Cook more. Taste your food. Adjust. Repeat.
some 'draw the rest of the owl' advice fr
Hey guys what do you think of the book Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat by Samin Nosrat? Do you think it’s a good book for beginners and why? I’m reading it now and I’m on salt and it’s a lot of information. I want to get a good idea of what I’m doing so when I’m cooking my food will come out good and the way I want it. I want to know why the food tastes the way it does and how to get it to be a certain way. Anyone have any suggestions on what I should do to learn how to make good food?
Cook more. Taste your food. Adjust. Repeat.
some 'draw the rest of the owl' advice fr
It’s a wonderful resource, absolutely. I might use it with someone at a median cooking level more than a beginner, because it is also important to learn techniques…but, if it is working for you, fabulous. For beginners, the most common recommendation is Alton Browns Good Eats series, which you can watch or read — the books are usually in the library or available used (and in ebook format) the shows are on TV or Prime, and I hear there is a new YouTube series as well.
Good Eats is also on HBO
Seconded - SFAH is fantastic but expects you to have a bunch of recipes to try the new ideas with. I also think the information is more easily absorbed when you have the basics down. It's the perfect intermediate book.
Alton’s new series is great. It‘s pretty much the same as Good Eats just in HD.
Do either of these translate well to audiobooks or are they heavy on the visuals to understand?
https://www.youtube.com/@AltonBrown
Yes, I mean, its a fun book that explains a lot of the mechanics of cooking and flavor. There is also a documentary on Netflix with the same name, so if you want a more visual component, there is that. That being said: theory will only get you so far. You need practice, and a lot of it to learn how you like certain dishes, how you prefer certain ingredients and what the best methods are for you. You got three meals a day, so 3 practice sessions a day to hone your skills!
I would recommend watching America's Test Kitchen on PBS and/or Netflix. They explain the science of cooking while also demonstrating it with specific dishes so you can see what, for example, fond should look like before you deglaze the pot.
It’s a great book for learning how to think about food, but I’d pair it with simple repeatable recipes so the ideas actually click in practice. Cook something basic often, taste before and after adding salt/acid/fat, change one thing at a time, and you’ll start understanding why food tastes the way it does.
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That book helped me really understand *why* the techniques are important, and what actually leads to good flavors. Season in layers. Taste as you go. And actually learn which heat your specific stove should be set to.
Exactly this. Transformative for me as a home cook and understanding how to cook. I used to do recipes verbatim, now I often adapt, improvise and improve based on ingredients I have on hand. My family is grateful for me reading this book.
Try watching the Netflix 4 part series based on the book as you read, maybe watch one section then read it? I am less enamored with the recipes in the book but the show illustrates the concepts a little better.
It's my cooking bible. That book is usually my first suggestion to someone who wants to understand the art of cooking. After that, I also really like The Food Lab for the science behind it.
It's a great book. I don't think it's aimed at the complete beginner, just the novice. Honestly I like Alton Brown. You can't beat puppets and cartoons to teach. There are like 15 seasons of Good Eats. You can skip a lot of episodes. I don't think they needed 5 on chocolate, but I'm not the producer. Or a nutritional anthropologist. The books are good, but no puppets, and minimal cartoons.
The books are good, but no puppets, and minimal cartoons.
BUT, the illustrations in SFAH are pretty cool :)
Its a great book. I would also recommend "the food lab" and "on cooking" for technique. Another good practice is to take notes. If you have a recipe from somewhere else re-write it. Then cook and take notes on what you did and didn't like. Adjust seasonings cook time/temp for next time. Update notes. Good luck!
I think the book is wonderful, but you should probably learn a bunch of background stuff before you read this one. While the book filled in a lot of really good gaps for me, I would not have started with it.
I want to get a good idea of what I’m doing so when I’m cooking my food will come out good and the way I want it.
The only way you're going to do this is by cooking. Reading will inform you but it won't magically make you proficient.
Younger people seem to have this fear of screwing up and wanting everything to be perfect for their social media highlight reel the first time... but you have to practice to get good at anything. And that means you will suck at something for a while, and you have to be okay that you can't just click a button online and poof you're a chef.
You work at it.
This is a great book and very informative for beginners and experienced cooks alike. Another one I’d recommend for beginner cooks is How to Cook Everything by Mark Bittman
Required reading for just about any home cook. Full stop.
This \^
full honesty? It's mostly jut fluff
I liked it. But honestly, Ratios was more of a game changer for me.
Ruhlman's Twenty did it for me, but Ratios is great, too!
