Every day we’re all doing a little bit of chemistry: when we bake potatoes, add a little salt to our pasta, or even bake a box cake. And award-winning chef Samin Nosrat just loves to nerd out over all this. She's the author of the best-selling book “Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat” and has a new book out called “Good Things.” Today, Samin joins us to talk all about the science and art of cooking. Plus — why you should NEVER put meatballs on spaghetti.

Video available on Spotify.

Find our transcript here: https://bit.ly/ScienceVsSaminNosrat 

Samin’s Book: https://ciaosamin.com/shop/good-things 

In this episode, we cover:

(00:00) Welcome to Science Chats with Samin Nosrat

(01:27) Samin’s childhood in California

(06:05) Samin’s obsession with boxed cake mix

(14:29) Why salt, fat, acid and heat matter

(17:17) The magic of salt

(21:11) Why soy sauce and cheese can bring out big feelings

(32:26) Why we bake with room-temperature eggs

(34:32) Why tomatoes don’t belong in the fridge

(37:00) The geopolitics of cinnamon

(40:07) Why vanilla beans cost so much

(42:15) The value of handmade food

(47:10) Why you shouldn’t put meatballs on spaghetti

This episode was produced by Wendy Zukerman, with help from Meryl Horn, Ekedi Fausther-Keeys, Michelle Dang, and Rose Rimler. We’re edited by Blythe Terrell. Video editing and sound design by Bobby Lord. Fact checking by Diane Kelly. Music written by Emma Munger, So Wylie, Peter Leonard, Bumi Hidaka and Bobby Lord. Thanks to Roland Campos, Skyline Studios and Humdinger Studios.

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