19 feel-good shows to start 2019 off right

13 of 20

Salt Acid Fat Heat

The what: This clever show about food might be the only show in the world to spin off a cookbook. Samin Nosrat authored the 2018 James Beard General Cookbook of the Year and New York Times Bestseller, and it’s based on a very simple premise. As the title of both the series and the book suggest, Salt Acid Fat Heat surmises that these four elements are all you need to make delicious food.

The Netflix original series follows Nosrat, as she travels the world in search of these four elements, serving up feasts of all sorts all the way. She chats with interesting people, goes to amazing locations, and above all, enjoys the heck out of the food she eats.

The feels: Above all else, there is little more comforting than food, and Salt Acid Fat Heat honors our relationship with food like few other shows of its ilk. Nosrat makes every segment, every dish, every trip feel homemade and personal. You can tell she has a genuine love for her craft, but it’s also apparent that she loves food — something most of can connect with on a cellular level.

Watching the star enjoy herself, without pretext, absent of a sterile, made-for-TV kitchen set, feels as close to sitting in a friend’s kitchen as you can get. I get a little warm just watching her enjoy herself so much, and that’s a feat that only the miracle of food can bring.

The deets: The show’s first (and only, as yet) season is available on Netflix now. You can buy the book of the same name on Amazon, and it would make such a good gift for the food-lovers in your life. But, let’s face it. Aren’t we all food lovers?