Alton Brown and Good Eats

New Good Eats, Countdown to T-Day

2011-11-19T10:35:00.001-05:00

Alton Brown's next to last Good Eats episode will premiere this Sunday at 8PM EST. Countdown to T-Day will feature turkey, potatoes, gravy, and pecan pie. As always, Alton has an interesting take on the main dish. This time we are looking at a 4 day dry brine for the Turkey.

Also, Alton will be hosting the live Food Network Thanksgiving show this year from noon-2pm EST this Sunday. There is also a pre-game show on FN's website. Get all the information here.

Enjoy the shows and Happy Thanksgiving to all!

On Vacation

2011-10-05T16:45:00.001-04:00

Hi All,
I haven't posted in a while due to a few things. First, life has been really hectic lately and family comes first here. Secondly, while I'm a big fan of Alton Brown, I'm more of a fan of his work than of him as a celebrity. I'm eagerly awaiting to see what future projects he's working on, though lately he's been devoting most of his time to speaking engagements and his new book tour.

You can find details for Alton's book tour at his site
Alton has also settled in to Twitter and I've heard he's on Facebook, or at least planning to be, and is off and on with Google+

Thanks as always for stopping by and hopefully I can get some time to do a Good Eats recipe test or two soon; especially with the finale coming soon.

Alton Brown gives Twitter a Second Chance

2011-08-31T14:23:00.002-04:00

After storming off in a huff and leaving his fans high and dry on Twitter, Alton Brown appeared out of nowhere today to give Twitter, and perhaps other social media, a second chance. Alton started off with,"Within a week I will not only reinfect twitter but appear miraculously on another social site as well. Watch the skies!" As to other what other social site he mentions we'll have to wait and see. He is already on Google+, so that's two to keep up with now. As for Facebook, I can already predict a swift departure like what we saw with Twitter.

While I enjoyed Alton's previous posts on Twitter, it was a bit of a pain when he departed last time since I was flooded with messages on Twitter and email about why he left. I really hope he sticks it out this time. I also hope he keeps up with the posts on his own website since we get a lot more interesting information there.

You can follow Alton on Twitter : @AltonBrown, or my postings there @AltonBrownNews

Interview with Alton Brown: Good Eats wrap up, future projects, etc.

2011-08-27T12:10:00.002-04:00

Hi all, sorry I've been away for a while. Lots of family activities, new carpet, a business trip, a car hit-and-run (no worries), and even a garage sale wedged in there. *whew!*

I just read a wonderful interview by Rodney Ho with Access Atlanta regarding Alton Brown's wrap up of Good Eats and some of his upcoming projects with Food Network. There's some really good information in there, such as a new FN series on food history, an e-book project AB is working on, and even mention of some of our favorite GE characters returning for the Thanksgiving special. Enjoy!

Alton has several upcoming book signings coinciding with the release of the final volume of the Good Eats trilogy. You can find dates and locations listed on his site here.

Speaking of Alton's site; AB has been publishing some greats posts in his Notebook section. As most of you know, there was some fallout on Twitter recently and AB has quit. It was fun for a while to see AB's train of thoughts and what he is up to, but in there end I think keeping to his own site has produced better content despite losing contact with his fans. I won't get into the gossip there. *update* Darcy was so kind as to let me know Alton is posting regularly on Google+ now.

Once school kicks off after Labor Day I'll start putting together some more info with the book signings and other appearances Alton has been, and will be, making around the country.

Thanks for stopping by,
Rich

New Good Eats Special: Right on Q

2011-08-01T22:42:00.000-04:00

One of the final Good Eats episodes will be airing this Saturday at 8:00pm. Right on Q is an hour long special featuring smoked pork. Really looking forward to this one!

A couple more updates in the world of Alton Brown:

Alton has been posting quite regularly on Twitter. @altonbrown I still am keeping up the @altonbrownnews ID for posting events and info; plus AB has nearly quit Twitter once already. We'll see how things pan out in the coming months.

Alton Brown's website has undergone a makeover. It's not 100% complete, but it's about damn time for a refresher. He does have a 'notebook' section, but the site is really lacking in fan info, such as book tours, speaking engagements, new shows, etc. It's looking like I may need to get back to updating this site and Twitter more often.

If you are still enjoying this site and want me to continue posting from time to time please feel free to drop a comment. I know there is still a lot of traffic, especially on older recipe review posts, so I do feel somewhat guilty for not pushing forward as the regular Good Eats series retired.

As always, thanks for stopping by,
Rich

Revamped Alton Brown Website

2011-07-01T00:13:00.000-04:00

The long awaited revamped AltonBrown.com is finally up. Just glancing at the main page it looks great, even on my iPhone. I'm on vacation in Michigan wine country now, so I'll check it out this weekend on the big screen.

Good Eats Reruns Back on FoodNetwork

2011-06-22T22:50:00.000-04:00

Good Eats reruns will resume Monday in a new timeslot: 11:00AM. That's right, Good Eats in the morning. I can't remember ever seeing Alton Brown before dinnertime. Of course, this goes along with FoodNetwork's trend in recent years of killing any and all actual cooking shows during prime time to make way for more reality shows. I'm surprised they moved GE to a weekday schedule instead of during the weekend cooking show mix where Alton's quirkiness seems more at home.

In other news, Alton posted on Twitter today that the new, yet temporary, revamp of his AltonBrown.com will be up on July 1st. I'm hoping he plans on bring back the Alton Shop, yet with a better selection of Alton Gear this time around. I'm also hoping for some more info on the upcoming Good Eats BBQ special soon.

Good Eats 3: The Later Years available for pre-order

2011-05-19T15:06:00.000-04:00

Good Eats 3: The Later Years available for pre-order on Amazon for $24.25!

I'm looking forward to this final volume in the Good Eats compendium, though it makes me a bit sad to see the series fade out. Typical Alton Brown humor int he cover art through, especially with the yeast puppet eyeballing the broccoli. I can head their little burps in the background.

Alton Brown's Spiced Bread Pudding

2011-04-30T16:19:00.000-04:00

This week I made Alton Brown's spiced bread pudding from Good Eats: The Proof is in the Bread Pudding. My first challenge was finding an appropriate loaf of bread for the project. In keeping with Alton's method, I wanted to bake the mixture in a large boule. Surprisingly, the bakery in my local market didn't have anything to fit the bill and the dough for the mini boules I make at home does not have enough structure to form a large enough loaf. In the end, I took a drive to the closest bakery and found what I needed. Well, at least it was close. It is an Italian bakery, same as my local market, and despite outside appearance, the boule was nothing more than standard Italian bread inside.

Once I had the bread it was time to get to work. I assembled all the ingredients with only one change, I substituted the rum with butterscotch schnapps; my wife's secret weapon for chocolate chip cookies. As I pulled out the hardware I realized my second challenge; there's a reason Alton mentions using an 8 cup blender. My classic Oster Beehive looks great in all it's candy apple red glory, but it has a mere 5 cup capacity and only one speed: high. No where near the size of AB's commercial grade behemoth, I had the fun task of trying to create an emulsion while working in batches. There was also a good deal of foam towards the end from the high speed mixing, though it settled by the time the bread was ready for soaking.

Alton's cross cut method of disemboweling the bread worked like a charm. I set the bread sections in the oven to dry while I assembled the software. The bread was fresh and had a good deal of moisture to release, so I left it in the oven for two hours. Rotating the pieces every 15 minutes helped to speed the process. Finally, I added the liquid to the bread for a good soak. I used a large Pyrex baking dish instead of a roasting pan and it was sufficient to hold everything. I was surprised that the bread soaked up nearly all of the liquid and it was well worth the long 2 hours. Meanwhile, I toasted the shell in the last half hour.

The bread/custard mix fit perfectly back into the boule shell and I set it into the oven perched in a cast iron skillet as recommended. I poked a roasting thermometer into the loaf and set the alarm for 165F instead of going by time. I would estimate that it took around two hours to bake. It took some serious willpower to let the bread pudding rest for half an hour since my whole house smelled delicious at that point!

So, the big question, how was it? Definitely well worth the time and trouble. The Italian bread boule I used lacked structure but still held up with the density of the custard. The shell was also too tough and needed to be picked up by hand after the interior was ~~scarfed down~~ eaten. Next time I'll likely just bake the bread pudding in a casserole dish and definitely use a more substantial bread; such as the challah used in the chocolate version. The cherries and raisins were a good pair, though you could let your imagination run wild with different combination since the custard itself is rather neutral in flavor. An extra dash of cinnamon and nutmeg, vanilla extract, or even hazelnut syrup would make a good addition.

The verdict: definitely Good Eats.

Everything but the Boule

2011-04-13T23:34:00.000-04:00

I was glued to the TV watching Alton's latest installment of Good Eats since, like AB, I absolutely love bread pudding. It's also something I've never attempted to make at home since my wife, generally, is the baker/dessert queen.

I picked up everything missing from my cupboards for this application except for one: the boule. I shop at a local Italian market with a wonderful bakery, though the only bread they make is the standard Italian loaf and some rolls. They did have three large boules from an outside bakery, but for some odd reason they were all sliced. The rest of the specialty bread was whole grain, rye, etc. So, no bread pudding today :-( I'll have to venture out to another Italian bakery down the road to try my luck or, if that fails, take a a bit of a drive over to Panera Bread or any other bakery I can find within reasonable distance. Another option for future testing is to use the small boules I make every week. They're only about 6 inches, but could make a perfect dessert for holidays. But that's another post :-)

p.s. It was sad when Alton and Thing pulled out the giant binder of categories for 'another show.' You never now though, AB might run another series some day; even if only from behind the camera.

Alton Brown Signs a New Three Year Deal with Food Network

2011-03-29T10:55:00.001-04:00

Alton Brown has signed on for another three years with Food Network. The contract includes continuing on as host of Iron Chef America and The Next Iron Chef as well as guest appearances on other FN shows. As for Good Eats, my suspicions have been confirmed as there is only a Thanksgiving Special on the slate for now. I can't say I'm too surprised as GE has been running for over 10 years and FN has been moving further and further away from quality production cooking shows. Enjoy the last few Good Eats episodes while you can! The good news I see in this is an open door for Alton to pursue some new outlet for his talent. We've seen what he can do with specials like Feasting on Asphalt. Let's hope for more!

p.s. I noticed in the lasagna episode he points to his wrist when talking about 'time' and for once in his life he doesn't have a watch on!

New Good Eats: Chicken Pot Pie

2011-03-20T17:57:00.000-04:00

Alton Brown will tackle three variations of chicken pot pie in A Bird in the Pie is Worth Two in the Bush Monday night at 11:30pm on Food Network.

I'm starting to get a little worried about the future of Good Eats with the current schedule. I guess Food Network didn't think there was room for ANY cooking shows in the evening lineup.

New Good Eats Monday: Devil's Food Cake and Red Velvet

2011-03-13T11:39:00.000-04:00

Alton Brown reverts from healthy to dessert this week with a show on Devil's food cake and red velvet cake. Yum! After a mostly straightforward show last week, I'm hoping for some more entertainment to go with my Good Eats this time. I expect a certain Good Eats devil to at least make an appearance. Once again, the new episode does not air until 11:30pm. I'm starting to wonder what, if any, plans Food Network has for Good Eats in the future.

New Good Eats Monday Night: Chickpeas

2011-03-07T10:53:00.000-05:00

Finally, a new Good Eats airs Monday night, but not until 11:00pm. Chickpeas is the topic and I'm looking forward to this one. We eat a good bit of hummus and falafel at my house; both of which are covered in this episode. As always, it will be interesting to see Alton's take on these recipes.

Alton Brown Appearances

2011-02-09T14:06:00.000-05:00

Alton Brown is currently making the rounds at a few fundraisers and other speaking events. Yesterday he gave a presentation at Georgia State University. College students are great with cameras, so there are probably some videos on YouTube already.

This weekend:
Alton will be doing a fund raising appearance at the school his daughter attends; the Walker School in Marietta, Georgia on Saturday.

Coming up in March:

Alton will be at the Hippodrome Foodie Experience in Baltimore, Maryland March 19th. Tickets start at a hefty $94, but does include an aftershow tasting event.

