The Flavor Equation

"The Flavor Equation is destined to be classic: original, thought-provoking, and illuminating. It is a book that will change the way you think about food and cooking, and will help to make all your other cookbooks make sense." --Nigella Lawson, author of At My Table

"The Flavor Equation is written by someone who understands flavor first. This is not a book for geeks who want to deep dive into amino acids, gels, and osmosis. This is a book about how to turn out food that optimizes flavor. Nik Sharma and others are teaching us that good food is not about technique per se: years standing in front of the stove, advanced knife skills, and mastering pastry technique. It's about crafting flavor through an understanding of what flavor actually is." -Christopher Kimball, founder, Milk Street(from the foreword)

"As someone with his own obsession with flavor, I find Nik Sharma's take on it totally fascinating. It is deep and illuminating, fresh and highly informative. That, combined with his always-sumptuous food and staggering photographs, makes The Flavor Equation a most brilliant achievement." --Yotam Ottolenghi, chef and author of Jerusalem

"If you're interested in flavor--and every cook is, that's what we constantly think about--this book is for you. I haven't learned so much from a single book in a very long time. I'm now cooking my way through it." --Diana Henry, James Beard award-winning author of A Bird in the Hand

"In The Flavor Equation, Nik marries the art and science of cuisine. It offers a holistic approach to cooking at home; one that celebrates both chemistry and emotion, in both the creation and enjoyment of our meals." --Stella Parks, pastry chef and author of BraveTart: Iconic American Desserts

"Nik Sharma answers the hows and whys of taste from a scientific perspective as well as one from a well-seasoned cook. The multicultural flavors that are sure to entice anyone's taste buds to spring into action. Anyone wanting to take a deep dive into how to make food taste better will revel in Nik's thoroughly researched--and gorgeously photographed--treatise on the topic." --David Lebovitz, author, My Paris Kitchen and Drinking French

"Nik Sharma has created an irresistible book that makes you want to immediately jump in the kitchen. There is not a single recipe that I would not want to cook, I am dying to make them all! This book helps you understand the deep complexities that surround our food, and how much it can mean to us." --Pati Jinich, chef, cookbook author and host of PBS Pati's Mexican Table

"Some consider cooking to be a series of chemical and thermodynamic reactions, others see it as an embodiment of heart, emotion, culture, and family. In The Flavor Equation, Nik Sharma shows us how these elements--the brain and the heart--are not at odds with each other, but that they are in fact intimately intertwined. Understanding their interaction is the key to unlocking flavor in your own cooking, as Nik demonstrates in this beautiful and intelligent book." --J. Kenji L?pez-Alt, author The Food Lab and Chief Consultant for Serious Eats.com

"Whatever your skill level in the kitchen, with its more than 100 recipes, illustrated diagrams, and Sharma's own evocative photography, The Flavor Equation is an engrossing guide to elevating simple dishes into holistic experiences." --Eater, Best New Cookbooks Fall 2020

As with his previous book, recipes are easy to follow and the photographs are mouth-watering. Helpful diagrams, charts, and illustrations are presented throughout. This book will appeal both to those who want to expand their Indian cooking repertoire and those who want to know more about the scientific background behind cooking itself.--Library Journal