Podcast Summary: All Of It — "How Samin Nosrat Found Herself Again"

Podcast: All Of It (WNYC)
Host: Alison Stewart
Guest: Samin Nosrat
Air Date: November 18, 2025
Episode Theme: The episode centers on how celebrated chef, author, and teacher Samin Nosrat rebuilt her joy in cooking and life after a period of personal struggle, sharing lessons and rituals from her new cookbook, Good Things: Recipes and Rituals to Share with the People You Love.

Episode Overview

Samin Nosrat, James Beard Award–winning author of Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat, discusses her new cookbook, Good Things, which grew out of a time marked by loss and depression despite her career triumphs. In conversation with Alison Stewart, Samin reflects on what truly matters in life and cooking, emphasizing small joys, rituals, and genuine connection over perfection and achievement.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Rethinking Achievement and Happiness

• Questioning Fulfillment Post-Success
  After the whirlwind success of Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat, Samin found herself asking, “What is a good life?”

  "I sort of had woven a narrative for myself... that if I could just be the best, then I would feel full inside and I wouldn't have this like dark core of loneliness and sadness that I could never escape." — Samin Nosrat [01:15]

• Finding a New Orientation
  Success didn’t bring the satisfaction Samin expected. She described redirecting her energy from chasing achievements toward finding meaning in day-to-day connections and small pleasures.

  "I had to find a new orientation... to tighten the aperture on my lens in my life... How do I just connect to the people around me?" — Samin Nosrat [02:12]

The Healing Power of Everyday Rituals

• Gardening as Grounding Ritual
  Samin shared that gardening and weeding provided solace, helping her reconnect to herself when cooking felt far away.

  "There was this thing that felt literally so rooted and grounding... just having a pile of weeds to look at at the end of the day felt so good." — Samin Nosrat [03:08]

• Cooking as a Tangible Act of Creation
  The simple act of cooking—completing something start to finish in a day—brought her gratification missing from bigger, abstract projects.

Organizing “Good Things”

• Book Structure Inspired by Life, Not Tradition
  Samin resisted typical cookbook categories, organizing the book around the idea of "good things," inspired by a Raymond Carver quote:

  "Eating is a small good thing at a time like this."
  She used idioms (“All good things must come to an end,” etc.) for chapter titles, reinforcing the theme of appreciating life’s small pleasures. ([04:50])

• Recipes vs. Intuition
  Initially conflicted about focusing on recipes over teaching technique, Samin realized that recipes also build traditions, confidence, and joy.

  "Ultimately, I'm just trying to make work that inspires and is of service to people. So I realized there was a use for this as well." — Samin Nosrat [07:46]

Letting Go of Perfectionism

• Home vs. Restaurant Cooking Samin tackled her struggle with letting go of “professional brain” perfectionism in her home kitchen.

  "These sort of impossibly high standards... make sense in a restaurant... but at home... the point is to take care of ourselves... it doesn't have to be this kind of capital P. Perfect." — Samin Nosrat [08:36]

Listener Stories and Community Rituals

• Rituals of Connection
  Listeners shared stories of family food rituals—emphasizing intergenerational connections and the act of cooking as memory.

• Special Moments at the Table
  A caller described the joy of a dinner party moment when everyone is ready to eat, underscoring the episode’s core message:

  "It's all about the people. Ultimately. It's like what happens at the table rather than what's on the table." — Samin Nosrat [10:28]

Pantry Staples and Everyday Joys

• Samin’s Must-Have Condiments

  • Yogurt or labneh, expressing her Iranian heritage [11:26]
  • Crispy chili condiment (homemade or store-bought)

• Minimalist Approach
  Samin’s home cooking is simpler now, focused on a core set of ingredients and tools, presented visually in the cookbook as collages. [12:13]

• Daily Rituals
  Small, grounding habits such as emptying the dishwasher while making morning coffee (with cardamom) bring daily comfort. [13:07]

Memorable Recipes & Kitchen Wisdom

Whipped Tahini (“Tahini Fluff”) [14:10]

• Born by accident when tahini, water, and lemon were whipped in a food processor until fluffy. Versatile as a sauce or dip.

Marinated Feta with Kumquats [15:12]

• Inspired by both family tradition and improvisation, Samin’s marinated feta keeps the cheese fresh and flavorful for longer.
• If kumquats aren’t available, orange or lemon zest work well.

The Power of Togetherness

• A Birthday Party Lesson
  Samin recounted missing the heart of a celebration by getting stuck in “martyr” host mode:

  "...Orion had not, like, hired me to cater their birthday party... they just wanted to have fish tacos with me." ([18:01])
  She learned the value of stepping out of the kitchen to enjoy moments with loved ones.

Elevating Pantry Staples [20:15]

• Samin stresses comfort and generosity over extravagance:

  "When we are seeking comfort... very rarely it's about the specific food... it's so much more about that food as an expression of their own time, their own attention." — Samin Nosrat [20:40]

• Simple Creamy Tomato Soup ([22:08])

  • Onion, celery, canned tomatoes, thickened with a small roux and finished with milk or cream.
  • “Elementary school vibe” — a taste of comfort and nostalgia.

• Using Aquafaba ([22:59])
  Tips for getting the right egg-white-like texture from canned bean water.

Hosting Without Stress [23:59]

• "To me, the priority is the time spent together... The simpler the better." — Samin Nosrat [24:20]
  Her advice: host simple, maybe potluck-style dinners that prioritize connection.

One-Bowl Chocolate Cake (A Public Service Announcement!) [26:12]

• A pantry-based chocolate cake—wet and dry ingredients mixed in one bowl, enriched by sour cream, and inspired by the classic Hershey’s recipe.

  "It's so rich and fudgy. I hope you love it." — Samin Nosrat [26:24]

Notable Quotes & Moments

• "I want to be your auntie in the kitchen." — Samin Nosrat [08:02]
• "The point is to take care of ourselves, to create a moment to feed ourselves, and it doesn't have to be this kind of capital P. Perfect." — Samin Nosrat [09:11]
• "Attention is the rarest and purest form of generosity." — (Samin quoting Simone Weil) [20:40]
• "Samin exudes so much joy. It comes through in the pages of her books." — Listener text, Susie from Red Bank [25:06]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [01:15] — Samin on chasing achievement and emptiness
• [02:12] — Reorienting toward connection and community
• [03:08] — Gardening and “touching grass” as real healing
• [04:50] — Organizing the book around “good things”
• [07:46] — The value of recipes in building tradition and connection
• [08:36] — Letting go of home kitchen perfectionism
• [10:28] — Caller on the transformative power of ritual
• [11:26] — Pantry condiments and embracing simplicity
• [13:07] — Samin’s morning ritual with cardamom coffee
• [14:10] — Whipped tahini (“tahini fluff”) recipe serendipity
• [15:12] — Marinated feta (with East/West ingredient tips)
• [18:01] — Lesson in being present with loved ones
• [20:40] — Food as an expression of time and attention
• [22:08] — Simple creamy tomato soup recipe
• [26:12] — The legendary one-bowl chocolate cake (under an hour!)

Tone & Takeaways

Samin Nosrat is warm, candid, and humble—her stories and advice invite listeners to let go of perfection, find meaning in daily rituals, embrace simplicity, and treasure the moments shared around a table. Her approach, both in and out of the kitchen, is about attention, presence, and the quiet power of small good things.

"Ultimately, it's like what happens at the table rather than what's on the table." — Samin Nosrat [10:28]

For anyone seeking comfort, direction, or a more joyful way to cook and live, this conversation brims with wisdom and practical inspiration.