Alton will also be making an appearance at a gumbo cookoff which is raising money for people affected by the Gulf oil spill and for the Dauphin Island Sea Lab in Dauphin Island, Alabama. The March 26th event tickets range from $125 - $130.

Scant Pinch of Good Eats

2011-02-06T16:25:00.000-05:00

Hi, yes, I'm still here. Good Eats has been pretty scarce around the Food Network circuit lately so there hasn't been much to post. There are new episodes coming up and I'll see if I can dig up some info as to when they will start airing again. I also have a couple of Alton Brown appearance I'll get sorted out and posted very soon.

On the cooking front I haven't really tested anything new in the past few weeks; mostly just winter classics to keep warm. I've been recording Aarti Party on the weekends and hope to make an attempt at Indian food soon.

Frustrated Snacker

2011-01-09T16:17:00.000-05:00

I have a Snickers bar that I'd like to eat in peace,
Three days desire grows for this luscious little treat,
Always some disturbance deviates me from my snack,
A quiet moment for this feast sadly do I lack,
Prepare the wrapper to unravel,
Crinkles seem to psychic travel,
A toddler magically appears,
"May I have some please?"
No you can't, no you shant,
This is Daddy's and Daddy's alone,
Now I have to listen to my child whine and moan,
Back in the drawer to wait some more,
My little chocolate tease,
I still have a Snickers bar that I'd like to eat in peace.

Anyone who has been around kids will know what I mean :-)

New Good Eats; Meringue

2010-12-27T10:00:00.003-05:00

New Good Eats episode coming up Thursday night at 7:30pm Eastern on Food Network. Egg Files VII: Meringue. Food Network actually has the recipes up early for once.

Baked Alaska
Oeufs a la Neige
Pavlova

Probably the most interesting list I've seen in a while. Looking over the applications, there is a lot of ground to cover in only a half hour show. I don't expect too much in the way of elaborate entertainment themes unless Alton plans to cut some corners.

Not Much Good Eats this Week

2010-12-18T15:25:00.000-05:00

Good Eats has taken a backseat this holiday. With only one airing of last year's GE Christmas episode and a couple episodes coming up Monday night, it looks like Food Network is trying to mix things up a bit. One listing of note is the Good Eats: Down and Out in Paradise special will air late December 27th.

Maybe Alton is finally getting that time off he's been wishing for so much in all his interviews this year?

New Good Eats Episodes in Production

2010-12-06T17:37:00.000-05:00

On Alton Brown's website is a list of upcoming Good Eats episodes in production! Looks like a nice mix of comfort classics and healthy dishes.

Pantry Raid - Chickpeas
Chicken Pot Pie
Fish Stew
Lasagna
Devil's Food/Red Velvet Cake
Cauliflower
Bread Pudding
Dinner Rolls
Pantry Raid - Asian Noodles

Alton Brown's Oatmeal Cookies

2010-11-24T12:33:00.000-05:00

I've made two batches of Alton Brown's Oatiest Oatmeal Cookies so far and have been really pleased with them. Oatmeal cookies have admittedly never been my favorite, but Alton's recipe has moved them up quite a few notches in my cookie rankings. The gimmick with the Good Eats version is using flour made from rolled oats instead of AP flour and this definitely sets them apart in terms of taste. I found the cookies to have a great toasted/nutty flavor and, as a bonus, they are gluten free. They're delicious, versatile, and I have to say very good eats. There will be plenty of these going around at Christmas this year.

This is a pretty straightforward recipe since it doesn't call for any exotic ingredients, though you do need a good food processor to make the flour. Make sure to thoroughly pulverize the rolled oats into a powder or you may end up with dough that does not come together or gets to dry during baking. The only change I recommend to the stock version is dropping the granulated sugar a bit since it overpowers the other flavors and is noticeable in the texture. In my second batch I dropped the sugar from 3.5 ounces to 3.0.

What I love about this recipe, besides making me like oatmeal cookies, is the myriad of flavors you can bring in without fussing with the recipe. In my first batch I added a mix of 2oz. raisins (not soaked) and 2ox. dried cranberries. I'm not a big fan of raisins, but the texture works well with the cookie and the cranberries added a little kick. For the second batch I used 2oz. dried cherries and 2oz. raisins and was even more impressed. Cooking time ranged around 13-14 minutes per six cookie batch. I didn't bother rotating the pans since my oven has a record of heating evenly. After cooling, the cookies were crunchy on the outside and still a bit moist in the middle. I found that it was better to go with a bit larger bit of dough, a rounded scoop in my disher, or the cookies tended to flatten to the point of being too delicate and breaking in the middle. The larger scoop also helped retain some moisture in the middle.

For my next trick, I will try to replicate one of my favorite treats, the oatmeal/cherry/chocolate Boomchunkas from Cherry Republic in Traverse City, Michigan. I'm also thinking a crushed candy cane version for Christmas and a mixed dried berry variety with cherries/blueberries/etc. Any other ideas?

Alton Brown, Pumpkin Pie, and South Park

2010-11-19T12:34:00.001-05:00

I don't know if I enjoyed this week's episode of South Park or Good Eats better. I haven't watched South Park in years, actually didn't know it was still running, but they did an awesome job this week in taking on several Food Network hosts. Much to my delight, Alton Brown was first and foremost on their minds, with everyone from Bobby Flay to Paula Deen in the mix. Alton actually appeared in both his Good Eats and Iron Chef personas, which really makes me think they spent some time watching FN or are already fans for GE. You can find the South Park episode here, it is definitely an adult theme, but done tastefully enough for SP. Warning, food shows will never be the same after you watch this one :-)

On to the pumpkin show! The entertainment was kind of lame, with cast members playing Ben Franklin et al. at less than the usual standard, but the knowledge and cooking segments were spot on. As I had mentioned previously, October would have been better timing for pumpkin season, but at least here in the Midwest you can easily find some decent varieties around. I'm hoping to test one either the soup or pie recipe next week.

Things have been a little hectic lately with the surprising loss of my favorite pet and other family events. so bear with me. I did make a batch of Alton's oatmeal cookies last week, which was a success. The one thing I'd change right off is to drop the granulated sugar by at lest an ounce since it overpowers the other flavors. I'll get some pics and a full review up soon. Really :-)

New Good Eats Thursday: Pumpkin Pie

2010-11-16T14:49:00.000-05:00

Reminder! The Good Eats pumpkin pie episode will air Thursday night! Alton's going all out and making the pumpkin puree from scratch. Should be interesting to see if it's worth the trouble instead of getting it from a can. The soup is going to be interesting and definitely something you will only see on Good Eats. My only beef with Alton on this episode is that it's a month late for most of us to pick up a fresh local pumpkin; something he feels strongly about. My guess is that FN thought this episode would tie in nicely with all the Thanksgiving shows this week and next.

Food Network actually has the recipes posted already:
Pumpkin Pie
Pumpkin puree
Whole pumpkin pie soup

Alton Brown Updates

2010-11-09T00:37:00.000-05:00

I know, I've been neglecting my blog lately; especially with all the new Good Eats episodes out. Fear not, I am getting ready to test out some of the new ~~recipe~~s applications this week. First up are the oatmeal cookies and squash frittata, then I might backtrack to the old butternut squash soup recipe. I'm thinking about finding a good nutrition calculator out there on the Net and plugging in Alton's recipes to get a rough idea where things fall in line. My curiosity was piqued by his version of oatmeal cookies with the homemade oat flour; how will that one compare to other recipes. I have also noticed that a lot of traffic still comes in regarding the Live and Let Diet episode, so there are definitely some people who might be interested in knowing the nutrition info for Good Eats recipes.

In other kitchen news...I had to replace my toaster. I was dumbfounded by how difficult it is to find a good toaster that is not stainless steel and doesn't cost $300. I ended up with a hot rod red Bodum Bistro toaster. It's easy to clean, unlike all the stainless in my kitchen, and most importantly it makes great toast. It's the perfect breakfast companion for my Tassimo coffee maker, though sadly that wasn't available in red :-(

What's Alton Up to this month? Lots! Yet another new Good Eats episode is coming up next Thursday (Nov. 18th.) covering one of my favorite desserts, pumpkin pie! There's at least one more episode due out for season 14: Egg Files VII: Meringue. Food Network has been shifting the Good Eats schedule around lately, so make sure to check your local times. I'm getting new GE eps on Thursday @ 7:30pm now! What?

Alton is appearing at the Fabulous Food Show in Cleveland this weekend. And for the kid in all of us, Alton Brown will be on Sesame Street Nov. 26th and riding along on the Tom Turkey float in Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade!

I'll get some GE recipe reviews up as soon as I do a trial run and maybe talk about some other good things I've been cooking up over the past couple of weeks!

Alton Brown to be in Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade

2010-10-19T16:11:00.000-04:00

I just received my (second to last) copy of Food Network magazine in the mail and was shocked to see Alton Brown in actually in there for once. He has an article on cooking the perfect turkey and also a recipe for chipotle mashed sweet potatoes, which is recycled from Good Eats: Potato My Sweet.

But wait, there's more! The exciting little tidbit I noticed at the bottom of one page was that Alton Brown himself will be appearing on the Tom Turkey float in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade! Now that is a pretty cool honor.

Alton Brown Interview

2010-10-17T10:58:00.000-04:00

There's a good article in my local Detroit Free Press this morning! The author does a nice job of mixing in the typical background info with some interview tidbits. Alton talks about how time consuming his professional life has become between producing Good Eats and traveling for the Iron Chef shows and his new book tour. One reprieve for him seems is that the book tour allows him some time to get in the pilot seat of his plane, which is one hobby he doesn't get to enjoy enough. He also talks about family and some views on life. With all the talk of his lack of vacations and intense focus on health issues, you can tell he is at somewhat of a crossroads in his life. The Freep article captures Alton's current dilemma a bit better than more cursory interview pieces.

Good Eats: Tempura

2010-10-12T15:43:00.000-04:00

I finally was home long enough to sit down and watch last week's Good Eats episode on Tempura!

The best part of the show, at least for me, was the giant Tempura Monster! Definitely one of the best props I've seen in a while on Good Eats. Alton's reactions were priceless too. I say this was the best part for me because, well, I hate deep frying. I LOVE to order tempura veggies at one of the local sushi joints to kick off my meal, but not enough for me to deal with the whole process and mess.

With that out of the way, I did enjoy this episode for all the information and the amount of focus on the process. I was a little taken aback by Alton's nastiness towards the electric deep fryers after watching him make corn dogs in one on the first Man Food episode the other day. Tune in this Friday night @7pm to catch it if you have an electric range like myself and are interested in electric fryers. And while I'm sure it works well, using two different flours and 100 proof vodka for what is supposed to be a basic recipe seems downright complicated for most people, though Alton is known for making things overly complicated from time to time. It would be interesting to know if actual Japanese chefs are using flour mixes or straight AP flour int he restaurants.

Another new Good Eats episode is coming up this Thursday night: Oat Cuisine II. Food Network doesn't ave any recipes listed yet, so I'm interested to see what concoctions AB comes up with for adding oats to the daily menu. I picked up a bag of rolled oats while at the store today just in case!

Alton Brown's Pork Wellington Revisited

2010-10-01T15:19:00.000-04:00

A little over a year ago I tested Alton Brown's pork Wellington as featured in Good Eats; Tender is the Pork. It was good, relatively easy to prepare, and looked wonderful as a centerpiece to a meal. I thought it could use more flavor, or at least a different set of flavors. Click here for the old review

I made the following modifications to Alton's Pork Wellington application:

substituted the prosciutto with rosemary & sun-dried tomato deli ham

omitted the mustard, left it as a condiment
omitted the apple rings
stuffed the tenderloin with goat cheese and raw baby spinach
substituted the thyme with fresh sage from my garden

With the adjustments I made it turned out wonderful. The goat cheese added a nice kick and dressed it up even more for presentation. This is truly a versatile dish with endless possibilities since pork works well with so many flavors. I'm already pondering new versions such as sauerkraut or roasted veggies.

