Salt Fat Acid Heat

TV review by Martin Brown, Common Sense Media
Salt Fat Acid Heat Poster Image

Common Sense says

age 11+

Global-minded food show concentrates on the basics.

Netflix Reality TV 2018
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Parents say

age 13+

Based on 1 review

Kids say

age 6+

Based on 3 reviews

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A Lot or a Little?

The parents' guide to what's in this TV show.

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What Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that Salt Fat Acid Heat is a food show based on host Samin Nosrat's popular cookbook of the same name. There's some cooking instruction throughout, but the show is mostly interested in how those four elements -- salt, fat, acid, and heat -- show up in cuisine from different cultures. For example, Nosrat travels to Italy to learn about olive oil in the episode on fats; Japan to learn about sea salt in the episode about salt; etc. Because of this (and because Nosrat is multilingual!), a lot of the content is subtitled. As with many other food shows, alcohol is frequently consumed as part of the meal, and there's a lot of product placement for food items and alcohol.

Community Reviews

mbmartin874
mbmartin874 Adult
August 30, 2020
age 13+

Great, but too graphic and sophisticated for young ones

You know where meat comes from? Dead animals. And how do the animals get dead? Usually people kill them. Without thinking these facts through, I sat my 9 and 11-year-olds down to watch this, thinking they liked food and needed a wider breadth of geographical knowledge. The first episode - fat - starts off with Australian aboriginals setting fire to a piece of land so they could drag baked alive reptiles out of their holes for dinner. Cultural discussions aside, my kids were pretty freaked and wouldn't watch beyond the first episode. This show is more for adults and foodie-minded teens who can deal with the reality of where meat comes from.
See all 1 parent review

What's the Story?

Based on host Samin Nosrat's popular cookbook of the same name, each episode of SALT FAT ACID HEAT focuses on a single one of those basic elements. Nosrat travels to exotic locales to learn about different types of ingredients (e.g., for the episode on fat, she goes to Italy to learn about olive oil and cheese), visits chefs to talk about cooking techniques, and spends some time making dishes in her own kitchen with friends.

Is It Any Good?

More inspiration than instruction, Samin Nosrat's series (based on her popular cookbook of the same name) often feels more like National Geographic than a typical food show. Though Nosrat does spend some time talking viewers through some of the techniques and decisions chefs make -- like how to pick a steak, or where to cook it on the grill -- Salt Fat Acid Heat is primarily interested in the culture of food. It's a revelation to see her travel to places off the beaten path, like a village in Mexico that makes sour honey from friendly bees, and illuminate the connections between such different cultures, simply by talking about some of the elements of food and cooking that people tend to take for granted.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about food. Why do you think Nosrat cares so much about food, and especially these four elements: salt, fat, acid, and heat? Do you take any of those things for granted? Does this show make you think differently about any of them?

  • How do the places Nosrat visits differ from your home? How does food affect those places and those cultures? Did anything surprise you?

  • Does any of the food on Salt Fat Acid Heat inspire you? Is there anything you'd like to try, or try to make?

TV Details

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