4 Elements of Cooking by Samin Nosrat

With nearly 40 years of accounting experience, Richard Belott owns Belott & Company CPAs LLC, an accounting firm he founded with his wife, Linda. Richard Belott enjoys reading and cooking in his free time.

Cooking is a popular hobby, but some amateur cooks struggle to improve their skills. Luckily, world-renowned cook Samin Nosrat, author of the bestselling cookbook “Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat” and Netflix adaptation, explains which elements are crucial for cooks of all skill levels.

In her book, Nosrat defends that, to cook well, one must master salt, fat, acid, and heat - four seemingly simple elements, but which can transform a dish. For instance, salt enhances flavor and can be used to provide some texture to the food.

Fat also delivers texture, but it provides more flavor as well. Although it is often considered harmful, fat is essential to our body and can come in several forms. Chef Nosrat recommends adding fat to degrade the flavor and texture - as in cookie dough, for example, where butter should be added while solid to prevent cookies from getting flat.

Adding acid is a way to balance the flavors, make the food mouthwatering, change texture, and make colors more vibrant. Ultimately, the food texture will be determined by heat - while stir fry vegetables need a quick, high heat, roasts only develop flavors in milder heat for more extended periods.