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Hi Reader
I can see why so many people become obsessed with K-dramas. Earlier this week, on my flight to Boston to go film a new episode of Flavor Forward, I started watching Bon Appétit, Your Majesty, a show about a chef who is transported back in time and becomes the royal cook for a king. Between the food, palace intrigue, and humor, I was completely hooked and ended up watching episode after episode for most of the flight. What I enjoyed most was how food wasn't simply there for decoration. Meals carried emotion, revealed character, and often became the center of the story itself. By the time I landed, I'd already moved on to another show, The Price of Confession. It's a thriller rather than a food-focused drama, but even there, food quietly appears in the background, anchoring scenes in everyday life.
That's one of the reasons I love paying attention to food. It shows up everywhere; in stories, in memories, and in the small rituals that shape our days. It is a part of life.
When I wrote my first cookbook, Season, my publisher sent me a set of photo proofs before the book went to print. They're used to check how the photographs reproduce on paper and to make any final color adjustments. Once the book is published, the proofs don't have much practical use, but Michael suggested I frame them rather than store them away.
Since then, it has become a tradition. Each book has earned a place on the wall in my office, and last week I hung the proofs for Fundamentals of Flavor right behind my desk. Sometimes I still catch myself turning around to look at them. Seeing all four books together feels a little surreal. Each frame represents years of work, recipe testing, writing, photography, and more than a few moments of self-doubt. Even now, I'm surprised when I look up and see them all lined up together.
Now that I'm back from Boston, I've returned to one of my favorite summer rituals: mango season. This week I picked up a case of Kesar mangoes. Named for their saffron-colored flesh (Hindi: kesar = saffron), they're a little less aromatic than Alphonsos but just as sweet and soft when perfectly ripe. For a few weeks every year, my kitchen smells like the summers of my childhood in Bombay, and I try to enjoy every mango I can before the season disappears.
Next weekend, I'll be heading to Chicago for the James Beard Awards. More than anything, I'm looking forward to seeing friends and colleagues I don't get to spend much time with during the year.
For now, I'm off to pack, finish a few recipes I've been testing, and work my way through a box of mangoes before they're gone. I hope you're finding time for a few summer rituals of your own.
Until next week,
Nik
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IF MY WORK HAS HELPED YOU
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If you've ever learned something useful from one of my recipes, videos, or newsletters, I'd love for you to consider preordering Fundamentals of Flavor.
It's the culmination of six years of testing, writing, and asking the question that drives so much of my work: Why does food taste good?
Inside you'll find 100 recipes paired with the science, techniques, and flavor principles that will help you cook with more confidence, solve problems in the kitchen, and understand what makes food delicious.
Through June 30, Barnes & Noble is offering 30% off preorders, making this one of the best opportunities to reserve a copy before publication.
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On screen this week
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In The Test Kitchen: Meatballs
What do Italian-American meatballs, a Chinese pork meatball the size of a tennis ball, and a Spanish albondigas have in common? More than you'd think — three recipes, three completely different techniques, and one surprisingly simple principle that explains all of them.
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THE RECIPEs
The best recipes don't always add more ingredients, they get more out of the ones already there. This week, two simple techniques transform everyday staples into dishes with surprising depth, whether through concentration, smoke, or a little bit of both.
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TOMATO VINAIGRETTE
Most vinaigrettes are only as good as their weakest ingredient. This one uses dehydration to concentrate every flavor molecule, and the science behind why it works is as satisfying as the dressing itself.
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Smoked Pickled Beets
If you've never smoked vegetables at home, this recipe is the perfect place to start. Jarred pickled beets are transformed with a quick stovetop smoke, then served over lemony Greek yogurt with honey and pistachios for a dish that's smoky, tangy, creamy, and crunchy all at once.
Get the full recipe hosted at ATK
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THE SCIENCE EDIT
THIS WEEK'S PRINCIPLE
WHY WE SOAK AND RINSE BASMATI RICE
Basmati rice is famous for its long, slender grains and the way they cook up separate and fluffy rather than clumped and sticky. Both soaking and rinsing play a direct role in achieving that texture, but the science behind each step is different.
1. Rinsing: Surface Starch Removal
During milling and handling, rice grains accumulate a coating of loose starch on their surfaces. As the rice cooks, this starch hydrates and gelatinizes, increasing the tendency of grains to cling together.
Rinsing under cold water removes much of this excess surface starch before cooking begins. The result is rice that cooks up lighter and more separate, with less clumping between grains.
2. Soaking: Hydration and Even Cooking
Soaking serves a different purpose. As dry basmati grains absorb water, moisture gradually penetrates the grain and softens its outer layers. This pre-hydration reduces the amount of water the grain must absorb during cooking and helps it cook more evenly from edge to center.
Because the grains begin cooking partially hydrated, they generally require less time on the stove and are less likely to break or split during cooking.
3. Elongation: A Hallmark of Good Basmati
One of basmati rice's defining characteristics is its ability to elongate during cooking while remaining relatively slender.
Pre-soaking promotes more even water absorption throughout the grain, encouraging the characteristic lengthening that makes high-quality basmati so visually distinctive. Rather than swelling dramatically in width, the grains tend to expand primarily along their length.
4. The Combined Effect
Rinsing removes excess surface starch. Soaking promotes hydration, elongation, and more even cooking. Together, these steps help produce the light, fluffy, aromatic grains that make basmati rice unique.
SCIENCE TIP
Use cold water for both rinsing and soaking. Rinse until the water is mostly clear to remove excess surface starch. For most basmati rice, a 20 to 30-minute soak is sufficient. Longer soaking times can make the grains more fragile and may require adjustments to cooking time and water levels.
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What I'm READING
I've been reading my friend Chef Claudette Zepeda's new cookbook, Cooking the Borderlands (Amazon | Bookshop), which looks at the food and culture of the U.S.–Mexico border through the lens of her own experiences growing up between two countries. It's a reminder that borders aren't just political lines on a map—they're places where people, ingredients, traditions, and ideas constantly meet and reshape one another. I've come away from it with a longer reading list, a growing collection of recipes I want to cook, and a deeper appreciation for a region that's too often reduced to headlines.
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