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A weekly letter about food, science, and why things taste the way they do
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Hi Reader
Having Indian heritage comes with a misguided assumption: that I must love hot and spicy food. Confession — I don't. Or at least, I didn't used to. Growing up, my tolerance was so low that my mom and aunts toned down the heat whenever they cooked for me, and until a few years ago, at restaurants I was always the "mild" order.
That's changed over the past couple of years. I've been slowly dosing myself with small, incremental amounts of chiles in my home cooking, and it's working. I'm nowhere near ghost-pepper-eating-contest territory, but I've reached the point where a little heat wakes up all the other flavors in a dish instead of drowning them out.
| Did you know heat tolerance can actually be trained over time? |
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In this month's episode of Flavor Forward at America's Test Kitchen, I dig into the actual science of heat in food. I'm cooking Halal Cart-Style Chicken and Rice (which is the hottest recipe at ATK) while breaking down how heat compounds from chiles and black peppercorns actually work. Then I put the ATK team to work as guinea pigs, testing out foods that are "supposed" to cool down the burn in your mouth, to see which ones actually hold up.
| What's your go-to move when food is too spicy? |
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Last Sunday, I woke up before sunrise to volunteer at SevaSphere, a local organization founded and run by my friend, Ambika Sanjana that preps meals for L.A.'s homeless community. We started cooking at 6 a.m., and by 10, we'd made more than 800 meals together.
What stayed with me wasn't the number, it was the kitchen. It's a tiny space, yet it's full of warmth and kindness. Some volunteers have been showing up for years, quietly, week after week. Others, like me, showed up for the first time. Within the first 15 minutes, none of that mattered, we were all handed a task and became just people cutting vegetables and stirring pots of pasta and sauce, united by one goal: to feed people a healthy meal.
If you're in L.A. and looking for a way to help, SevaSphere is always looking for hands.
xx
Nik
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A Chapter Not Many People Know Exists
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Here's something I haven't talked about much: there's a chapter of Fundamentals of Flavor that never made it into the final book. I call it "The Fifth Element: Time," on how time itself, not just heat, acid, or fat, transforms what we taste.
It's not for sale, and it's not going into a future edition. Preorder the book now, submit your proof of purchase, and I'll send it straight to your inbox, before the book even hits shelves.
This bonus chapter is only available to readers who preorder before September 22.
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THE SCIENCE EDIT
This Week's Principle
THE BAKING SODA TRICK: WHY IT KEEPS SHRIMP JUICY
Why does a quick baking soda soak turn shrimp bouncy and juicy, instead of the tight, rubbery texture you usually get from overcooked shellfish? The answer lies in how pH controls the way proteins hold onto water.
1. The Problem: Clenching Muscle Fibers
Heat causes muscle proteins to clench together and push out water, which is why meat and shellfish like shrimp dry out even during moist cooking. These proteins sit close to their isoelectric point, the pH at which these proteins are most tightly bound to each other and least able to hold water.
Acid makes this worse, a vinegar-heavy marinade is a fast route to tough, dry meat, but alkalinity works in the opposite direction, easing that clenching effect.
2. The Fix: Shifting the Charge
Baking soda is alkaline and raises the pH of the shrimp's muscle tissue. That shift changes the electric charge on the muscle proteins, so instead of clenching tightly together, the fibers stay slightly separated. The moisture sitting between those fibers has nowhere to escape, so it just stays put.
3. Where It Matters Most
This effect shows up clearly in two very different cooking styles: a quick, high-heat shrimp stir-fry, and a long-simmered dish where shrimp would normally overcook and turn rubbery. In both cases, the shrimp stays plump and holds a springy, almost "bouncy" bite instead of tightening up into rubber. It's the same alkaline principle behind velveting in Chinese cooking, just applied on its own here rather than combined with a cornstarch coating.
Science Tip: How to Treat Shrimp with Baking Soda
- Toss 1 pound/455 g of peeled shrimp thoroughly with ¼ teaspoon baking soda.
- Refrigerate for at least 15 minutes.
- Proceed with your recipe as written.
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THE RECIPEs
A few things to cook this week.
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PARSI PRAWN KEBABS
Farokh Talati's Parsi prawn kebabs use a traditional genius double-coating trick (semolina, then egg) that fries up into little crispy threads you won't get from a regular breadcrumb crust. It's what makes these kebabs extra special.
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APRICOT LEMON JAM
This small batch apricot jam skips the canning fuss entirely — just fruit, citrus, and a whisper of orange blossom water, made to taste like a memory of summer mornings by the ocean. Keep it in the fridge, spread it on toast, and get the full recipe before apricot season slips away.
This one's for paid subscribers — upgrade to unlock it, plus the rest of The Flavor Files' archive.
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