Nik Sharma

26/10/2026

What makes kadai eggplant so delicious? High heat!
A kadai (or karhai) is similar to a wok, and its high-heat cooking helps vegetables cook quickly while developing rich, caramelized flavors. Toss in onions and bell peppers, along with a fragrant tomato and yogurt sauce, and you've got a dish that's just as lovely for a dinner party as it is for a weeknight meal.

24/10/2026

Very excited to be on KCRW with Evan Kleiman on the Good Food show, talking all things food and flavor science. Plus, you can make this grilled Sweet Potato Salad from my new book, Fundamentals of Flavor

Grilling, caramelization, Maillard reactions, and emulsifications come together for a simple, delicious salad.

16/10/2026

I started cooking as a kid because I was bored with my mother’s food. Years later, living on a graduate student stipend, I learned how to make the same inexpensive ingredients taste different every day.

I spoke with Library Journal about my unexpected journey from molecular biology to cookbooks, why curiosity matters in the kitchen, and the cookbooks that shaped my life.

Nik Sharma, a molecular biologist and food scientist, discusses his childhood exploration of taste and flavor; why he structured his newest cookbook, Fundamentals of Flavor, around the four elements; libraries; and his favorite cookbooks.

06/10/2026

San Francisco, I’m coming back this week!

I’ll be at Omnivore Books to talk about Fundamentals of Flavor with my former editor, Paolo Lucchesi, who gave me my first start in food media at the San Francisco Chronicle. It’s been quite a journey since then, and I’m excited to sit down with Paolo and talk about the new book, food, flavor, and where it all began.

Hope to see some of you there!

03/10/2026

Golden garlic-and-citrus roast chicken. Buttermilk gives the chicken its juicy, tender texture, while garlic and citrus bring the flavor. You’ll find the recipe in my new cookbook, Fundamentals of Flavor, out now.

01/10/2026

Can I YELL? Because I am so happy. Melissa Clark gave my new cookbook a special shoutout in the New York Times Cooking Section today!

01/10/2026

Hello Seattle! I’m coming back to Book Larder next Tuesday, October 6, and Kenji López-Alt will be joining me. And there's an extra special story here.

The last time Kenji and I were together at Book Larder in 2023, a reader named Jaya Shree came to the event with homemade Indian sweets and a handwritten note. I loved what she made so much that I posted about it, and I never forgot it.

Three years later, that act of kindness inspired a recipe dedicated to her in my new book, Fundamentals of Flavor.

This is one of the things I love most about doing events like these. You never quite know what will stay with you, or where an exchange with someone who cooks from your books might eventually lead.

So I’m especially happy to be returning to Book Larder with Kenji to talk about Fundamentals of Flavor, cooking, science, and all the things that make food taste the way it does.

📍 Book Larder, Seattle
📅 Tuesday, October 6
⏰ 6:30pm

There are still tickets available, and I’d love to see you there. Please share this with your Seattle friends, too.

Link in comments below

29/09/2026

So honored and stoked to see my book on Chatelaine Magazine's
5 Cookbooks to Cook from this Fall 💕😍

29/09/2026

Very excited to see Fundamentals of Flavor in Katie Couric's newsletter!

Cream cheese, mozzarella, and Calabrian chiles come together in a bubbling, broiled dip that’s ready in about 30 minutes.

28/09/2026

What actually makes a salad feel like dinner? 🥗
In the latest episode of Flavor Forward America's Test Kitchen, I’m breaking down the formula I use to build hearty, satisfying salads you’d happily order as a main course at a restaurant.
It comes down to three key flavor and texture pairings — and once you understand them, you can stop thinking of salad as a pile of greens and start building one like a proper meal.
Watch the new episode and tell me: what’s the one thing your perfect dinner salad absolutely has to have?

Nik Sharma reveals the hidden formula behind restaurant-style, main...