Alton Brown Signs a New Three Year Deal with Food Network

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!

Alton Brown has a New Series: America's Best

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.

New Good Eats Episode Monday: Ballad of Sweet and Salty

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

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

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

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 Monday Poll

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 Poll: How Much Longer Will it Last?

With the 10th anniversary of Good Eats coming up I've been wondering how much longer will it last.  Alton Brown is obviously a creative genius, but Food Network has been moving more towards the reality show theme for nighttime entertainment.  Luckily, Alton has been doing other projects, such as Iron Chef America, along with his own specials.  Personally, I give the show somewhere in the 2-4 year range with the way current FN lineups are going; maybe even a shift to weekends.  I'm really eager for AB to crank out some more Feasting shows though!

So, what do you think?  How much longer can Alton keep Good Eats going strong?  I have a poll set up at the left; vote away!

Busy, Busy Alton Brown

Alton's always on the go nowadays.  This past weekend he was in Nashville for the Food Network Food and Wine Festival; then at the end of August is the 10th anniversary Good Eats show in Atlanta, and he also has yet another cookbook coming soon.  But first, a new Alton Brown video!

I ran across this video interview of AB from Zap2It regarding AB's five most important multitaskers in the kitchen:


Onto the next segment: Alton Brown at the Food and Wine Festival.
I'd love to see AB in person, and I'd love to visit Nashville, but toddlers don't travel all too well!  Anyhoo, one thing I caught mention of by a few people who were able to attend is that Alton has lost a good deal of weight.  I know he's been going on about it for the past couple of years and it looks like he has finally hunkered down and shed the pounds.  (maybe he'll inspire me :-))  For more details I'll forward ya'll to to the All About Alton blog, run by Lisa aka 'Mise en place', who was lucky enough to attend this weekend event!

And to wrap things up, I had my own AB inspired event this weekend.  We took our daughter blueberry picking Friday and I made AB's blueberry buckle from the Kinda Blue Good Eats episode.  It turned out really well, despite using AP flour instead of cake flour; crunchy on top and moist inside.  I also added a few drops of vanilla extract for an extra kick.  Sadly, no pictures and it's long gone now.  Food Network does have the whole buckle GE clip available though.

Coming soon: I'll get some info posted on AB's upcoming cookbook.

Alton Brown and the Secret Good Eats Episode

OK, something fishy is going on with Good Eats, and I'm not talking about sustainable seafood here.  The next new episode, Undercover Veggies, has some curious listings.  I was flipping through the cable listings to set my DVR for the week and noticed the new episode airing at 3:AM Tuesday morning!  So, when exactly is this show airing?  Well, the Food Network listings have some gaps too, so I'll have to speculate a bit here.

FN lists FN Challenge at 7PM, and GE Pantry Raid X at 8:30PM
Comcast lists Pantry Raid X at 8:00PM and Will Work for Food at 8:30PM
Comcast also lists GE Undercover Veggies at 3:00AM while FN has a gap between Unwrapped and GE

My guess is that Alton Brown has pulled a fast one on us and the secretive veggie show will be airing at 8:00 or 8:30 tonight and again at 3AM.  I've set my DVR for multiple times to catch it!

So, about the show?  Undercover Veggies is about hiding veggies in your kids' food.  Made me think something was up right away.  On the menu: parsnip muffins, 'pearsnip' sauce, and parsnip crisps.

Tuesday Night Alton Brown Extravaganza

There will be plenty of Alton Brown to go around on Food Network Tuesday night!  First, there is a new Good Eats epsiode at 8:30 followed by Dear Food Netowrk Grilling featunring AB at 9:00.

Good Eats: Tender is the Pork will be featuring grilled pork tenderloin and pork Wellington.  The grilled tenderloin looks like nice and easy grill fodder while the Wellington would be agreat for a more formal dinner.

All-American Style Grilling is Alton Brown's featured episode of Dear FN Grilling.  The majority of the show should be centered on Alton, but there are a couple of other hosts listed under the recipe section such as, Giada and Big Daddy.  Alton will be grilling up some burgers and ribs, then breaks out the Dutch oven for a grilled fruit clafoutis.

New Good Eats Episode Monday: Tamale Never Dies

"Brown.  Alton Brown"  I'm imagining a definite James Bond theme to the tamale episode; should be entertaining if nothing else.  Of course, Good Eats is rarely only entertainment!  AB will be cooking up another River Run influenced dish: tamales.  I've never been a huge fan, despite having several authentic Mexican establishments nearby, but I'll give tamales another shot.  The recipe list on the Food Network site includes both hot tamales (pork) and turkey tamales.

Catch it Monday night at 8PM EST on Food Network.

New Good Eats Episodes in the Works

According to Alton Brown's website there are several new Good Eats shows going into production this summer.  One that warrants particular attention is news of a 10th anniversary Good Eats special!  Other highlights include another Man Food show and a new Christmas Special (should be more enjoyable than the Food Network shows).

Episodes in production, August:
Pound Cake
Japanese Ingredients
Man Food- Breakfast
Christmas Special
Salty Sweets
Cooking with Alcohol
Tacos
10th Anniversary Special

New Good Eats Episode Monday: Orange Aid

Alton Brown brings us the perfect ingredient during the cold of winter: Oranges!  I have been going through several every week, but never give any thought to doing something other than peeling and eating.  Recipes in this Good Eats include orange marmalade, sherbet, and 'orange delicious.'  Could the Delicious be Alton's version of an Orange Julius?

