| Based On: | Salt Fat Acid Heat by Samin Nosrat |
| Director: | Caroline Suh |
| Starring: | Samin Nosrat |
| Theme Music Composer: | Fall On Your Sword |
| Num Seasons: | 1 |
| Num Episodes: | 4 |
| List Episodes: |
|
| Cinematography: | Luke McCoubrey |
| Runtime: | 40–48 minutes |
| Company: | Jigsaw Productions |
| Network: | Netflix |
Salt Fat Acid Heat is an American cooking documentary 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]
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 The Washington Post called it "unlike any other food show on TV", particularly mentioning the high proportion of women and home cooks featured on the show.
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]
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: