Salt Fat Acid Heat is an American cookingdocumentary television series starring Samin Nosrat. Based on her 2017 book of the same name, the four-part series premiered on Netflix on October 11, 2018.
The show and book's title comes from Nosrat's proposed four elements of successful cooking: salt, fat, acid, and heat.[1] Each installment of the series focuses on a particular element, with Nosrat traveling to a different location to demonstrate how the element is used in local cuisine.[2] In each episode, Nosrat has guides who walk her through their homeland's cuisine while she pulls out the lessons related to each fundamental element.[3] The show is "part how-to guide for home cooks of all skill levels and part aspirational travelogue".[3]
Episodes
No.
Title
Original release date
1
"Fat"
October 11, 2018 (2018-10-11)
Nosrat visits Italy, looking at important fats in foods including olive oil, cheese, and meat.
2
"Salt"
October 11, 2018 (2018-10-11)
In Japan, Nosrat explores how salt is included in traditional cuisine, including soy sauce and miso.
3
"Acid"
October 11, 2018 (2018-10-11)
Nosrat goes to the Yucatán Peninsula in Mexico to learn about different kinds of acid in cooking.
4
"Heat"
October 11, 2018 (2018-10-11)
Nosrat returns to her hometown, Berkeley, California, and visits Chez Panisse, the first restaurant she worked at, where she discusses the importance of heat. She also hosts a feast in her home, cooking alongside her Iranian mother.
Reception
The show has received positive reviews from critics. On the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the series has a 100% approval rating based on nine reviews, with an average rating of 7.5 out of 10.[4]
Maura Judkis of TheWashington Post called it "unlike any other food show on TV", particularly mentioning the high proportion of women and home cooks featured on the show.[1]
For Eater, Greg Morabito described Nosrat as "a charming host", and applauded her and director Caroline Suh for conceiving of a "completely new style of culinary TV show".[5]
Doreen St. Félix's review in The New Yorker ascribed the show's success to "Nosrat's uncommon earnestness on camera".[6] St. Félix also described how the show gives viewers a feeling of nostalgia for something most people have not experienced: local, high-quality ingredients enjoyed in the beautiful vistas of their countries of origin.[6]
History
Nosrat began teaching cooking classes in 2007 and found it a very inefficient way of teaching. Even before she wrote the book on which the TV show is based, she thought about TV as a great way to reach a wider audience. She recalled the moment:
"And after two or three classes, I was like, Man, if I had a TV show, I could get to so many people … Just like I had not seen a book that sets out to teach, I had not seen a show that really sets out to teach."[3]