A few preparation tips:

Make sure you allow enough time for the puff pastry to thaw before starting your prep work
Balance the moisture content of the filling with new variations, the loin is juicy already
Make sure to use parchment paper when baking
After moving the Wellington to a cooling rack, cut a few small slits in the bottom to let excess moisture drain or it may come flooding out when you slice it for serving

Feel free to leave comments about any ideas you have for new variations!

p.s. Sorry, didn't have a chance to take any pictures this time!

Alton Brown will appear on Sesame Street Nov. 26th

2010-09-29T21:47:00.000-04:00

As I mentioned a few weeks back, Alton Brown will be appearing on Sesame Street. According to Muppet Wiki, Alton will be featured in the Word on the Street segment with my favorite Muppet, Murray! The episode, Rahki Road, is scheduled to air November 26th. Despite being the day after Thanksgiving, Alton will not be showing kids how to construct their own turkey derrick. Instead he will teaching them about recipes. That's right, recipes, not applications. We'll have to see if he finds some way to sneak the application in there just for fun.

New Good Eats Airing Soon

2010-09-28T15:00:00.000-04:00

A couple of new Good Eats episodes will be airing on Food Network very soon! Alton will be tackling tempura, oats, and Halloween candy.

October 7th:
Fry Hard III: Fry, Tempura, Fry!

October 14th:
Oat Cuisine II

October 28th:
All Hallows Eats

Recipes are not listed on FN's site yet, but sometimes they do get them up before the shows air.

America's Best, Not so Great

2010-09-28T14:10:00.000-04:00

Wow, caught up with America's Best last night and was really disappointed. Over the years I've seen countless 'best of' food shows and they are typically mildly interesting or at least somewhat amusing for half an hour. America's Best, despite having Alton Brown as the host, really fell short of the mark. The series is obviously created by the hipster foodiefans at Food Network Magazine who believe charging an arm and a leg for average food at some swank joint qualifies as the pinnacle of cuisine. After watching the American Classics episode I didn't have the heart to watch Sweets and just deleted it from the DVR. I'm sure Alton gets paid plenty by FN for these hosting gigs and I can't blame him. As we've seen on Feasting on Asphalt and GE, AB does actually care about food.

Live Chat with Alton Brown Tonight

2010-09-26T10:02:00.000-04:00

Food Network is hosting a live chat with Alton Brown Sunday night at 7pm est.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/alton-brown-chat/package/index.html

America's Best Poll

2010-09-21T15:48:00.000-04:00

I haven't put up a poll in a long while, so here's your chance to have some fun. The first episode of America's Best is still waiting for me on the DVR, so let me know what you all think of the series. Does Alton bring along his quirky personality to spice up the tired genre of 'best of' food shows or does it drop flat? I'm a fan of Good Eats Alton and live show Alton, but find Iron Chest Alton to be kind of bland. Curious to see how viewers think he handles America's Best.

VOTE---------------------->>>>>

That other skinny guy with the glasses

2010-09-21T15:25:00.000-04:00

Drew Carey has mirrored Alton Brown with a drastic weight loss; reportedly 80 pounds. Hmmm..closet Good Eats fan?

Good Eats: The Middle Years Arrives!

2010-09-21T15:15:00.000-04:00

Well looky who showed up on my doorstep this morning. Noneother than Mr. Alton Brown!

Good Eats: The Middle Years covers seasons six through ten. I believe Alton and his crew really stepped up the show into the high quality program it is now. There are also many more episodes in this era that appeal to me with recipes likely to make it to my kitchen soon. Just glancing quickly through the new book, it appears to contain more instructional pictures for procedures than the first volume, such as folding tortellini and layering/frosting a cake. The great little sketches are still there of course! And for further enjoyment, there is a DVD with '15 short subjects' included. We'll have to wait and see just what is one there.

Alton Brown's Book Signing Tour Schedule

2010-09-17T23:28:00.003-04:00

In case you missed it, Good Eats: The Middle Years in due out for official release October 1st. Amazon, however, informed me today that my copy has shipped. GE: The Early Years did ship a few weeks early, so I'm hoping to have the new book in my hands in a few days. The Middle Years includes a DVD, so I'm excited to see what is on there; hoping for bloopers and behind the scenes info.

Here are a few chances to catch Alton Brown on the road during his upcoming book signing tour. Some listings indicate a talk about the book the Q&A with Mr. Brown before the signing. Double check with the host location for more details and specific time slots. Hopefully more dates will be added in November.

Monday Oct. 4th 7pm
Princeton, New Jersey
Barnes & Noble

Wednesday Oct. 6th 7pm
New York City
Barnes & Noble Union Square

Friday Oct. 8th Noon
New York City
Sur la table (75 Spring Street)

Saturday Oct. 9th 10am
New York Food and Wine Festival (demo and signing)

Saturday Oct. 9th 4pm
Times Talk with New York Times, Julia Moskin will interview Alton Brown
Live audience and signing afterward
242 West 41st street

Tuesday Oct. 12th 7:30pm
Miami Beach, Florida
Books & Books hosting live event with Alton Brown @ Lincoln Theater
Ticketed event, check link below for store contact and ticket prices
http://www.booksandbooks.com/alton_brown

Wednesday Oct. 13th, 7pm
Birmingham, Alabama
Books a Million

Thursday Oct. 14th 7:30pm
Raleigh, North Carolina
Quail Ridge Books

Saturday Oct. 16th 7:30pm
Austin, Texas
Texas Book Festival
Central Market 4001 N. Lamar Blvd. Austin, Texas Barnes & Nobles will be book the book seller

Sunday Oct. 17th 1pm
Houston, Texas
Costco 1018 Galleria, 3836 Richmond Ave

Monday Oct. 18th 10am
San Antonio, Texas
San Antonio Book & Author Luncheon
Marriott Rivercenter Hotel Booksigning starts at 10 am and goes to right before 11am luncheon, then resumes around 1:15 until around 2:30. Alton Brown will be speaking along with five other authors

Monday Oct. 18th 5pm
San Antonio, Texas
The Twig Book Shop

Thursday Oct. 24th 7:30pm
Atlanta, Georgia
Borders Books, Peachtree Road

Alton Brown has a New Series: America's Best

2010-08-17T10:37:00.001-04:00

Alton Brown will be hosting America's Best on the Food Network coming up in mid-September (20-23). The episodes will be divided into the Top Destinations, Regional Classics, Sweets, and Comfort foods. Not sure how many episodes will be airing, but from the listings there are a lot of places to cover. From the get go this is looking more like a popular spots rehash than anything like Feasting on Asphalt. Hopefully Alton lends some charm and/or interesting insight to the series to keep viewers from boredom. Quickly glancing over the lists I see the ol' standard Hominy Grill yet again listed under regional cuisine for Charleston, SC. Shrimp and grits? No surprise there, it's on the menu of practically every eatery in the area. Hominy Grill, of course, has been on just about every FN show to visit Charleston. Is it a great place to eat? Yes. Is it that much better than the myriad of other restaurants in the area? No. Is it too much to expect a little more variety when FN produces these shows over and over? Guy Fieri may not be everybody's favorite character, but at least his Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives finds new locales for us to see. And one only needs to look to Feasting on Asphalt to see what is truly possible in the search for good food.

With that said; I do hope America's Best turns out to be and interesting, or at least entertaining, series. I hate to see Alton become just another talking head for Food Network and lose touch with his creativity in film.

Alton Brown coming to Sesame Street

2010-08-14T10:25:00.000-04:00

Tip from the All About Alton Blog: Alton Brown will be appearing on Sesame Street this Fall season.

According to the Sesame Street's site, Alton will be featured on the Word on the Street segment with my favorite Muppet :Murray.

Alton Brown's Grilled Pizza

2010-07-08T22:02:00.000-04:00

Here's a a little teaser until I can finish my write-up on the grilled pizza. I'm about to sit down and watch the taco episode right now!

Alton Brown's Banana Pudding with Vanilla Wafers

2010-07-07T22:54:00.000-04:00

Ah, childhood memories of banana pudding. Alton Brown was lucky enough to enjoy this classic as a purely homemade dessert. I, on the other hand, had the classic Midwest version which consisted of pudding from a box mix at home or, most likely, from a large vat at a Sunday buffet. In fact, I had never even heard of the baked version. They both sound oh so good to me and this show went right up to the top of the 'must try soon' list.

So far the vanilla wafers are the only part to make it through my kitchen. I'll have to wait until I have some guests over before I tackle the pudding variants ~~so I don't eat the whole bowl myself~~, though I am really interested to taste the baked pudding. The wafers are easy to make since the recipe requires only a few ingredients and nothing exotic; assuming most of us keep real vanilla extract on hand. Into the Kitchen Aid, onto the cookie sheets, then into the oven in a jiffy. The baking time for my oven was 16 minutes; right within Alton's range of 15-20 minutes. The little wafers were crispy and packed a vanilla punch not found in the boxed variety! I can't say if using vanilla sugar would make any noticeable difference, but it couldn't hurt. One addition I'll try next time is a bit of nutmeg and/or cinnamon; might be good for holidays cookie mixes.

Even though I wasn't preparing either the refrigerated or baked varieties, I had noticed a box of instant vanilla pudding in the cupboard and tossed that in the mixer with an extra dash of vanilla extract for a quick cool treat (it has been nasty hot here this week). Added some banana slices and I was the proud parent of a delighted two year old!

Next up: the awesome grilled pizza I have been devouring the past two days!

Alton Brown Store Closing and cooking up Pizza, Pudding, and Tacos

2010-07-05T14:01:00.000-04:00

Well friends, the store on Alton Brown's site is currently closed. I'm hopeful though! We haven't seen much in the way of innovative products in AB's shop over the years and maybe the clearance and closure portends many new and exciting things to come. We'll just have to wait and see. Speaking of, it's about time for me to rummage through Amazon and see what cool Good Eats gear I can find. Just this past weekend I was lamenting the decision to put off my purchase of A Thermapen instant read thermometer.

In more exciting news: There is yet another new Good Eats episode coming our way! American Classics VIII: Tacos will premiere Thursday night at 8:30pm EST. In this show Alton will cover everything from making your own flour tortillas to taco sauce and, of course, the beef and fish in between.

Recent episodes and experimentation at my house!

Yesterday I made a batch of AB's roasted asparagus to go with some grilled NY strip steaks. Awesome indeed! He was right about the other flavors asparagus is capable of producing when cooked in various ways. I've always just steamed mine, but roasting may become a new standard. I didn't use nutmeg as the recipe calls for, though the lemon zest did add a nice touch.

I managed to find a jar of malted barley syrup at my local Italian produce/meat market. I was thankful since the closest Whole Foods store is a ways off and that always gets multiplied when you have a toddler in tow. I also picked up some mozzarella balls and nice, juicy large tomatoes for my first foray into grilled pizza. I have both of my grills set up and need to decide which will take on this experiment. Gas would be easier, though I just bought a new grate for my Weber (made BBQ ribs Saturday). Lisa at the All About Alton blog recently fired up her grill, so head over there for some good pizza reading while I get mine going within the next few days.

Finally, banana pudding. This show got me excited! I used to love the ol' vanilla wafer studded pudding when I was a kid and haven't had it in years! I'm definitely going to make Alton's vanilla wafers this week; not sure if I'll go all out for the pudding just yet though.

Alton Brown's Grilled Pizza Recipe

2010-06-27T11:39:00.000-04:00

Since Food Network has not posted it, Lisa at the All About Alton blog was gracious enough to transcribe Alton's grilled pizza dough recipe along with the variations AB made on the show.

Alton Brown Takes a Second Look at Pizza

2010-06-25T01:23:00.000-04:00

Alton's grilled pizza looks good! Since I have both grills out for some experimenting lately, I may have to do a test batch and see how it comes out. The only difficulty may be finding a bottle of malted barley syrup; never heard of the stuff. For what was supposed to be a simplified and quick dish, why did he have to pull out an uncommon ingredient that most people are not going to have around? I do have some stock-up shopping at the mega mart tomorrow, so hopefully they have it.