Food Network's description: "Oranges aren't just for juice any more as host Alton Brown explores their symphony of flavors to create a classic drink , a tasty topping and a creamy cold dessert."

New Good Eats Episode Monday: A Cabbage Sprouts in Brussels

Alton Brown is bringing Brussels Sprouts to Good Eats tomorrow.  From the Food Network description: "Reluctantly agreeing to help refurbish the reputation of Brussel[s] sprouts, host Alton Brown discovers that with the proper preparation they can make a surprising range of good eats."

Recipes include: Brussels sprouts with pecans and cranberries, with bacon and cheese (yum!), and grilled sprouts (double yum!).  From the list the recipes sound pretty straight forward; unless he has some particular type of bacon only found in the Low Countries that you need to order online.   Personally, I'm hoping for a Brussels Sprout mascot with a bad talent agent in this episode :-)

New Good Eats Episode Monday: Ginger: Rise of the Rhizome

Ginger: Rise of the Rhizome will air Monday night at 8:00pm EST.  According ot the Food Network GE page, recipes will include candied ginger, ginger snaps, and ginger ale.

I'm excited about the ginger ale.  The recipe calls for making a 2-liter bottle worth, which is just hte right amount to fit int he fridge.  I've been a Vernor's drinker for years, so hopefully the homemade stuff is at least as good!

Alton Brown's New Hairstyle and New Good Eats Episodes

 In response to overwhelming long-hair bashing, Alton is sporting a new look for next season!  Well, not really, but I can't help noticing in all of the reruns this past week how much younger he looks with shorter hair.  (Sorry Alton; I couldn't help it!)

On with the news!

Alton Brown's website lists some new Good Eats episodes in the works!
Topics include:
Pork tenderloin
Tamales
Parsnips
Crawfish
Punch
Pasta and Meat Sauce

Food Network also lists "A Cabbage Sprouts in Brussels" airing January 26th.  I'm hoping to see a large Brussels sprout with a bad talent agent in this show :-)

Next Food Network Star

I found out that the brother of a friend at work has his sights on the Next Food Network Star competition.  Follow this link to Joel Zeidman's video audition at the Food Network Site

Good Eats Episodes This Week

Well, as expected there are not any new Good Eats episodes during the Christmas cable shuffle.  Since cable stations like to jumble up their schedules a bit during holiday seasons I put together a short list of what's happening with Good Eats this week.  So, if you're like me and don't have anything special going on for Christmas, at least you can enjoy some Alton Brown cheer.  This is from my cable channel guide since Food Network has burned me so many times in the past.  Times are EST and i didn't list the late night repeats.

Good Eats Coming Up: 12/22 - 12/25
Monday: 11PM Cobbled Together
Tuesday: 11PM Cran Opening
Wednesday: 8PM Behind the Eat Special / 11PM A Beautiful Grind
Thursday: 8PM The Cookie Clause / 11PM It's a Wonderful Cake
Friday: 8PM Dip Madness / 11PM Switched on Baklava

Cran Opening and Alton Brown's hair

Well, looking back Cran Opening is an episode from last season that I missed.  I was glad I caught it this time around since it was one of the more entertaining and informative shows.

My favorite Good Eats episodes are those which feature Alton Brown on location.  Actual location, not a set made to look like he's somewhere.  Don't get me wrong; a big part of Good Eats is the cheesy props and characters and ads a great deal to the entertainment value.  A real location, however, enhances the educational value since you get more than just Alton's monologue.  The segment shot at the cranberry farm and processing facility in Massachusetts which Alton visited added a lot of content that his monologue could not have with a simple backdrop.  Alton then skillfully runs in a cartoon version of the peg-leg cranberry farmer to describe and provide the history behind the real equipment.

The cooking segment content was a good mix of culinary science and multiple applications; always a plus.  Sometimes I don't know how he squeezes so much into 20 minutes!  Being that I just made a similar cranberry sauce for Thanksgiving, with a little nip of orange liquor,  I think I may go the granita/cosmopolitan route for the berries I have sitting in the fridge.

The cranberry episode also had a few classic Alton Brown touches.  The scene where he creates a 30 ounce can with some duct tape, foil, and two empty cans with an A-Team themed interlude was hilarious.  I also detected the opening bars of She Blinded Me with Science during a cut to commercial.  Sadly, the Thomas Dolby era may have come to a close with Alton's long hair style which brings me to the poll results!  OK, so you've all had your say about how you like Alton's hair and there was a definite preference.

The Hair Poll Results!

First off: the long hair.  There are some things that just don't work well and long, thinning hair is right up there.  In my opinion it makes Alton look older; which doesn't seem to be a positive factor for his energetic style.

Only 8% voted for the long hair.  Sorry Alton; you'll have to cut it now.

 In second place: the medium messy do he's been sporting for the past few years.  I think this fits him best; it's fun but not too fun for his age.  As a bonus, when he's been wearing a motorcycle helmet for a while it looks pretty much the same.

23% voted for messy in moderation

And the winner: Alton's earlier short and spiky look which has lent itself to the Thomas Dolby conspiracy.  In my opinion it was good, but he's outgrown it now, but this was by far the most popular.

A whopping 62% favored Alton with spikes.  Maybe it's time for him to hit the road with Guy Fieri?