Book Series Guide
Samin Nosrat

Author guide

Samin Nosrat Books in Order

Samin Nosrat is a chef, teacher, and food writer who began cooking professionally at Chez Panisse in 2000. Her teaching centers on the four elements of salt, fat, acid, and heat, which became the foundation of her bestselling, James Beard Award-winning first book, Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat. She has also written for The New York Times Magazine and co-hosted the Home Cooking podcast.

cookbooksfood writingnonfiction

Catalog record updated .

Samin Nosrat's Newest Book

Cover of Good Things

Good Things

cookbook · First published 2025

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • From the author of Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat—and one of America’s most beloved chefs and teachers—125 meticulously tested, flavor-forward, soul-nourishing recipes that bring joy and a sense of communion With all the generosity of spirit that has endeared her to millions of fans, Samin Nosrat offers more than 125 of her favorite recipes—simply put, the things she most loves to cook for herself and for friends—and infuses them with all the beauty and care you would expect from the person Alice Waters called “America’s next great cooking teacher.” As Samin says, "Recipes, like rituals, endure because they’re passed down to us—whether by ancestors, neighbors, friends, strangers on the internet, or me to you. A written recipe is just a shimmering decoy for the true inheritance: the thread of connection that cooking it will unspool." Good Things is an essential, joyful guide to cooking and living, whether you’re looking for a comforting tomato soup to console a struggling friend, seeking a deeper sense of connection in your life, or hosting a dinner for ten in your too-small dining room. Here you’ll find go-to recipes for ricotta custard pancakes, a showstopping roast chicken burnished with saffron, a crunchy, tingly Calabrian chili crisp, super-chewy sky-high focaccia, and a decades-in-the-making, childhood-evoking yellow cake with chocolate frosting. Along the way, you’ll also find plenty of tips, techniques, and lessons, from how to buy olive oil (check the harvest date) to when to splurge (salad dressing is where you want to use your best ingredients) to the best uses for your pressure cooker (chicken stock and dulce de leche, naturally). Good Things captures, with Samin’s trademark blend of warmth, creativity, and precision, what has made cooking such an important source of delight and comfort in her life.

Not sure where to begin?

Start with one of these

Cover of Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat: Mastering the Elements of Good Cooking

Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat: Mastering the Elements of Good Cooking

It is Nosrat's first book and introduces the foundational cooking framework for which she is best known.

Outside the series

Bibliography by category

Nonfiction (2)
  1. Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat: Mastering the Elements of Good Cooking

    cookbook · 2017

    A visionary new master class in cooking that distills decades of professional experience into just four simple elements, from the woman declared “America’s next great cooking teacher” by Alice Waters. In the tradition of The Joy of…

  2. Good Things

    cookbook · 2025

    NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • From the author of Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat—and one of America’s most beloved chefs and teachers—125 meticulously tested, flavor-forward, soul-nourishing recipes that bring joy and a sense of communion With all…

Frequently asked questions about Samin Nosrat

Who is Samin Nosrat?

Samin Nosrat is an Iranian-American cook, teacher, and food writer. She is best known for explaining cooking through salt, fat, acid, and heat, and for hosting and executive-producing a Netflix documentary series based on that approach.

Sources: ciaosamin.com (opens in a new tab)ttbook.org (opens in a new tab)media.netflix.com (opens in a new tab)

Where did Samin Nosrat begin her culinary career?

While studying English at UC Berkeley, Nosrat began working in the kitchen at Berkeley’s Chez Panisse. She says that experience shaped her career in food and writing, which she has pursued since 2000.

Sources: ciaosamin.com (opens in a new tab)media.netflix.com (opens in a new tab)

Who influenced Samin Nosrat’s cooking philosophy?

Nosrat credits Alice Waters and farmer Bob Cannard with influencing her understanding of land stewardship, while Michael Pollan encouraged her to develop her cooking framework into a book. Her Chez Panisse experience helped her identify salt, fat, acid, and heat as foundational elements of cooking.

Sources: ciaosamin.com (opens in a new tab)time.com (opens in a new tab)

What awards has Samin Nosrat won?

Her cookbook Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat won the 2018 James Beard Foundation Book Award for General. Her official site also lists the 2018 IACP Cookbook of the Year and Julia Child First Book Award.

Sources: archive.jamesbeard.org (opens in a new tab)saltfatacidheat.com (opens in a new tab)

How has Samin Nosrat influenced home cooking?

Nosrat promotes understanding principles and taste instead of relying solely on rigid recipes, giving home cooks a transferable way to think about seasoning and technique. Her Netflix series extended that teaching to an international audience through travel and demonstrations.

Sources: ttbook.org (opens in a new tab)media.netflix.com (opens in a new tab)time.com (opens in a new tab)