Flat is Beautiful follows Age of Asparagus as another good episode focusing on the cooking without too much interruption and/or overkill on the technical details. The eggs Benedict show annoyed me a bit with the constant use of that ~~damned~~ big red timer. I've been watching a lot of Jamie Oliver on the Cooking Channel lately and off the wall style emphasizes how overly complicated Alton can get on occasion. Really, how am I supposed to drop a temperature probe into a pan that I'm holding on to and constantly whisking while moving it from burner to burner while poking the timer with my nose? While I appreciate the precise measurement and timing required for baking; other dishes need not so much rigidness. I try to enjoy cooking and too many rules makes it more of a chore or akin to homework. I don't need to be told that half an ounce of this cheese and 1.5oz. of that cheese is the specified amount for my pizza; that's something better left to individual judgment.

That said; the methodology in this episode was much more compact than the original Flat is Beautiful, which Food Network had the sense to air right before for comparison. You can really see how far Good Eats has advanced in the 9 years between episodes. There's no more stop/start action and tangents int he middle of a process; the layout and transitions is much more fluid. I also noticed that Alton pokes fun at himself in both; labeling himself a 'nerd' in the first and the into commentary in the second. And, of course, the Emma Peel gag made it's way into both. In Good Eats: The Early Years, AB mentions a fan gave him a peel engraved with 'Emma.' I guess that didn't make it into the new show.

If I can get my hands on some malted barley syrup and, hopefully, find a bit of time this week, I'll try to get some pizza making pictures up. Don't hold your breath too long, I may not get out to grill until next week since I work all weekend.

p.s. For a little eye candy, here's some chicken yakitori I made yesterday:

From Alton Brown and Good Eats

Good night and Good Eats!

Alton Brown, Asparagus, and Pot-Bellied Pigs

2010-06-10T23:38:00.000-04:00

Asparagus, my beloved first vegetable of the season! I was looking forward to, and was rewarded, by the variety of the recipes in this episode. Alton pulled off a good one here; basic ingredient, simple prep and cooking methods, and just enough information to cover all the bases without boring the viewer. Sadly, asparagus season is pretty much at its end here in Michigan; land of asparagus!

I have always resorted to steamed asparagus as a side dish without ever giving any thought as to how I could dress it up or spice it up a bit. Alton's microwave steaming method is something I will definitely test soon; especially since cleaning that darn steamer contraption is a pain. The oven roasted asparagus looks equally good and may just be what I've needed for some veggie variety. The green terrine looks interesting and would probably be a good appetizer to set out for guests with some toasted French bread rounds or crackers. I have to ask though, has anyone seen quark at the store? There is a great selection of cheese at my local market, so I may just have to nose around a bit and see what the Italians have that is similar. Is it just me or does AB salt the heck out of his asparagus?

I thoroughly enjoyed that Alton spent more time on cooking than on background and extraneous information than the past few episodes. Sure, Porterhouse Rules had the ingenious Chaplinesque factory scene and Grillus Domesticus would intrigue film students with the back and forth panning during the grilling session, but what I want to see in a cooking show is application. Understandably, with Alton being first and foremost from the film industry, Good Eats can get carried away with cinematography and comedic elements from time to time. Don't get me wrong; those are integral ingredients in what makes Good Eats so much better than many of the ~~lame~~ other cooking shows out there and is usually well done. My favorite episodes are typically those like Age of Asparagus that introduce a little diversity, though there are some that do actually require a whole show due to complex cooking methods like BBQing pork or smoking fish. Asparagus was successful in maintaining focus while still tossing in small doses of the fun elements, such as the levitating bread pans, 2001 microwave angles, and stinky pee discussion.

p.s. Does Alton really have a pot bellied pig running around his house now? For some reason that wouldn't surprise me in the least. He does love his bacon :-)

New Good Eats: Age of Asparagus

2010-06-09T14:48:00.000-04:00

Thursday night is all about veggies this week. Good Eats kicks off at 8pm with Undercover Veggies, which focuses on hiding parsnips from unsuspecting children. A new episode on asparagus follows with, hopefully, some good recipes. I go through a lot of asparagus in the spring/early summer months and the only thing I've ever done to the poor veg is steam it. I have to say though I'm not going to build a new contraption in my backyard just to cook some asparagus :-)

Alton Brown: Evil Salt Corporation Minion!

2010-05-30T10:56:00.000-04:00

Today's New York Times health section tries to drag Alton Brown into the not-so-healthy mass consumption of salt by Americans. It's a somewhat lame attempt to draw attention to a bland (needs salt) article that falls between corporate conspiracy theory and health news. Alton doesn't really figure into the story, but author Michael Moss launches with this:

"“Salt is a pretty amazing compound,” Alton Brown, a Food Network star, gushes in a Cargill video called Salt 101. “So make sure you have plenty of salt in your kitchen at all times.”"

I like how the author says 'gushes' as if Alton is an evil minion of the salt industry. Guess he needs to sit down and watch some Good Eats and realize that Alton is very much opposed to processed foods.

Good Eats: Porterhouse Rules

2010-05-23T09:35:00.000-04:00

There are two things we know Alton Brown loves: grilling and steak! This week's new Good Eats episode will feature the delicious Porterhouse steak. Food Network's site doesn't have the full details on the Porterhouse Rules episode yet, so I don't know if there will be anything other than information, grilling technique, and some form of tongue in cheek entertainment. Perhaps some kind of steak sauce? As a bonus, FN is airing GE: Raising the Steaks in the 8:00pm time slot to get us worked up. My mouth is watering as I look out the window at the lonely grills on my deck.

Alton Brown Talks College, Film, and Food

2010-05-12T11:03:00.000-04:00

A good Alton Brown interview came up on the newsfeed this morning. The piece in the Athens Banner-Herald has some good discussion with AB on his days at in college at UGA and working with REM for a video shoot and also some tidbits on what he cooks at home. It's a bit refreshing to see something other than the constant pre-written rehash of his career that has become all too standard since the 10th Anniversary Good Eats show came around.

Check out the article here

New Good Eats on the Way

2010-05-11T22:28:00.000-04:00

Alton Brown will be kicking off season 14 of Good Eats in a few weeks featuring more outdoor grilling! Grilled chicken is something that has taken a lot of practice for me, so I'll be watching to hear what Alton has to say on the topic. Grilled pizza also sounds interesting, though there is the slight 'I wonder if he's going to over-complicate this one' though in the back of my head. Eggs Benedict; never had it, but maybe I'll have to try it now.

Here's the current list from Food Network's site. They're not always 100% on the ball there with dates and times, so I'll keep you informed if anything changes.

Grillus Domesticus: Grilled chicken
Airs June 3rd

Little Big Lunch: Eggs Benedict
Airs June 17th

Flat is Beautiful V: Grilled pizza
Airs June 24th

Paper-mâché Chicken says, "Grill some more!"

Quick Alton Brown and Good Eats Update

2010-04-22T11:02:00.000-04:00

Quick Alton Brown and Good Eats updates:
I just got back from a week long trip to Charleston, South Carolina. Sadly, I didn't have time to go restaurant hopping as much as I'd hoped, but I did make it to Jack's Cosmic Dog at the last minute! Weather was perfect, couldn't have asked for better.

There's a new episode coming up next Thursday:
Good Eats: It's a Pan, It's a Dish, It's Paella

And here's a rundown of Good Eats episodes currently in the works:
Asparagus
Banana Pudding
Tacos
Porterhouse
BBQ Chicken
Grilled Pizza
Pumpkin
Eggs Benedict

Good Eats: The Middle Years

2010-04-08T22:19:00.002-04:00

Good Eats: The Middle Years is now available for pre-order though Amazon. As has been the norm lately, the new book is already being offered at a discounted price. Officially, The Middle Years is due on the shelves October 1st, though Amazon customers got lucky and received theirs a few weeks in advance (oops!).

Publishers Stewart, Tabori & Chang are sure to roll out another well laid out and detail volume for Alton Brown. The new cover art is an obvious homage to James Bond, whose references often crop up in Good Eats episodes from the infamous "W" to quirky gadgets around the kitchen. I've recently been going through some recipes in The Early Years and am eagerly awaiting the next issue! I also can't help but to notice the words "includes bonus DVD" at the bottom of the cover. Hopefully it will feature some good behind the scenes footage.

While there is not yet any information on the publisher's site, below is the product description from Amazon.

"Good Eats: The Middle Ages picks up where Good Eats: The Early Years left off, showcasing everything you ever wanted to know about Alton Brown's award-winning television show, Good Eats, with behind-the-scenes footage, recipes, cooking tips, show trivia and much more. Nobody conveys the science of food and the chemistry of cooking better than Alton Brown. His particular genius is teaching viewers the chemistry of cooking and baking with levity and a wink and a smile. On his long-running TV series, Good Eats, Brown explains everything culinary from how to properly cook a steak to how to make beer at home. With episodes titled "The Frosting Man Cometh" (ganache, 7-minute frosting, icings), "Fit to be Tied" (meat roulades), "French Flop" (omelets), and "A Beautiful Grind" (sausage-making), Brown always finds a way to present the science lesson with humour and wit. With hundreds of photographs from the set of the show, along with Alton's inimitable line drawings and signature witty writing, the book is the comprehensive companion to the show and just what his fans have shown they will buy."

Alton Brown's Curious Case of Curry Spices

2010-03-30T23:47:00.000-04:00

I immediately recognized the spice container in Curious Case of Curry from a Feasting on Asphalt bonus DVD segment. Hopefully he sent her a free set of salt cellars :-)

New Good Eats Tonight: The Curious Case of Curry

2010-03-29T11:46:00.000-04:00

Time for some international cuisine with Alton Brown tonight. Good Eats: The Curious Case of Curry airs at 8pm Eastern on Food Network. I was really hoping AB had mastered the curry soup from the Feasting on Asphalt bonus disc, but looks like just grilled lamp dish this time around.

On another note: From the tone of the chicken and dumplings show I expected a lot more opinions on dumpling varieties, but was surprised not too see too much action in the poll or in the comments section. I'll have to ask around when I'm in South Carolina next month and see if they have a local spin.

Alton Brown on Chicken and Dumplings

2010-03-23T21:54:00.000-04:00

Just when I thought Alton had traded in his old clothes for a new coffee bar Hipster wardrobe, the infamous bowling shirt makes a come back! Poor guy. He probably gets tons of fan mail telling him what to wear, how to get his hair styled, and asking how many watches he owns. :-)

Chicken and dumplings. I have to admit, I do not recall ever having a bowl. I tell you this though, it looks darn good. I love chicken noodle soup and those dumplings can't help but take it to the next level. Dropped, rolled, twirled, thrown, flopped. I can't say one way of the other which method of dumpling making is better; or even if one is better. Every time I make chili it is completely different; why can't my chicken and dumplings be that same way? I know, let's have a poll while I think over which method to test first.

New poll!!!! How do you prefer your chicken and dumplings. Look over on the left side of the page for your options and vote away! Knowing that the majority of my blog readers come from all parts of the US and Canada, the results should give a rough and thoroughly unscientific guesstimate of the North American dumpling preference.

p.s. I bought a new stock pot today with this episode in mind. I really can't see getting enough use out of a pressure cooker, but a good stock pot will definitely come in handy!

New Good Eats Monday: Don't be Chicken of Dumplings

2010-03-20T16:53:00.001-04:00

Alton Brown tackles classic chicken and dumplings in the new Good Eats episode Monday at 8pm. Recipes will feature both rolled and dropped dumplings. Looks like he'll be using a pressure cooker to kick start the broth, but I imagine standard chicken broth prep will work just as well.

Good Eats Praline Bacon: Lessons Learned

2010-03-19T22:08:00.000-04:00

It's bacon! At least it started out that way...

I picked up some thick cut applewood smoked bacon at the market the other day with the intention of testing Alton Brown's praline bacon recipe featured in the Ballad of Salty and Sweet episode of Good Eats. I usually pour maple syrup on my breakfast sausage, so this didn't seem like too much of a jump for me, though I was curious to find out how sweet it would be in the end. The recipe is simple enough and preparation is straightforward, but I had three things working against me: Amish bread, Heineken, and Anthony Bourdain.

Let me explain...

Amish bread is akin to a chain letter in the form of a bread starter. You are given a plastic bag of the starter and have to care for it for 10 days, then you get two loaves of sweet bread and get to pass on three portions of start to friends. How does this relate to praline bacon you ask? Well, we used all of the chopped pecans for the numerous loaves of that darn bread!

