The Cozy Tulip

Update: I have unfortunately decided to no longer to continue this project. It was a fantastic idea of course, but I am human and I do not have the time or inspiration to continue on with it

I love cookbooks, so much so that my collection is probably more extensive than necessary. But everyone has something they love to collect, right? My dilemma, however, is that I don’t use them nearly as often as I intend to and when I’m in the mood to try a new recipe, I usually end up using a recipe I found on Instagram or Tiktok. It is just so easy! Recently, though, I’ve decided to boycott online recipes and make a real effort to put my cookbooks to use because it is a shame to just have them sadly standing on the shelf.

This change in mindset got me thinking about the movie “Julie and Julia,” a 2009 film where Julie Powell, played by Amy Adams, challenges herself to cook every recipe in Julia Child’s cookbook within 365 days, chronicling her journey on a blog. The film beautifully weaves together Julie Powell’s culinary adventure and Julia Child’s early career in France, with Meryl Streep delivering a captivating performance as Julia Child.

I absolutely adored this movie when I was younger and now, with my growing interest in cooking and a newfound determination to utilize my cookbooks, I feel inspired to embark on a similar challenge.

My chosen cookbook, however, isn’t Julia Child’s. Instead, I will be tackling every recipe in Samin Nosrat’s “Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat: Mastering the Elements of Good Cooking.” Samin’s Netflix series, where she explores the principles of her book by traveling the world, left me in awe. Her approach to cooking is so approachable and enthusiastic, making it irresistible to dive into the kitchen. She breaks down cooking into four essential elements: salt, fat, acid, and heat, each crucial for creating balanced and delicious meals.

“Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat” isn’t just a collection of recipes, it’s a comprehensive guide on how to cook intuitively by mastering these four elements. The book is beautifully illustrated with watercolor drawings by Wendy MacNaughton, offering a refreshing departure from the glossy photos found in many contemporary cookbooks.

This book took seven years to write and has received outstanding acclaim: It was named “Food Book of the Year” by The Times of London, became a New York Times bestseller, was honored as one of the ten “Best Cookbooks of the Century So Far” by Helen Rosner in The New Yorker, It won the 2018 James Beard Award for Best General Cookbook, and it was named Cookbook of the Year by the International Association of Culinary Professionals.

A remarkable book indeed, and a thoughtful gift from my sweet brother for my last birthday. Yet, despite its greatness, I’ve fallen victim to chronic online recipe browsing and haven’t given it the attention it deserves. But this is about to change. Like Julie Powell, I am setting out to cook every single recipe in this book.

Why? Because it promises to be a fun challenge that will improve my cooking skills and teach me valuable culinary tricks. Unlike Julie Powell, I won’t set a strict deadline. Instead, I’ll commit to making at least one recipe a week and see how long it takes to complete the book.

I will be keeping you updated…

Here’s to a culinary adventure with Samin Nosrat’s “Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat”!