I was drawn to this cookbook because it was more than a bound collection of recipes with pretty pictures. Instead, it aspires to teach principles of cooking. I do my best to eat as vegan a diet as I can, so this was very appealing. Most cookbooks and recipes I find are not vegan. Learning how cooking works might help me learn to “veganize” any recipe I come across.
Part One of this book is divided into sections named after the title of the book. The idea is that with the proper combination of salt, fat, acid, and heat you can learn to cook without recipes or to modify them successfully. The author is a professional cook who developed this system from all that she learned in her decades in the kitchen. After learning this system, I think very differently in the kitchen. For example, I am much more liberal with salt and have more than one kind in my pantry.
For me the second part was much more disappointing. So much of it includes meat and dairy. Even so, these recipes are a great jumping off point for learning and experimenting. The author connects her recipes and lessons building confidence in the kitchen. This cookbook will become a staple in many kitchens and teach a whole new generation how to cook.
My rating: 4/5