I cranked up the oven to 400 and laid out the bacon on a cooling rack topped baking sheet. Alton said 30-35 minutes, so I set the timer to 30. This is where things started to go downhill. Oven came to temp, bacon rack went in, I poured myself a Heineken and sat down to watch a Bourdain episode I had on the DVR. Fifteen minutes later the smell of bacon was wafting into the living room; adding to the atmosphere of Chinese dumplings on TV. 15 more minutes flew by and the timer went off. Uh oh! The bacon was a bit overdone with more oven time to go!

I added the brown sugar and substituted the missing pecans with chopped hazelnuts and tossed the lot back into the oven for a few minutes. It was not enough to fully melt the sugar, but the ends of the bacon were already getting burnt. Took the rack out and let the strips cool for 10 minutes.

Not quite ready for Hollywood

So, how did it taste? Awesome! Even with the bacon being overdone and chunks of brown sugar falling off, the flavors still melded together. It reminded me of the nice outer crust on a Honeybaked ham, but with a more intense molasses flavor. The hazelnuts sufficed, but I believe pecans would add even more to the complex flavor. I didn't get too much of the salty-sweet essence, though cutting back on the amount of sugar mixture would allow the bacon to play a more prominent role in the flavor. As Alton suggested, I crumbled some up on a bowl of ice cream and finished watching No Reservations.

Lessons learned for next time:
1: Hide your ingredients, but always be ready to find a quick substitute.
2: Watch your bacon in the oven as you would in a pan, check after 20 minutes and keep an eye on it.
3: Get your bacon sliced very thick if you can.
4: Bacon makes everything better, but you can even make bacon better.

Enjoy!

Good Eats Dark Salty Caramels Demo

2010-03-15T13:20:00.000-04:00

The salted caramels Alton made on last week's Good Eats looked delicious. I'm a fan of the sweet/salty theme, even like to put a little kosher on my chocolate ice cream, but sadly I've had some disasters in the candy making department. However, Lisa, who writes the All About Alton blog, has done a wonderful demo of the caramel making procedure. Head over there and enjoy!

New Good Eats Episode Monday: Ballad of Sweet and Salty

2010-03-07T13:39:00.000-05:00

Hey Alton Brown fans! There's a new Good Eats episode set to air Monday night. The Ballad of Sweet and Salty will feature Dark Salty Caramels, Grapefruit Brulee, and Praline Bacon!

That's right, praline bacon. Definitely not on Alton's diet plan, but he still strives to make bacon even better (I jest). Hmmmm...I don't know if that qualifies as appetizer or dessert. I believe I have had, or at least have seen, a pralines with bacon bits. Alton's flipped version would be a lot less sweet and a good deal meatier.

Alton also has a 'green deal' on his website shop. A green glass salt cellar and a dinosaur spray bottle for $20.

New Good Eats Monday: Curry

2010-02-19T21:24:00.000-05:00

Alton Brown is bringing us yet another new Good Eats episode on Monday at 8pm EST. The Curious Case of Curry. Fans of Feasting on Asphalt, or at least owners of the first DVD set, may recall Alton saying that the curry soup the hotel owners made for him was one of the best things he had ever had and could not replicate it when he got home from the road trip. I imagine there will be a good dose of history in this show to trace the origins and influences of curry and the multitude of spice varieties. Definitely looking forward to this one!

Stay tuned for bacon pralines and chicken 'n' dumplings in a few weeks!

p.s. I had to resort to enabling word verification for comments after getting tired of all the spam and gibberish clogging up my comments section lately. I apologize if I haven't responded to your comments recently and hope that the word verification isn't as cumbersome as some systems I've dealt with on the Net.

Thanks as always for stopping by!

Alton Brown on Cholocate

2010-02-08T13:00:00.000-05:00

Alton Brown is seriously into chocolate this week! Aside from a few airings of Good Eats: Art of Darkness series, Alton will be appearing on this week's Best Thing I Ever Ate episode. The theme? Chocolate of course!

Best Thing I Ever Ate: Friday @ 10PM EST.

Good Eats: Art of Darkness I (moose and lava muffins)
Tuesday 11pm and 2am (Wed)

Good Eats: Art of Darkness II (brownies, hot cocoa, syrup)
Monday 8pm and 3am (Wed)

Good Eats: Art of Darkness III (fudge pops, truffles, frosting)
Monday 8:30pm and 3:30am (Wed)

Enjoy!

New Good Eats Episodes in Production

2010-02-06T13:05:00.000-05:00

New Good Eats episodes are currently underway in the Good Eats studio! Glad to see some more grilling shows in the mix, since AB takes his grilling seriously :-)

Asparagus
Banana Pudding
Tacos
Porterhouse
BBQ Chicken
Grilled Pizza
Pumpkin
Eggs Benedict

Alton Brown Coming to Philadelphia Area

2010-02-06T12:43:00.000-05:00

Alton Brown will be making an appearance at the Calvary Creek Church in Souderton in support of the Indian Creek Foundation's programs for children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The February 19th event will include a presentation and cooking demonstration by Alton Brown.

Calvary Creek Church, Souderton, PA.
February 19th, 7:30pm
Tickets start at $25

Linkage:
Philly Fun Guide

PhillyBurbs.com

Thoughts on Eating at Walt Disney World

2010-02-03T17:40:00.000-05:00

We recently returned from a few well deserved days at Disney World and this morning I was pondering the food selection available to Disney guests. My conclusion is that the food at Disney World is great.* <--Yes, there's an asterisk there. There needs to be an asterisk since the variety of items, prices, and availability truly confounds things. If you have time and money it is easy to eat healthy and try a variety of excellent dishes. On the other hand, if you're in the grab and go mode, like many guests there, it can be ~~a pain in the butt~~ tedious to provide your family with a good meal while touring the parks.

The Good

The dining plan is a great upgrade for resort guests if you have time to plan some of your meals. Reservations are highly recommended for most restaurants, especially if you will be eating during peak meal times. The dining plan will not only save you some money, but makes a wide variety of the finer foods accessible for those on tight , or even moderate, budgets. We ate at Boma, our resort restaurant, two nights and enjoyed the array of ~~Americanized~~ ~~bumbed down~~ slightly ethnic cuisine and variety of healthy foods, such as veggie dishes and fruit. Avoiding fast food can be difficult when traveling and this was a welcome deviation after two days on the road.
As concierge level guests at the Animal Kingdom Lodge, we had access to the private lounge. Not something everyone would be willing to pay extra for (not too bad in the off season), but we definitely got our money's worth in both convenience and food. Every morning we had our breakfast there and enjoyed the appetizers, African beer, and cordials later in the day when relaxing at the hotel. The lounge really came in handy for keeping a ~~unpredictable~~ picky toddler satisfied at a moments notice. We also enjoyed the counter service food at the Morocco pavilion. My wife is half Lebanese and being able to find some Arab ethnic food was a treat while away from home.

The Bad

While the dining plan made eating at some of the nicer restaurants affordable, we had to make reservations which impacted our ability to relax during the trip. Every night I had to plan around our scheduled dinner time. It's not so much an issue with singles or small groups, but makes family excusrions ~~frustrating~~ more difficult. Also, not all sit down restaurants at Disney are created equal. Some, like Boma, had a great variety and were worth the time and money, while others, like 1900 Park Fare, left a lot to be desired. I understand that they need to try and please everyone, but at those prices I expect a higher level of cuisine. The highlight of the trip for my daughter was the polka band at the German restaurant at EPCOT, though I wish they had a little more variety in their food choices.

The Ugly

The counter service eateries at Disney definitely are wanting, especially at the resorts. The first thing that is usually on every menu board is the bacon double cheeseburger. No, there isn't a plain ol' cheeseburger, just the extreme variety. There are a few exceptions, notably some of the ethnic locations at EPCOT, but the lion's share are not much more than fast food at twice the price. Disney puts in some effort to make salads and healthy sides available, but the main courses often resemble McDonald's combo meals and with little other options for dinner. Considering the ~~ransom~~ cost of sit down restaurants, $35 buffet at Boma, not many families can afford a readily available decent meal after plunking down some serious cash on the trip. Disney could definitely improve things with a partnership with an outside eatery, such as Subway or Taco Bell, to mix things up a bit. With as much effort as Disney goes through to make everything perfect, somehow the food service aspect confounds them.

The trick is to be prepared when you go to Disney. I recommend Deb's AllEars website (or one of the other great Disney travel sites out there) for the menu listings and reviews of Disney eateries, as well as a wealth of other planning information. If you go prepared there is a great variety of awesome food to be found, though without any preparation you may find yourself wondering whether you want chicken nuggets or a bacon double cheeseburger for the fifth meal in a row.

Chris Cognac 'The Hungry Detective" on Fine Living Network

2010-02-03T12:07:00.000-05:00

Hey Chris Cognac fans, Hungry Detective episodes are currently airing on the Fine Living Network. If you don't know Chris Cognac, most Alton Brown fans will remember the jovial LA cop from the first Feasting on Asphalt. His short lived series, Hungry Detective, only lasted one season on Food Network, but still pops up once in a while. I enjoyed Chris' every day Joe style to that of Guy 'winner winner chicken dinner' Fieri's showboating. Chris is also a restaurant reviewer in addition to being a law enforcement officer, which gives a bit of weight to his choices and critiques.

Not sure what Chris is up to nowadays. His old blogs haven't been updated for quiet some time. Chris, if you're out there, how about an update? I think Alton needs to find a way to work him into an episode of Good Eats or whatever future road trip he takes!

Wait! Is that burger on Alton's diet plan? :-) Looks like it may contain things from a few of his lists though...

New Good Eats Monday: Raising the Bar Again

2010-01-23T19:14:00.001-05:00

According to Food Network's site, Good Eats: Raising the Bar Again will premier Monday at 8:00PM EST. Alton Brown has Margaritas and the classic Bloody Mary on the menu for this episode. Now we really know why AB bought that big blender! :-)

Scenes from Alton Brown

2010-01-13T10:38:00.001-05:00

Scenes from Alton Brown’s Cooking Demo at the Gourmet Show, Atlanta, GA

Posted using ShareThis

Alton Brown on Best Thing I Ever Ate

2010-01-09T12:44:00.000-05:00

Well, I missed it. Never even thought to look at the show listing after the Live and Let Diet episode, but Alton Brown was on Best Thing I Ever Ate last night. For those of you Feasting on Asphalt fans, you'll remember one of his first stops at Jack's Cosmic Dogs near Charleston, SC. In fact, I was alerted to his latest appearance by an article from a Charleston news station, Live 5. According to owner Jack Hurley, Alton's recommendation has led to a lot of new business, "There will be two or three folks every day because Alton Brown -- he recommended it." Here's the full Live 5 article on Jack's Cosmic Dogs. I'll definitely have to stop by there when I visit Charleston again this Spring.

This episode of Best Thing I Ever Ate is scheduled to re-air on Tuesday night at 9:30est for all of you, like myself, who missed out.

P.S. Remember the scene of him running potatoes through the slicer? Yeah, he claims to have given french fries up. We'll see how long that lasts since he has a slicer at home :-)

New Good Eats Episodes on the Table

2010-01-07T15:20:00.000-05:00

Just a reminder of what Alton Brown has in store for us with Good Eats. That is, whenever Food Network gets around to airing them. As you can see, AB hasn't fallen off the yummy food wagon despite his change of personal eating habits.

Good Drinks - aka Raising the Bar Again - Margarita and Bloody Mary, may air Jan 25th
Chicken and Dumplings
~~Weight Loss~~ - been there already
Paella
Curry
Catfish and Hush puppies - I love hush puppies almost as much as I love shrimp!
Salty and Sweet

I've been looking forward to a curry episode ever since the segment on the first season Feasting on Asphalt DVD (didn't make it to aired version). The crew stopped by a little hotel, in Georgia I believe, and the family who ran the operation invited them in for a curry soup/drink. AB said it was one of the best things he had ever tasted and couldn't replicate it when he got home.