That's actually a really good book if you're not the type of person to use recipes (I'm not). It really helps you understand why those things are important and how to use them effectively.
Its a great book for beginners, but i think its an even better book for folks who have already learned a lot of recipes, techniques, and styles. It basically levels you up from novice to amatuer pro (theres a lot of "a ha" moments once you have fundamentals down). So, you know, just read it twice; you'll get something new and constructive out of it both times.
That's how I feel. I had plenty of experience cooking and it took me to a higher level of understanding and it helps you improvise when you understand how they work together.
I think it is a great resource to learn how to cook intuitively. But you need a base first.
I read SAFH and The Food Lab in the same few months. They completely transformed my home cooking. I still think about how to balance things if something I make is too salty or sour. It helps you use recipes as suggestions and guidelines. Your taste buds make the rules. The next one you should consider if you really want to branch out is the Flavor Bible. It is a huge book of pairing suggestions. Like, you want to make a salad that has pomegranate seeds in it? What else goes with that? Flavor Bible got you covered.
The only way you're going to do this is by cooking. Reading will inform you what the pieces are, but you have to put them together. Reading, watching videos, etc., won't magically make you proficient.
Younger people seem to have this fear of screwing up and wanting everything to be perfect for their social media highlight reel the first time... but you have to practice to get good at anything. And that means you will suck at something for a while, and you have to be okay that you can't just click a button online and poof you're a chef.
Proficiency requires practice.
Practice really is the answer. As a middle aged man who could cook very basic stuff I decided to buy some cookbooks about 9 months ago and actually learn the basics. I’ve been cooking dinners for my girlfriend and myself 4-5 nights per week and always try 2-4 new recipes every week. I’ve incrementally gotten better for sure. And now I’ve developed a cookbook buying addiction.
This cannot be emphasized enough. Books, YouTube, etc. cannot replace practice. I am always trying to learn and add more to the repertoire of techniques, but that process was also littered with meals that I’ve cooked that didn’t turn out so well. I eat the mistakes and successes, learn what worked and didn’t work, and continue on. Just like with cast irons and carbon steel woks: Keep on cooking.
never heard of it until a couple weeks ago.
My wife had been reading it and isn't impressed but but sure how much she's read yet. Maybe I'll take a look at it.
Go to culinary school.
I prefer the book NaCl, pH, Lipids, and Exothermics.
M'cookbook
It's fine, it just gets a little old when people insist that everything under the sun needs a salt/fat/acid/heat balance.
There is a certain type of person that this book truly vibes with and it's a great resource to them. Personally, I can't stand it. I am not a fan of her writing style, it's overly wordy to deliver minimal content. To me, this book is guilty of the same anecdotal rambling that everyone complains about in food blogs.
I loved this book! I don't think I've made a subtree recipe from it but it really changed the way I think about cooking and approach recipes. I find myself tasting and seasoning as I go and I'm often able to fix or improve recipes I've come across online by using the principles outlined in the book. I also thoroughly enjoyed the personal stories throughout. I'll pick up this book when I'm bored and read a few chapters
It’s one of the best books out there for beginner home cooks
It was the first cooking book I read when I started to cook and I'm so grateful for it. The netflix series was a good watch too.
I used to make the buttermilk chicken and the beer battered fish from that book. Both recipes are fire.
The best book I had when starting out was Essentials of Cooking by James Peterson. It’s not a recipe book per se. It covers the basics of cooking everything. Now that I am more advanced, SAFH makes sense, but I can’t imagine starting out with it. Keep it. It’s great. Consider an easier first book.
It sounds like you want a copy of the book On Food and Cooking by Harold McGee.
Second this. There is no better book on the "why" of food.
You should watch the series on Netflix too! It’s a great way to get a visual intro to the concepts and history behind the book.
I think it’s great. I considered myself a good cook before I read it, but it really taught me a lot about the how/why dishes work. I’d say the biggest thing it helped me improve was how I adjust recipes “to taste.”
It's definitely not a beginner book imo.
Just here to shill for Michale Rhulman’s book Ratio
Part of learning anything is paying attention to the fundamentals….why things work in cooking. It’s a great book and TV series.
I think SFAH is great if you’re already cooking a little and understand some basics. And I also think it’s perfect if you really enjoy science and why things work and why those specific flavors are so important. Idk that it’s for everyone but I loved it and bought it for my brother when he started getting more into cooking because he’s very science oriented.
Another recommendation for getting into the "why" is The Science of Good Cooking from Cooks Illustrated.
