The Flavor Brief A weekly letter about food, science, and why things taste the way they do Read Past Newsletters This newsletter may contain some affiliate links. I only recommend things I personally use and enjoy—if you purchase through them, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. 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...
3 days ago • 4 min read
The Flavor Files + THE MAKINGS OF FUNDAMENTALS OF FLAVOR III I never planned to become a food writer. Read Past Newsletters This newsletter may contain some affiliate links. I only recommend things I personally use and enjoy—if you purchase through them, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Hi Reader, Two weeks ago, I told you why Fundamentals of Flavor took six years to write. Last week, I shared why the book exists. This week, I want to tell you about the moment I left...
8 days ago • 3 min read
The Flavor Brief A weekly letter about food, science, and why things taste the way they do Read Past Newsletters This newsletter may contain some affiliate links. I only recommend things I personally use and enjoy—if you purchase through them, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Hi Reader I just flew back from Boston after wrapping the final few episodes of my show, Flavor Forward. The smoke from the wildfires in Canada tinted the light this warm, hazy yellow, which made...
10 days ago • 4 min read
The Flavor Files + THE MAKINGS OF FUNDAMENTALS OF FLAVOR: II The world doesn’t need another cookbook. An exclusive seven-part series for paid subscribers. This newsletter may contain some affiliate links. I only recommend things I personally use and enjoy—if you purchase through them, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Hi Reader The world doesn’t need another cookbook. I told myself that over and over before I pitched Fundamentals of Flavor to my agent and publisher. There...
14 days ago • 2 min read
The Flavor Brief A weekly letter about food, science, and why things taste the way they do Read Past Newsletters This newsletter may contain some affiliate links. I only recommend things I personally use and enjoy—if you purchase through them, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Hi Reader , For the longest time, I assumed the secret to chilled tomato soup was finding the best tomatoes. I was lucky enough to have plenty to test that theory this summer. After months of...
17 days ago • 2 min read
The Flavor Files + Go deeper into food, technique, and the recipes that reward it Read Past Newsletters This newsletter may contain some affiliate links. I only recommend things I personally use and enjoy—if you purchase through them, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Hi Reader , For the longest time, I assumed the secret to chilled tomato soup was finding the best tomatoes. I was lucky enough to have plenty to test that theory this summer. After months of watering,...
17 days ago • 6 min read
This newsletter may contain some affiliate links. I only recommend things I personally use and enjoy—if you purchase through them, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. The Flavor Brief THE MAKINGS OF FUNDAMENTALS OF FLAVOR I Why This Book Took Six Years Read Past Newsletters Hi Reader One of the questions I get asked most about Fundamentals of Flavor is why it took six years to write. The short version is that curiosity doesn't stay contained. I'd ask why browning deepens...
22 days ago • 2 min read
The Flavor Brief A weekly letter about food, science, and why things taste the way they do Read Past Newsletters This newsletter may contain some affiliate links. I only recommend things I personally use and enjoy—if you purchase through them, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Hi Reader, I learned two things over the holiday weekend. First, Ojai is absolutely worth the hour-and-a-half drive from Los Angeles. We escaped for a few days, slowed down, ate well, and came home...
24 days ago • 2 min read
The Flavor Brief A weekly letter about food, science, and why things taste the way they do Read Past Newsletters This newsletter may contain some affiliate links. I only recommend things I personally use and enjoy—if you purchase through them, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Hi Reader It's the Independence Day holiday weekend here, which means a lot of potato salad, backyard grills, and the kind of low-and-slow cooking that fills the whole neighborhood with smoke. [Get...
about 1 month ago • 4 min read