Alton Brown on Cooking to Reduce Stress

2010-01-07T14:29:00.000-05:00

Do you find cooking to be relaxing? Fun? Exciting? If you're a fan of Alton Brown and his Good Eats show, you can likely answer 'yes' to at least one of those questions. I found myself giving conflicting answers when I read the article Cooking Away Stress by Judy Hevrdejs of the Chicago Tribune this morning. It made me ponder: Do I really enjoy cooking and does it help me relax? My first reaction was 'Heck no! I'm tired of trying to crank out meals for my family and scrape together a menu and go shopping twice a week.'

In the article, Alton Brown describes the act of cooking as very relaxing and a big stress reliever. This level of enjoyment obviously lends itself to his endless creativity with Good Eats. Alton mentions, "Slicing, dicing and chopping — the rhythm of that is something I enjoy and find relaxing. But I also really, really, really like to knead dough. I like the physical action of getting my hands into it. … I find that physically rewarding." This is the essence of a hobby and one that somebody truly enjoys. Whether gardening, woodworking, or cranking a wrench on your old car's engine; we can all find a bit of solace in losing ourselves in a project for fun. Thinking of cooking in this light made me think twice about my initial reaction. Maybe I do really enjoy being in the kitchen.

When given the time by myself to cook I treat it as a hobby, even if I am preparing a meal for others. I love trying new recipes or just experimenting with what I have in the fridge. I get ecited when I pull out my shiny Wusthof blade from its case and going to work at the cutting board; all the while managing two or three things on the stove. I get into my element and find my groove. That is what I call the Joy of Cooking. It's not without frustration, there are a few dishes that have gone directly to the garbage disposal, but the majority of the time I find satisfaction with the end result. There is something more though. When I can share my cooking with others, there is real pleasure when they say how good it is or ask me how I put it together. Looking back on yesterday afternoon and I picture the look of delight on my grandmother's face and my daughter and I expressed how good everythign tasted.

Good Eats has been a staple in my TV diet for years, not only because it is entertaining, but because I'm always learning something. What I have learned this week is not about losing weight or what foods I shoudl eat, but rather that if you want to get something more out of life or to reach a goal you really do need to focus a lot of energy into the process of change. Alton did so with with his diet and I can see that I need to do the same when I think about cooking. Chasing the next meal will never get me any satisfaction, but better planning and taking a little bit more time to focus on the actual cooking process I enjoy so much is a goal I need to work towards. On that note I'll leave you with one more article quote from Alton Brown:

"In my business, it's really easy to get to the point where you hate food and hate all cooking. Then I go cook eggs, and it's like wow, look at that little miracle. Look at everything that eggs do. To me that's a magic trick."

Good Eats: Live and Let Diet

2010-01-05T13:17:00.000-05:00

Last Night's Good Eats episode, Live and Let Diet, was very informative, but also managed to be entertaining without deviating from the central theme at all. As most Alton Brown fans know, he has lost a significant amount of weight this past year. Many fans, even myself, have said at times he looks a bit sickly or too skinny, but I have to applaud him for taking a common sense approach to losing weight. His method relies on focusing on nutrition instead of focusing on a specific food, portion size, herbals, etc.

Despite his logical approach, I have to say I don't like the tone he takes when talking about overweight people. From comments he has made in interviews, along with descriptors in the show (ugly, disgusting, horrible, etc.) and the caricature of the junk food eating guy at the gas station, there is an element of visual vanity instead of the notion of 'I need to lose weight because I'm unhealthy.' This attitude might turn off a lot off a lot of people before they even listen to what he has to say.

What Alton Brown has to say about eating a healthy diet makes sense on the chalk board, but needs to be fleshed out more to make sense when you're planning your menu for the week. It would be helpful if he posted an example menu for a week or two on his website so we can see how he managed to fit all of the foods on his list into his daily routine, and also how he planned meals. Of course, anyone who's cooking for a family knows the real kicker: how do you change your eating habits and change the habits of everyone in your household at the same time? Additional recipes would be great too. The items he prepared on the show sound delicious.

Well, I'd have to try the avocado-sardine toast before I can say how good it is, but the fruit smoothie and ginger almonds make my mouth water. I do love kippered herrings, but finding good avocados, especially for a reasonable price, seems to be difficult lately. The smoothie looks really good. Alton has a problem with milk tempting him to eat cookies and such, plus he mentioned he's lactose intolerant on a previous episode, but it would have been informative to compare the nutrition of milk vs. soy milk for making a smoothie. The blender was a top notch Vita-Mix model like you'd see in a restaurant though! Finally, I'd skip the pepper in preparing the almonds, but that's just my personal taste. I'll have to look up more almond variations so eating one variety doesn't get boring.

The book. No Alton has not written an autobiography on his diet yet, though he has mentioned the idea. I have mixed feelings. While it would be interesting to know all the details, it also would move his image one step closer to the Rachel Ray type of over-marketing that he has managed to avoid. I also find a heavy dose of irony in buying a few cook books full of delectable dishes like fried chicken and lava cake, then picking up a diet book by the same author. There is one major tidbit of information that Alton left out of the show, and one that was crucial to his losing fifty pounds: EXERCISE.

Yes, that's right, he didn't just follow the diet plan as laid out on the chalk board. He also had to combine a heavy dose of exercise into the regimen. There's no easy way to lose weight, at least not any healthy and easy way. I see Alton's lists of foods as a new way of eating fr him, not a method for losing weight. If you're going to lose weight you have to burn off all those extra calories you have stored. He touched on the issue of taking in too much energy at the gas station, but never really got around to how you are going to get rid of what you already have stored. This would veer off course for a food show, but it gives the impression that you just follow his food list and you're going to shed pounds. I was surprised by this omission sicne AB's always explaining cause and effect or how and why things happen.

Overall, a good show. I like the recipe selection and would like to see more along those lines. I like the logical way he went about changing the way he eats, but don't like that he failed to mention how much exercise was involved in burning off 50 pounds. I also have some questions remaining when I look at his lists and think about how I would implement such a program and I'll leave you with those.

Questions for Alton Brown:

How do milk and soy milk compare nutritionally? They're two very different items.
What happened to pork and poultry?
Alcohol: are you talking mixed drinks or beer too?
What about other common food items: rice, eggs, cheese, other seafood, etc.?
Just how many copies of Good Eats: The Early Years do you have sitting around the studio?

Alton's Brown's Diet Lists and Mayo Clinic's Superfoods

2010-01-05T12:24:00.000-05:00

OK, I'll start off with the lists Alton Brown had on the new Good Eats show last night since I've already had a few requests here and on my Twitter account.

Foods to Eat Daily

Fruits
Whole Grains
Leafy Greens
Nuts
Carrots
Green Teas

Foods to Eat 3 Times per Week

Oily Fish
Yogurt
Broccoli
Sweet Potato
Avocado

Foods to Limit to Once per Week

Red Meat
Pasta
Desserts
Alcohol

Foods Totally Eliminated

Fast Food
Soda Pop
Processed Meals
Canned Soup
Any type of "diet" foods

Alton also mentioned the Mayo Clinic's list of Super Foods. There are foods that meet several criteria, including large amounts of nutrients, low calorie density, and are readily available to consumers. You'll notice that Alton managed to fit at least 7 of the 10 into his lists and recipes. There's a lot of additional nutrition information on the Mayo Clinic site to peruse.

Almonds
Apples
Blueberries
Broccoli
Red Beans
Salmon
Spinach
Sweet Potatoes
Vegetable Juice
Wheat Germ

New Good Eats Monday: Live and Let Diet

2010-01-02T13:15:00.001-05:00

Alton has a diet show coming up Monday. Well, it's supposed to be about eating healthy to lose weight not dieting. I hope he doesn't veer into the preachy mode on this one and keeps with his usual entertainment/infotainment Good Eats formula. I still have faith in Alton Brown!

Anyhow, the recipes are already listed on Food Network's site:
Sardine toast, ginger almonds, and a fruit/soy smoothie. Now there's an interesting meal plan :-)

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-25T11:31:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas everyone!!!!!!!!

Cauliflower 'Cream' Soup. Yeah, it's healthy

2009-12-09T17:15:00.000-05:00

Just in time for the nasty winter weather I made some cauliflower soup. Since there's been discussion about Alton and weight loss, I guess this one can fall into the healthy category as well. It is a cream style soup but uses no cream, so it's really low fat and has lots of whatever good stuff is to be found in the veggies used. Also, it was be made vegetarian or have sausage added. I had one of the PBS stations on in the background while I was working the other weekend and noticed this dish on Sara Moulton's show and also on some vegetarian show too. It's a really easy soup to add your own touches to and the following is what I cobbled together.

The first thing on the list is cauliflower, the size of which will determine the rest of your volumes. I was surprised at home many recipes I found on the Net specified exactly how much of what you need when a head of cauliflower can vary greatly. The ingredient list is what I ended up using with a pretty large head of locally grown cauliflower. If you're picking one up from the grocery store, it's likely to be smaller and you can certainly make a smaller batch, just adjust the volumes accordingly. Secondly, as I mentioned, you can used sausage or leave it out for a vegetarian (or just lower fat) soup. And lastly, adding greens gives the final product a great texture and for this you can also use whatever piques your taste buds.

Ingredients:
1 head cauliflower (roughly chopped)
1-2 quarts chicken or veg. broth ( I used 2 quarts)
1/2 pound of sausage, chorizo/andouille/Italian*, etc. sliced (optional)
1 onion (roughly chopped)
1-2 Yukon or other waxy potato (peeled and roughly chopped)
Greens such as kale, spinach, mustard, etc. if desired

1. Get out your favorite soup pot and cook the sausage slices, then remove the slices for later use.
2. Sweat the onion, add some oil if not using sausage
3. Add the cauliflower, potato (you can reserve some florets to add later if you want a chunkier soup)
4. Add enough broth to cover the veggies and simmer for about 10 minutes until soft
5. Run the soup through a blender in batches or hit it with an immersion blender (much easier) until smooth
6. If adding extra veg. to your soup, such as cauliflower florets or heavy greens like kale*, add them now and simmer for a few minutes to soften. This is also a good time to add the sausage back in to the mix or keep on the side for serving time if you have picky eaters.
7. Add any extra seasonings to taste, such as salt & pepper, hot pepper flakes, lemon juice, hot sauce, nutmeg, etc.

* I used baby spinach for the texture, so I only added what I needed when reheating the soup since it will get soggy quickly. I used sweet fennel Italian sausage and it gave off a little too strong of a flavor after melding in the fridge overnight.

Enjoy! If you have any tips or personal variations please feel free to share!

Time Article: How Celebrity Chefs are Losing Weight

2009-12-06T14:26:00.000-05:00

A friend just forwarded a Time Magazine article on chefs and weight loss. Model Diets: How Celebrity Chefs are Losing Weight opens with some comments from Alton Brown. It sounds like he's gone off the health nut deep end a bit. Instead of eating healthier, he's eliminating foods since he views it as a habit and obviously a pretty bad habit. "You don't cut back on heroin, you don't cut back on smoking; you either quit or you don't," says Brown, who now snacks incessantly on avocados, sardines and almonds, having given up almost everything bad for him. "I decided there were foods I was just not going to have. I've probably had three tons of French fries in my life. I don't need any more French fries." The irony is that I just made his GE chips and fish the other day while reading his latest book! When I see this type of all or nothing attitude from people, I wonder if there's an underlying self-control issue. It's the reverse of saying, 'hey I'm overweight already, why not eat a lot more fries?' A lot of people have commented on how AB hasn't been looking too healthy after the big weight drop, which has to make you question how 'healthy' the process was and how far it's going to go. Makes you wonder what kind of foods we'll see on Good Eats from now on.

The other thing that stood out in the article was the mention that Alton is thinking about writing a book about how he lost 50 pounds. The hair stood up on the back of my neck and images of Rachel Ray popped into my head. Could a talk show be in AB's future?!

