Perhaps you’ve never heard of Samin Nosrat. She’s easy to miss while you’re looking for the usual entertainment. Also, a show called “Salt Fat Acid Heat”? It sounds like a warning from a CDC hotline.

Nonetheless, while trawling the streaming channels for something to watch beyond horror, thrillers, and cookie-cutter British mysteries, I came upon Nosrat’s show, and as soon as I tuned in, I was smitten by this wonderful ball of cooking energy.

Of course, her cooking credentials are impeccable. Nosrat is the author of the James Beard Award-winning, New York Times-bestselling cookbook “Salt Fat Acid Heat” — and now the host of the Netflix docu-series of the same name. But it’s not just her prowess with pots, pans and knives that sets her apart. I’m not normally a fan of cooking shows, but in each of the four episodes of this Caroline Suh-directed series, Nosrat shows herself to be an exceedingly warm and funny guide.

You only have to watch her for three minutes to get drawn into her world. Trust me, this is not one of those “cooking with the stars” things. I hate those. Who cares if Gwyneth Paltrow eats entrails?

Crucially, Nosrat explains that salt, fat, acid, and heat are all good things. We may be wary of them because of how we often abuse them, but that’s no reason to fear them altogether.

In episode one, Nosrat goes to Italy to talk masterfully about the proper use of fat in cooking.

In episode two, about salt, she examines the role of that universal flavor enhancer in Japan, and delves into the history of miso. We learn that miso is the salty, earthy and funky fermented ingredient we put in everything from pasta salad to apple pie. In her engaging, bubbly manner, Nosrat talks about how we might consider graduating from Morton’s table salt to one of the far-superior sea salts from around the world.

Episode three is dedicated to acid (“acid balances flavor,” Nosrat insists), and she takes us to — among other places — Mexico, soon changing our understanding of what constitutes authentic Mexican food.

For the finale, in episode four, she explores heat (“the element of transformation”), again transporting us to Japan, moving from the busy streets of Tokyo to the mountainous countryside in a lusciously-filmed paean to the country’s culinary arts.

It’s hard not to be captivated by Nosrat’s energy, humor and knowledge of food, and we pick up plenty of good information along the way — including how salt, fat, acid, and heat can all contribute to better health.

After watching just the first episode, I wanted to meet her, eat with her and become her best friend. Just you wait — you will feel the same way.

“Salt Fat Acid Heat” streams on Netflix.

J.P. Devine of Waterville is a former stage and screen actor.

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