Personally I learned to cook by watching cooking shows and watching my family. I first just copied what my parents did. Then cooking shows helped me learn by osmosis: how to chop, when to season, and stuff like that. I was never one for recipes, I rarely cook from them and if I do I always change them. I treat them as a suggestion, not a guide, and apply my own learnings and experiences. Salt Fat Acid Heat is a great book to be an intuitive cook. I was already good at this before I read it, but what I liked the most was the flavor wheels. It helped me figure out how to use new to me ingredients or ingredients from other cuisines. I think it is a great book, but you need a bit of a base.
I only read the first couple lines of this post. Yes, these are the things that matter.
I knew she was good when she said “porkiness” on her show.
I made this brined focaccia from Salt Fat Acid Heat. I disliked it so I didn’t buy the book. https://www.saltfatacidheat.com/fat/ligurian-focaccia
What's with your post history asking about books you need to read, all in the same way?
Just checked out OP’s post history and it sure does look like a series of random queries designed to generate actual human responses that can then be scraped.
I’m reading it now as a stepping stone from cooking recipes to being able to come up with my own. Only finished Salt so far but it’s very insightful
Let me apologize up front, this is going to sound rude and mean. Really, Im just trying to be clear and from my personal perspective its truth. You can't cook well because your mama learned how to have a career (and not be house wife). Your granny was either not around or not interested. You want to cook and be good at it. Awsome for you ! Now go barrow someone elses granny, that wasn't a career mom in her day.... thats gold.
It's a great beginner book, but I wouldn't try to memorize everything on the first read. Take one idea at a time and actually use it while cooking. Once you start tasting and adjusting salt, acid, fat, and heat yourself, the concepts make a lot more sense than they do on the page.
Jacques pepin on YouTube! The goat!
I think just the title alone is enough to get good at cooking.
It is a gem, especially the first half. It will help recalibrate any cook who has gotten lazy or sloppy, especially with respect to the timing of salting and the great importance of acidity.
Changed the way I cook
There's also a cool set of 20 small poster sized prints that you can get to accompany the book that has some cute hand drawn food art, and a bunch of reference/cheat sheet style information from the book that are pretty cool. We have a few framed in our kitchen.
I loved it. Read it cover to cover.
I agree with everyone who has said it’s probably not the first book to get, but it’s the second. Mine sits right next to Joy of Cooking.
It's really good if you already have recipes you want to tweak and have been cooking a while, it also assumes you've eaten a wide range of foods so know what she's talking about. It's kind of a weird middle zone book, advanced cooks don't need it, beginner cooks won't really learn much from it and the transitional middle zone people will grow out of the book. Can it teach you things that are good to know? Sure if you already know the basics, but it's like a textbook, once you've learned what's in it, you're not really going to refer back to it in my experience.
I don’t know where you are based, but in the UK, generations now have begun with Delia Smith’s How to Cook (originally a BBC series, but also hugely influential as a cookbook). It wasn’t my first cookbook, but I would recommend it so much. It begins by teaching you how to boil an egg - literally (and gives you several options). Delia Smith used to be a journalist and you can tell because she communicates things super clearly and in simple English. She does give you recipes but she is much more interested in teaching you how to cook whatever is in front of you, so she will give you guidelines for the kind of dish you want to cook then give you a recipe that works off it. Really helpful for a beginner. Can’t recommend enough.
Great read, helps understand the science behind what makes food taste good. Been awhile since I’ve read so memory may not be right but the explanation of dry-brining vs wet-brined has saved me wasting lots of time and the mess of wet-brining something like a turkey.
I got it from the library to check it out. It is stocked full of tidbits of info you never thought you’d need. Bought it off eBay the next day, arrives Monday!
Great starting point, it teaches the why behind cooking instead of just recipes to follow
It’s a great book, definitely make the buttermilk chicken recipe.
It's a good book for someone who's already familiar with cooking, but sometimes has issues like what you're describing, like a dish missing something and not knowing what to do about it. Not a bad book for beginners per se, just not really the right thing imo. What to do to learn how to make good food? Well, cook. I suppose technically it's possible to learn how to cook by reading books, but imo from personal experience and what I've seen with others it's way easier to learn cooking by just doing it. You might not know how to do things properly, but that's fine, you just need to keep doing them and you'll naturally improve and learn and once you've accomplished that then I'd say fsah makes sense. And pro tip: cook what you actually want to eat, not what's considered beginner friendly.
I haven’t read the book but passed by it a few times and thought, where’s Sweet? Maybe someone can explain..