Busy Times Abound

2009-12-05T17:19:00.000-05:00

I've been busy this past week or so with computer upgrades and family activities, so haven't had much spare time for posting! My new Alienware system is up and running, but I still have to go through the laborious task of transfering files and downloading all those little programs, like Adobe and Flash, that we need nowadays. On the family front: wee took our daughter to cut down her first Christmas tree and had a nice day out at the Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield Village yesterday. I also learned the hard way that Scotch pine needles are not vacuum friendly! At least I finally have a really good excuse to buy a new vacuum :-)

Hope everybody's holiday plans are ramping up nicely!

Muppets Perform Bohemian Rhapsody

2009-11-25T16:51:00.000-05:00

The Muppets perform Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody! Hilarious stuff!

Alton Brown live on Youtube

2009-11-18T09:39:00.002-05:00

Alton has posted on his site that there's a live lecture on Thanksgiving Thursday the 19th @7pm. I was just looking at the Youtube Holiday channel, but haven't seen mention of the live video yet. Hopefully they'll post something soon.

http://www.youtube.com/holidaysolutions

Monday Poll: How do you like your turkey?

2009-11-16T07:59:00.001-05:00

OK Alton fans, Turkey Day is coming up fast. My question for you today is: How do you like your turkey? Fried, roasted, etc.? Vote away!

Also, has anyone attempted to make an Alton Brown Turkey Derrick? I'd love to see some pictures or hear your stories.

And those Good Eats pocket pies I made the other day? Delicious! The crust is great. The typical Michigan Cornish style pasties I'm familiar with tend to have a softer, but dryer, crust. AB's version had a little more of the flakiness of a pie dough, but was still soft and pliable like a biscuit dough. Good job Alton! Being that I only have three cherry pies left, I need to think up some new fillings. I'll take any suggestions. I took some action shots while making the pies. I'll have to post them soon!

ThinkGeek Waffle Iron Cookies

2009-11-13T21:01:00.000-05:00

I received a Tweet from ThinkGeek.com a little while ago asking why Alton Brown isn't on Twitter. I get this a lot on my @altonbrownnews account; at least a couple times per week. Well, it makes perfect sense that he would be on Twitter, being the scientific pop-culture junkie way in which he presents himself. In fact, he used to post to his personal website, but then there was a flood of internet garbage that flowed in when he had asked for submissions for refrigerator artwork. Here's his final post if you're interested. This may have turned him off before the big social media explosion, but I still hold out hope that he will return. If anything, his posts were great and it opened a little window into the mind of Alton Brown that few of us get to experience. Anyhow, onto the cookies!

A few adventurous souls over at ThinkGeek tested out prepackaged cookie dough with a waffle iron. Surprisingly, it looks like it turned out well. Enjoy the video! Good Eats fans will recognize the cut scene sweep sound effect. I also noticed they are using an iPhone timer app like AB switched to recently.

Alton Brown to Continue as Welch's Spokesperson

2009-11-12T11:33:00.000-05:00

Well, Alton Brown is continuing on as Welch's grape juice spokesman. The new ad campaign focuses on the fact that their grape juice is natural and will feature actual vineyard locations from some of their associated growers. Welch's originally picked up AB to talk about the science behind grapes, which played directly off his Good Eats background. I'd say that, with his passion for getting back to food basics, sustainability, and local growers, Alton is the perfect choice to front the new series of ads too.
There are several clips of Alton interviewing grape farmers at Welch's website. Enjoy!

p.s. In case you're wondering, it's the 'new and improved' skinny Alton sporting his short hair in these ads; not the long-haired dude of old. Here's a picture so you can see what losing 50 pounds and getting a ahircut can do. I'm teasing here, don't take me too seriously.

Good Eats Fry Hard I: Chips and Fish Recipe Tested

2009-11-10T22:54:00.001-05:00

Looking through my copy of Good Eats: The Early Years this morning, my stomach growled as I flipped past the Chips and Fish page. "Hmmm...I do need to make something for dinner." I didn't need any more convincing and cod just happened to be on sale at the market this week. I printed off a copy of the recipe from Food Network's site and noticed the FN version makes a slightly larger batch of batter and calls for double the potatoes.

There was no question I was going to test the recipe, but there was some pondering about the cooking vessel. I'm cursed with an electric stove. The two times I tried to make fried chicken ~~I burned it to a crisp and swore a heck of a lot~~, ... I just don't want to talk about those days. That's another Fry Hard show anyhow. My only convenient option was to dig my ~~cheap crappy~~ Rival deep fryer out of its dusty box in the basement. I told myself that if the fish and fries turn out well I'll finally break down and buy a good deep fryer.

For once I followed Alton's directions without any substitutions! Setup was a snap since there aren't too many ingredients and only a few pieces of hardware involved. I don't have a V-slicer or restaurant style potato cutter like Alton' mentions in his book, so I took care of the potatoes the old fashioned way, then dumped them into some cold water while I whisked together the batter. I used nearly a whole bottle of Palmetto Amber ale for the mix though only a cup was called for. In reality, I probably could have used the whole bottle. Just for quality control's sake, I sampled another bottle for myself.

The frying only required presetting the temperature levels for the three phases of cooking and keeping an eye on things. I'm still a novice when it comes to frying, so I took some cues from times mentioned in the book and guessed a bit. I don't know if it was the size of my potato sticks or temperature control issues with my deep fryer, but the chips could have gone for an extra minute (3-4 range) for the initial phase and longer, maybe 5 minutes, in the Golden Brown Delicious phase. The fish was nearly right on target, despite the first test piece getting stuck in the deep fryer's basket.

Overall I'd rate this dual application a success. With a few timing adjustments, and a better deep fryer, everything should turn out perfect next time. It was easy to prepare and cleanup was a breeze. Just for fun I also battered and tossed in a couple pickled okra as a reminder of the South to go with my last bottle of Palmetto ale.

Marsha Brown-Brady Video Compilation

2009-11-09T21:32:00.000-05:00

Thanks to a post from @powerbook_pete on Twitter about Alton's 'sister' Marsha being in a Pepto Bismol commercial, I went looking on the ol' internet to see if I could find it. Still looking for that one, but I did find a great compilation of Marsha Brown-Brady appearances on Good Eats posted on Youtube by Merrilyn Crouch herself!

Enjoy!

p.s. If anyone finds that Pepto commercial, feel free to frop the link in the comments section here or post to @altonbrownnews on Twitter. Thanks!

Alton Brown Live Lecture and New Good Eats

2009-11-08T13:00:00.000-05:00

The Where's AB listing on Alton's website says he has a live lecture coming up on Youtube November 19th @ 7pm EST. "Thanksgiving: 10 Things I Know About Food" I wonder if this is a take off of the '10 things' speech he's been covering at recent lectures or if it will all relate to Thanksgiving? Not sure on the details of how to get to the lecture, such as a link, but I'll keep my eyes peeled and post it here and at the @altonbrownnews Twitter account.

P.S. Don't forget Pantry Raid XII: Turning Japanese is coming up Monday night at 8pm! He should have Iron Chef Morimoto as his sidekick :-)

Belgian Waffles Anyone?

2009-11-07T17:23:00.000-05:00

I saw the Waring Pro Belgian waffle maker on Woot.com for $50 not too long ago. I had just returned from vacation and the hotel we stayed at had similar irons at the breakfast counter; used them every morning! So far so good, despite only using Krusteaz box mix. If you're looking for a professional style waffle maker, I'd highly recommend this one. I haven't tried sticking bacon in there like Alton did on the Man Food 2 show since the plates do not come out and it looks like it would be a pain to clean the grease out of the deep grids. I'm posting this because I noticed that Amazon has these waffle makers for only $68 right now. Usually they run around $100-$150!

New Good Eats Tonight: Once and Future Fish

2009-11-02T13:54:00.000-05:00

I'm expecting Good Eats: Once and Future Fish to be a very informative episode due to the fact that sustainable seafood is a big issue for Alton Brown. Recipes for the show are already listed on Food Network's site if you want to get a jump on what AB will be making. There's also a link to the Sunburst Trout Company on Alton's own website, so I assume he worked with them on this episode.

Good Eats: Once and Future Fish airs Moday night at 8PM! Enjoy!

Good Eats American Classics V: A Pound of Cake

2009-10-29T15:34:00.001-04:00

The Show

Alton Brown delivered a winner with the latest episode of Good Eats. A good mix of fun in the beginning scenes. The stream of characters going by the window to accompany his monologue was hilarious. After that AB got down to business with pound cake. I enjoy the shows where he stays focused on one main dish since it gives him more time to spend on the background and science segments. It also gives him an opportunity to go into variations, such as the buttermilk pound cake and lemon icing in this show. It's cute that Alton works his daughter Zoey into Good Eats episodes. One wonders if that will eventually lead to a career in acting/film like her parents?

p.s. Anyone else get the Graduate 'plastics' reference?

The Cake

It's been a while since I made a new Good Eats recipe and pound cake just sounded too good to pass up! Yesterday, while grocery shopping I was unable to find cake flour. Well, it's a smaller market, so I figured they might not have any in stock. So, this morning I bundled up my toddler and hit the local megamart. They had everything but cake flour! At least I got my whole wheat flour for the cheddar beer bread, but that's tomorrow's post. I also had a minor hardware issue when I returned home and noticed my loaf pans are slightly smaller (8.5x4.5)! Then I remembered my wife had just purchased a bundt pan!

Butter and eggs sat on the counter while I re-watched the Pound of Cake episode. (didn't bother trying to find European butter) I even poked the butter with a thermometer and read 68 degrees! Things were looking up. It's an easy recipe and not too many ingredients, so it was basically a matter of following the procedures.

Rather than sit around stirring all day, I pulled out the Kitchen Aid and went to work. The only variations were the use of all purpose flour and a bit of nutmeg in the mix. Hey, it's Fall!

Into the waiting oven it went and hit 210 F at 58 minutes. Cooling rack for 10 minutes in the pan, then 10 minutes out of the pan while I made the lemon icing.

Sorry, forgot to pick up lemons, so I had to use the ol' bottled stuff. The icing still has a good bite to it, even without the zest. I used a cooling rack and sheet pan during icing application. What Alton didn't mention was the benefit of easy icing sampling from the sheet pan afterward! The cake was a success! I should know, I just ate two pieces while writing this :-) The outside crust was a little tough, but that may be from the use of AP flour and a nonstick type bundt pan. The icing really makes the dish, but I'll have to try it with some mashed berries tomorrow. Alton's pound cake is definitely going into my book of regular recipes.

New Good Eats Episode Tonight

2009-10-26T10:39:00.000-04:00

Reminder: there's a new Good Eats episode tonight at 8PM. American Classics V: A Pound of Cake.

Alton Brown's Knowledge Links

2009-10-25T11:19:00.000-04:00

There are some new links on Alton Brown's website in the Knowledge section. In case you're not familiar with this section, AB often has links for product manufacturers and suppliers for ingredients or items he uses in Good Eats episodes. Enjoy!

New Good Eats Episodes in the Works

2009-10-24T10:25:00.000-04:00

Alton has posted a list of new Good Eats shows currently in production. AB never rests! I'm curious to see how he'll handle the 'weight loss' episode, but more excited to see the 'catfish and hushpuppies' show ;-)

Good Drinks
Chicken and Dumplings
Weight Loss
Paella
Curry
Catfish and Hushpuppies
Salty and Sweet

Alton Brown Video

2009-10-21T23:56:00.000-04:00

Alton Brown interview with Donny Deutsch from two years ago. Lately we've been hearing the 'how did Good Eats get started' theme regurgitated so often, but in this interview is a much more relaxed atmosphere and he has the time to go into greater detail. Nice change of pace.

New Good Eats and Other Fun Stuff

2009-10-19T14:37:00.000-04:00

There's another new Good Eats episode tonight: Fermentation Nation. I was hoping for another beer making show, but it looks like this half hour will just feature cooking with beer and wine. Should be at least one good sauce in the mix and maybe some bratwurst.

