Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Cooking Fundamentals

There are spoilers ahead. You might want to solve today's puzzle before reading further! Cooking Fundamentals

Constructor: Rafael Musa

Editor: Amanda Rafkin

What I Learned from Today’s Puzzle

• ELIO (14A: Pixar movie set to be released in 2025) The release date for the Pixar animated movie, ELIO, is currently June 13, 2025. The title character in this movie is an 11-year-old boy who is beamed up by aliens and accidentally becomes the intergalactic ambassador of Earth. ELIO was supposed to be released this year, but the date got moved back as a result of the writers' strike. Take note of this answer, because once this movie comes out, I imagine we might see more of ELIO in crosswords, as four-letter words are helpful for crossword construction.

Random Thoughts & Interesting Things

• BARB (1A: Pointed comment) and GARB (5A: Attire) It was fun to start off the puzzle with a couple of rhyming answers.
• FREE (13A: Get off scot-___) Someone who gets off scot-FREE completely avoids penalty or harm. The term originated to refer to a person who avoided paying taxes. The Scandinavian word "skat" means "tax" or "payment." The word eventually mutated into "scot" during the 10th century to refer to a tax meant to provide relief to the poor. A person who did not have to pay the tax for some reason was referred to as Scot-FREE. 
• SALT LAKE CITY (19A: Only three-word U.S. state capital) This is a fun U.S. state capital fact. SALT LAKE CITY is the capital of Utah. In case you were wondering (or even if you weren't), there are eight U.S. state capitals whose names are two words. They are: Little Rock (Arkansas), Des Moines (Iowa), Baton Rouge (Louisiana), Saint Paul (Minnesota), Jefferson City (Missouri), Carson City (Nevada), Santa Fe (New Mexico), and Oklahoma City (Oklahoma).
• ARMANI (27A: Italian designer Giorgio) Giorgio ARMANI is a successful Italian designer whose luxury fashion house was founded in 1975. Giorgio ARMANI got his start in fashion by working as a window dresser and sales clerk.
• FAT TUESDAY (33A: Another name for Mardi Gras) Ash Wednesday is the beginning of the Christian observance of Lent, the period of time leading up to Easter. Mardi Gras, also known as Shrove TUESDAY or FAT TUESDAY, is the day prior to Ash Wednesday. "Mardi Gras" is French for "FAT TUESDAY." The name of FAT TUESDAY arose from the practice of indulging in rich, fatty foods on TUESDAY, before beginning Lent, a season often observed by fasting.
• TETONS (39A: Mountain range in Wyoming) The TETONS are the centerpiece of Grand TETON National Park, which is located in northwestern Wyoming.
• ACID HOUSE (46A: Music subgenre that influenced trance) DJs from Chicago developed ACID HOUSE (also referred to simply as ACID) in the mid-1980s. ACID HOUSE is characterized by "repetitive beats, hypnotic baselines, and the distinctive sound of the TB-303" (a bass synthesizer by the Roland Corporation).
• TAMALES (50A: Dishes served wrapped in banana leaves) TAMALES are made of masa (a corn dough) steamed in banana leaves or corn husks.
• ISLAM (65A: Major religion in Algeria) Algeria is a country in northern Africa. Algiers is its capital and most populous city. ISLAM, the official religion of Algeria, is the religion of 99% of its people.
• ORCA (67A: Creature hidden in "indoor cat") This clue made me laugh as I envisioned either a normal-sized ORCA inside an extremely large indoor cat, or a minuscule ORCA inside a normal-sized indoor cat. My indoor cat, Willow, does not (to my knowledge) have an ORCA hidden inside her.

• AREA (2D: The "A" of BART) BART, or Bay Area Rapid Transit, serves the San Francisco Bay AREA in California.
• PONY (9D: "Pink ___ Club" (Chappell Roan song)) In the last week, crosswords have taught me the titles of two Chappell Roan songs – "Hot to Go!" and "Red Wine Supernova." I was delighted to come across this clue, as it refers to a Chappell Roan song I am familiar with. "Pink PONY Club" is a song featured on Chappell Roan's 2023 album, The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess.
• LIN (20D: ___-Manuel Miranda) LIN-Manuel Miranda is the creator of the Broadway musicals In the Heights (2005) and Hamilton (2015). He also wrote the soundtracks for the movies Moana (2016), Vivo (2021), and Encanto (2021). LIN-Manuel Miranda made his directorial debut with the Netflix movie Tick, Tick ... Boom! (2021).
• AROMA (27D: Alluring smell) This is a nice bonus answer to accompany today's theme.
• MIAMI (29D: U.S. city with a large Cuban community) MIAMI, located on the southeastern coast of Florida, is approximately 250 miles from Cuba. During the 15 years after the 1959 Cuban Revolution, about 500,000 Cubans moved to MIAMI. Currently there are over a million MIAMI residents with Cuban heritage.
• OLAF (47D: Snowman in "Frozen") OLAF, voiced by Josh Gad, is the snowman in the 2013 movie, Frozen. Earlier I mentioned the usefulness of four-letter words when constructing a crossword. Seeing the four-letter word OLAF reminded me of a comment made the other day in a Discord chat among a number of crossword constructors. There are a lot of characters in Frozen who have four-letter names!

• A few other clues I especially enjoyed:
  • LOCAL (15A: Think global, act ___)
  • LESS (69A: Word similar to "fewer")
  • PIANO (25D: Instrument that's hard to transport)

Crossword Puzzle Theme Synopsis

• SALT LAKE CITY (19A: Only three-word U.S. state capital)
• FAT TUESDAY (33A: Another name for Mardi Gras)
• ACID HOUSE (46A: Music subgenre that influenced trance)
• HEAT OF THE MOMENT (61A: State of temporary but intense excitement)

COOKING FUNDAMENTALS: The first word of each theme answer is a FUNDAMENTAL element of COOKING: SALT, FAT, ACID, HEAT.

SALT FAT ACID HEAT: Mastering the Elements of Good Cooking is a 2017 cookbook by Samin Nosrat, which was a New York Times bestseller and won the James Beard Award. Today those four FUNDAMENTAL elements serve as the components of a crossword theme. Thank you, Rafa, for this delightful puzzle.

For more on USA TODAY’s Crossword Puzzles

• USA TODAY’s Daily Crossword Puzzles
• Sudoku & Crossword Puzzle Answers