New Good Eats Episode - Tortillas Again

The next new episode for this season premieres Wednesday night at 10pm EST.

The Food Network Description:

Tortillas Again
AB finds himself in a fix when a local cooking club pickets his house protesting the fact that he doesn’t use enough leftovers. Luckily the Mother of Culinary Invention appears to illuminate the way to redemption. The target food: tortillas, and lots of them. A little experimentation later and the kitchen is full of lasagna, masa-tots and a serious platter of nachos.

Hungry Detective Canceled

Well, those of us over on the Good Eats Fan Page(GEFP) forums found out late last night that the Food Network is not ordering a second season of the Hungry Detective. We'll be sad to see such a good show disappear.

Why was it a good show? Chris Cognac is a great guy and his personality comes through on the show. He's a regular Joe, a local cop, and I think he can easily connect with a majority of the audience. He even takes the time to chat with people on forums and likes to hear what people think of his show. With just a few messages in the GEFP forum I feel like this guy is one of my friends; somebody I can joke around with or meet for a beer or three.

The style of the series is familiar: a host goes around to different cities and highlights some of their local foods. What makes the Hungry Detective different is that he makes an effort to find where the locals eat. Not the uppity fashionable locals, but the everyday people who work and live and eat in their own town. Chris' show is also not used as a blatant marketing promotion for boutique eateries as we see on the Dean Boys show every week. There is no sit-down session detailing each item and how you can order it online. No, Chris seeks out locals and asks them what they like and even sits down to eat with them and makes them a part of his show. If you ever wanted to visit a town and experience it as the locals do, then Chris Cognac is the guy you want to ask.

Why is it not being renewed? Well, for starters Chris isn't beautiful or trendy. I don't mean that in a bad way at all; I mean it in aFoodTV sort of way. Chris looks like most of America and speaks to you as if you are a friend of his. Apparently that is not fashionable lately. No, fans clamour for a giant head with a permanent smile or some Southern boys who can't find their way around a grocery store. Chris seems to be too 'normal' for Food Network. That makes me sad because I really enjoyed the Hungry Detective.


Where to go from here? All hope is not lost for Chris. The Hungry Detective may just be another stepping stone to build on his career as a food reviewer. His local restaurant reviews for the Daily Breeze are the core of his work and this was a branch out from there. His appearance on Feasting on Asphalt also drew rave reviews from the Alton Brown camp. What next? Possibly more side work for the Food Network? Or possibly even work with the Travel Channel. Now there's a network that seems to value the opinion of a regular guy. Take a look at AnthonyBourdain, John Ratzenberger, or Mark DeCarlo. I can see Chris fitting right in with those guys more than in the Food Network lineup.

Visit Chris Cognac's Website and drop him a line!

Feasting on Asphalt

Feasting on Asphalt is finally being re-aired! Saturday night the series kicks off at 8pm EST and runs through all four episodes! I can't wait to sit and watch all of them together.

Pantry Raid 6 Repeats

In case you missed it the first time 'round, Pantry Raid 6 will air again:
Friday night (Jan 19th) at 11pm EST and 2am EST

******UPDATE********
FoodNetwork has changed the show listing to MythSmashers for tonight. WHo knwos which episode will actually air now?

Good Eats: Pantry Raid 6: Lentils

How much more can Alton Brown cram into a single episode? I had to look at the clock to make sure it was only an half-hour episode. We were entertained and informed by Deb Duchon the friendly local food anthropologist, a group of snooty Frenchmen with an appreciation for the Chairman and Iron Chefs, some Star Trek mischief with good ol' neighbor Chuck, and a View Master show on Grains of Paradise (and a chat with Emeril on the phone)! And yet, he still manages to explain and prepare three recipes! This Alton just keeps getting better and better with each episode!

There were also some elements only Alton Brown fans would appreciate, such as his dog Matilda's bowl and, unless I haven't noticed before, some new specs and possibly a new watch. Keen Good Eats fans will also notice that Alton gets just a little bit more comfortable with each new episode and everything seems to fit together that much better; one might say flawlessly nowadays. Of course with his background in the film industry the camera angles and effects bring even more interest to the show. Recurring characters like Chuck, and real people, like Deb Duchon, have also become a staple of Good Eats. Alton and Deb even joke about their typical pattern of banter in this episode, referring to the direction that the conversation should take before continuing on. I like to see that Alton recognizes his fan base and brings that added element of immersion to the show for us; you almost feel like you know the guy sometimes!

Look for more new Good Eats episodes in the weeks to follow! Not it's time to get to the store for a bag a lentils!

New Good Eats Episode Tonight

Pantry Raid 6: Lentils, airs tonight!! Salad, soup, and cookies; sound slike a complete high-fiber meal to me!

I'm Just Here for More Food Review

I'm Just Here for More Food: Food x Mixing + Heat = Baking, Cookbook of the Day
by Nicole Weston

As entertaining as Alton Brown is, I can't help but think of him as more of a cook than a baker. The reason for this is that he likes to play with science and although baking is certainly scientific, the methodology is not what is going to take your baking to the next level. Technique is important, but flavor may be more so.

That said, there is plenty of flavor to be found in AB's baking book, I'm Just Here for More Food: Food x Mixing + Heat = Baking, just not the extensive range of old and new combinations that you might find in a book from a professional pastry chef - and if you're not looking to emulate cutting-edge, five-star at home, you shouldn't have any problems here. Alton is precise, thorough and very accessible, due to a generous use of entertaining illustrations sprinkled throughout the text. His recipes and methodology are well explained and will provide the reader with a solid base of knowledge of the hows and whys of baking. On top of that, they always turn out good results (barring technical difficulties, of course), so you have a built-in way to reward yourself after learning a new lesson. Recipes include topics from scones and cakes to custards and candies.

Original article here

New Good Eats Episodes in Production

Here are a few Good Eats episodes listed as 'in production'

Pomegranates, Corned Beef/Brisket, Spinach, Lentils, Espresso, Cornish Hen, Gumbo

Dates have already been set for the lentils, cornish hen, and gumbo episodes, so we'll probably have to wait until March or April to see the others released.

Visit Alton Brown's site here

New Episodes Coming Soon

Here's a list of new Good Eats episodes premiering in January and February:

Pantry Raid 6: Lentils -- January 17th

Tortillas Again -- January 31st

Bowl O' Bayou -- February 14th

Fowl Territory -- February 21st

Can't wait!

Good Eats DVDs on Sale

Food Network has most of their Good Eats DVD and book collection on sale for almost half off! Stock up while you can!

Check out the deals here!