despite a lifetime of mediocre-to-occasionally-excellent cooking, this definitely upped my game by giving me these 4 simple touchstones to examine each dish and ingredient through. When it comes to the science, it's a little light, and some aspects differ from other books in minor ways. The Food Lab is better suited for someone who is more technically minded and wants a better understanding of the "why, and show me your data" kind of answers to the kitchen. But if you are looking for first principles to get started cooking, or to kick up your habits and meals and the lense through which you'll view them, then this is THE best combination of education, recipes, and reference guides.
If you get one cookbook, get this one (!!!). If you get two, get this and The Food Lab (...or if you need four, then also get McGee's On Food and Cooking & Cook's The Science of Good Cooking). But THIS is the book you NEED!
Best text about cooking I've ever read
by Pamela (5 out of 5 stars)
April 25, 2017
Best text about cooking I've ever read. It's both logical and fun so the lessons will stick. I'd call it perfectly balanced, like a great meal. After reading the first several pages, I went poking around, only to discover that I was invited back to the beginning (XO). You see, the book is about the "journey, not the destination." It's clever, witty, helpful, intuitive, and altogether a pleasure to read.
A must have for your library
by pepperminta (5 out of 5 stars)
April 28, 2017
I just read this cover to cover and felt compelled to write a review. This is really an essential book to everyone's library. I love to cook and have a beautiful collection of cookbooks, but this one is truly special. Samin is a lovely writer. She exudes warmth and humor in her stories and it flows in such a way that you forget you are reading a combo of a cookbook/science textbook. Samin breaks down the importance of salt, fat, acid and heat. It's not just recipes but what, why and how. She does not talk down to her readers. She is straightforward, enthusiastic and fun. I've always loved the "why" in cooking and baking (like the Cooks Illustrated approach and The Food Lab: Better Home Cooking Through Science
) - but I love that she narrows it down to four basic elements. I personally like referring to recipes, especially for dishes I don't cook on a weekly basis. But this books and others, like Ratio: The Simple Codes Behind the Craft of Everyday Cooking are important because they give you the tools to innovate and recipes become starting points. I wish I had this book 20 years ago when I started seriously cooking. It is like a breath of fresh air and incredibly inspiring. So grateful for this addition to my home library and can't wait to cook dinner tomorrow!
Valuable Coaching for Home Cooks: the Real Deal
by Reudi (5 out of 5 stars)
June 16, 2017
This book is worth its weight in gold. The author shares an extraordinary skill set organized in easily understood teaching modules. Mediocre fresh green beans turned into flavorful wonders, buttermilk plus chicken roasted to flavor and tenderness heaven, Italian bread salad flavor testing and adjustment by author's encouragement. My guests were in awe and freely praised my cooking. Easily improve your cooking through easy lessons. Destined to be a classic. The author empowers the home cook - the real deal.
Buy this now! Your tastebuds will thank you for it!
by Reviewer (5 out of 5 stars)
December 2, 2018
This book is amazing! I bought it as a gift for my husband after we watched the Netflix show. The book is very practical and has a lot of great tips that have greatly improved our cooking! Simple things like spreading olive oil on a pan first makes roasted veggies more crisp. Highly recommend for anyone looking for cooking tips and techniques as well as recipes. Easy to read, simple to follow. Definitely a game changer.
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