Last week's episode, Another Man Food Show, was pretty good. My favorite element was his sidekick, who may actually be his personal trainer. They played off each other well and there were some great one liners from Clarence. "I like my bacon to bite back. Know what I mean?" The cooking section wasn't as adventurous as usual; coffee, bacon, eggs, and hash browns. Being a 'man food' show I was expecting something more, maybe a giant omelet perhaps. The bacon in the waffle iron sounds like a good idea, until you think about cleaning it up. Maybe a Foreman grill or panini press with removable grids woudl solve that problem. The description of the types of bacon was good and I even picked up some applewood bacon from teh meat counter last week. The coffee segment was a little off base. The premise is cheap and to introduce somebody who does not cook for himself to making coffee. However, he pulls out a huge burr grinder and goes through a method only a neurotic coffee fan would perform. Overall, I'd call this episode very entertaining, but lame in the cooking area.

Speaking of coffee...how about a Monday Poll? How much coffee do you use per cup? Alton was teased in FOA2 for how much coffee he uses, and I thought 2 tablespoons per 6ounces sounded pretty strong. I use around 1.5Tbsp for a 12oz mug in my 1 cup maker, though looking at the bag of ground coffee in my cupboard it recommends the same 2Tbsp as Alton suggested. So, vote away! How much do you use?

p.s. Still trying to get into my new Good Eats book! I worked a lot of extra time last week and my toddler and I are sick right now, so everything is in slow motion. So far the book is awesome!

Good Eats 10th Anniversary Special was a Bomb

2009-10-13T15:59:00.000-04:00

In my opinion, as a longstanding Good Eats fan, the 10th Anniversary show really bombed. There, I said it. At the first commercial break I turned it off and let the DVR record the rest for later viewing. In fact, I watched the This Old House Hour instead. I even managed to dig up an old picture on the internet of Alton Brown sponsoring Miller Lite to relive his first bomb.

OK, now that that's out of my system, how was the show. From its inception I thought the live show sounded like a lot of fun and would have loved to go. And from what I've heard from comments here, the live show was indeed a blast. But when I found out the 10th Anniversary TV special was just going to be the taping of the live show I started to wonder. The more I thought about it the less it sounded like a good idea and it was with trepidation that watched the show that may go down in history as the moment Alton Brown jumped the shark. Fortunately, the real Good Eats series should escape unscathed from this low moment. So, why was the show so bad?

There was not nearly enough Good Eats in the TV version. With so many great characters, costumes, and themes you'd think they could fill an entire hour just dedicated to these aspects. But no, instead we had to watch the little game show for which the premise was strange and the contestant lineup even stranger. The constant cuts to the crowd laughing also seemed a bit out of context for a Good Eats show. An anonymous fan said it reminded him/her of the 'creepy over-clapping of an Emeril Lagasse live show.' That sounds about right to me and one of the things that makes Good Eats stand apart. Good Eats is about the show and not centered around Alton; he just becomes part of it all. Finally, the ending fell a bit flat for the TV audience and it seemed odd that when the cast and family members came out at the end there wasn't a good shot of everybody just lots of silly string flying around. But it wasn't all bad.

There were a few things I liked. The first thing that comes to mind was seeing Alton's 'sister' Marsha in the act. I enjoyed the early shows with her and have been hoping AB writes her into a new episode soon. I also think Ted Allen was the perfect choice for a co-host. They looked like a geeky Dynamic Duo on stage and something worth working into a Good Eats epsiode. And, well, I guess that's all I can think of in terms of enjoyable moments.

Personally, I think Good Eats deserved a budget to put together a real 1 hour special in their own studio. Something akin to the Behind the Eats special which, while shot in a live theme, was filled with good writing and covered so much more about the show. Maybe next time Alton. The new Man Food show made up for it on Monday night.

Alton Brown on the Move

2009-10-13T15:16:00.000-04:00

Alton Brown's a busy guy these days with lectures, book signings, etc. Here are a couple of dates for upcoming Alton appearances:

Book Signings for Good Eats: The Early Years:
Tuesday, October 13
Boston
Brookline Booksmith at Coolidge Corner Theatre
6PM

Wednesday, October 14
Arlington VA
Sur La Table - Pentagon Row
12PM

Thursday, October 15
Chicago
Borders - N. Michigan Ave
7PM

Friday, October 16
Seattle
Third Place Books - Lake Forest Park, WA
7PM

Saturday, October 17
San Diego
Costco - Fenton Pkwy
11AM

Sunday, October 18
Austin
Location TBD
12PM

Also, Alton Brown will be giving a performance at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History at 7PM Wednesday, Oct. 14. I'm interested to hear if this is just going to be a rehash of the Atlanta performances or something new.

Alton Brown Monday Poll

2009-10-12T10:14:00.000-04:00

From our last poll we see that the majority of fans here would pay somewhere in the range of $0 to $50 to meet Alton Brown, though a whopping 24% of really dedicated fans would pay more than $150. I'd put myself in the lower end category. While I really enjoyed his lecture the other day, I can't bring myself to pay much extra just to say 'hi' to Alton. Sure it would be cool, but I guess I admire him more for his work than for just being a star. I'd much rather sit down for a beer wit the guy and shoot the breeze.

On to this week's poll! I'm sure the majority of you watched Alton's Good Eats 10th Anniversary Special this weekend; and if not will probably catch a re-airing suring the week. Before I get into what I thought of the show, I'd like to see how others rated the performance. Was it more than you could have ever imagined or were you let down? New poll on the left! Vote away!

Good Eats 10th Anniversary Special

2009-10-09T22:13:00.002-04:00

Don't forget the Good Eats 10th Anniversary special will be on Saturday night! 10-10 at 10pm! Typical Alton Brown. I don't know what to expect for the show. It may just be material fromthe two live performances in Atlanta or, hopefuly, there will be some additional material. We'll have to wait and see.

Alton Brown Lecture at Oakland University a Success

2009-10-01T13:48:00.000-04:00

I arrived a bit early, partly to see what they've done with campus in the 9 years since I've been there, but also to make sure I found a relatively close parking spot since I needed to carry my 17 month old daughter to the lecture. She may be small for her age, but 20 pounds wears on your arms after a while. There was already a huge line waiting for the doors to open at 6PM. Turns out they sold more tickets for Alton Brown's lecture than for any previous guest and that includes the likes of Oprah and Jimmy Carter. We found some seats with a great view, but inconspicuous enough in case I needed to sneak out early.

Alton Brown was introduced by Dr. Ken Hightower, Dean of Health Sciences. Par for the course, he mispronounced Alton's name, but only the real fans there would have noticed. Meanwhile, Alton was being Alton and climbed up on a ladder which was sitting behind the stage curtains. After the short introduction, AB came out on stage and and spent a few minutes running through his usual background information on how he started cooking to attract a date, failed, and moved on to combine food and film. Even though I've read the background several times, he managed to make it interesting with his quick wit and got involved with the crowd.

Alton's theme for the night was primarily discussion of how we, as Americans, have begun to value 'cheap' over 'quality' when it comes to food despite the fact that food is one of our most essential ingredients to life. He presented his lecture keynotes in the form of ten axioms to live by, which was claimed to be developed as he fly his private plane from Erie, Pennsylvannia to Michigan. I have to imagine using his new pilot skills and his own plane breaks up the monotony of all the travel he is doing nowadays. The first of his ten axoims was 'Beware of Chinese Chili,' which lead directly into the discourse about how we haves fallen to the level of buying cheap cans of chili shipped from the other side of the world rather than make it ourselves. Point being we have no idea of what we are actually eating or where our food comes from. So few of us bother to grow our own food or seek out local products that we have become estranged from the actual food chain. A funny story he had to emphacize this point was how his daughter and friends always wanted chicken fingers, so he went to the market and bought a few packages of chicken feet and offered those up for lunch.

One of the highlights of the show was Alton's first experience with having a sign language interpreter on stage with him. Peggy Ostrander, not only provided the interpretation, but became a great sidekick for Alton thoughout the lecture as he bantered with her about the similarity of the signs for 'gourmet' and 'vomitting' and teased her about adding her own commentary about him. At one point he made a comment about her in her silky dress, which required a sign outlining a shapely woman and Alton made her show the signs for pole dancing. He really needs to hire her next time her goes on tour as she managed to keep up with his typical witty antics. (Sorry for the poor picture)

By this point in the lecture/show, my daughter decided she had enough of sitting still and was starting to get whiney. Luckily for me, I was able to keep her occupied at the back of the arena long enough to hear the rest of the lecture. Alton moved on to discuss sustainable fishing and eating smaller types of fish, striving to buy local when possible or heading to the freezer aisle for the best veggies, and encouraged everyone to grow something as a way to appreciate what it takes to really put food on the table. He also revealed a bit of his religious side when he talked about giving thanks for our food. To wrap things up he had collected questions from the crowd and sat down for a Q & A session. I only had time for catch a few before heading out the door with my sleepy toddler.

Other tidbits from the lecture:

There were a few diehard Alton brown fans in the audience. Saw a guy sporting a Feasting on Asphalt t-shirt and somebody down below me waving a Good Eats: The Early Years book jacket.
One of the Q&A questions was "What is your favorite raspberry recipe?" To which Alton replied that he does not like the squishy little things.
AB made fun the of the ICA Chairman being on Dancing with the Stars, mentioning that he has turned down requests to be on the show since he isn't finished with his career yet.

Alton mentioned he has lost 50 pounds since march, though I could see first hand why some people have wondered if he has been sick. He seems to be a bit too skinny now and I wonder if he is still losing weight or has been able to readjust and level off now.
Somebody mentioned the lutefisk incident on FOA2 and thought he was a bit harsh. Alton couldn't think of anything he's eaten that taste worse and this was confirmed by somebody int he crowd. I would have chimed in but we were standing outside the door at that point. Tried it once, tasted like fish scented soap!
Alton didn't talk about Good Eats, FOA, or his new book while I was there, though I imagine he would plug the book at the end.

All in all I had a great time and enjoyed his lecture. It was refreshing to hear him talk about food related subjects instead of seeing a Good Eats-esque performance. One of the reasons I like Alton brown is that he gets involved with food as a whole and is not just another celebrity chef smiling for the camera.

I know some of you were also there last night and I'd love to hear what you thought of the show. Please feel free to comment here or on my Twitter account http://twitter.com/AltonBrownNews or send pictures to altonbrownnews@gmail.com if you want them posted here. Posting links to your own discussions or pictures is welcome!

Monday Poll and Getting Set to see Alton Brown in Person

2009-09-28T21:39:00.000-04:00

Monday poll time! Yeah, it's 9:30 at night; was a little busy painting and doing laundry today...

Of all the votes last week only 2 of you follow Iron Chef America for your exclusive Alton Brown fix. The rest were split between both show and Good Eats exclusively.

On to this week's poll! I finally have the opportunity to see Alton brown in person this week as he gives a lecture at Oakland University. As an alumni, I scored a ticket for $5 and my toiddler gets in free. This got me thinking about how much would I pay to see Alton? Or even, how much would I pay for a meet and greet session. While I mull this over I'll put the question to y'all in this week's poll.

How much would you pay to meet Alton Brown at one of his lectures/performances?

Win Alton Brown's New Good Eats Book!

2009-09-27T16:59:00.000-04:00

Conde Nast Traveler magazine has a contest on their website centered around The Next Iron Chef series. The grand prize is a trip to India, but more exciting is the daily prize: a copy of Alton Brown's new Good Eats book! I'm not saying I wouldn't want to win a week long vacation...

You can enter daily at the Conde Nast website. The contest ends Novermber 23rd.

Good luck!

'Help Me Leave Detroit' a sign of the economy in my area

2009-09-25T10:56:00.001-04:00

Saw this article today and it's definitely a sign of just how bad it has become in my neck of the woods. Detroiter Sean Bush has turned to the internet seeking help in leaving Detroit. His site HelpMeLeaveDetroit asks for donations so he can escape his abandoned neighborhood and find a job out of state. Sadly, I know a number of people (including family members) who have had to pack up and leave the state, even with their homes parked on the spiraling real estate market. I give this guy credit; you have to try anything to get out of Detroit now!

From the article:
"I live in Detroit," the Web site begins. "I am a skilled pipefitter, yet I am unemployed. Detroit's unemployment rate is at a record 28.7 percent. (One-third) of Detroiters live at or below the poverty line. Crime is rampant. My house has been burglarized 9 times ... The houses on both sides of me are vacant. One is a crack house ... Now it's too dangerous for me to even stay there."

http://www.helpmeleavedetroit.com/