Samin Nosrat Is Embracing 'Good Things'

This Fresh Air podcast features an interview with food writer Samin Nosrat, discussing her new cookbook, "Good Things." Nosrat shares her ambivalence towards recipes, her journey through clinical depression following the success of her previous book, "Salt Fat Acid Heat," and how she recalibrated her life to find meaning beyond work. She also delves into specific recipes from her book, such as the sky-high focaccia and spatchcocked chicken, and unconventional ingredients like aquafaba. The conversation explores Nosrat's personal struggles, including her complicated relationship with her father and the discovery of her Jewish ancestry, and how these experiences have influenced her approach to cooking and life. She emphasizes the importance of creating rituals, like her Monday dinners with friends, to foster connection and joy. The podcast concludes with Nosrat expressing her hope that her new book will encourage others to be kinder to themselves in the kitchen and find beauty in simple, imperfect meals.