My Favorite Cook's Birthday

For those of you who don’t watch a lot of TV, or don’t yet know the joy of the Food Network, I am pleased to introduce you to Alton Brown. Mr. Brown, or Alton (Al – ton) as he is known in our house, is part chef, part TV host, chemist, MC, electrical, and mechanical engineer, and comedian. His show on the Food Network, Good Eats should be considered as “educational TV”. Not only does Alton teach you how to braise beef and retrofit your variable speed drill with mixing paddles, but he’ll also tell you why the molecules in emulsions do what they do and give you a brief history of cans. There is nothing this guy won’t tackle – and he does it with great style!


Here, for your edification and preparatory pleasure, is Alton's Beef Map.





In addition to Good Eats, the ubiquitous Mr. Brown hosts Iron Chef America, his own show, Feasting on Asphalt which combines his joy of motorcycle riding with food of the American highways and byways (I love roadtrips, but I wasn’t really fond of this show during the first season, anyway). He’s written a few cookbooks, and has awesome kitchen gear.




You have to love a guy whose motto is “Science: It’s what’s for dinner!”




Happy Birthday, SB!

Comments

Jenn Casey said…
He's one of my faves, too. I really liked his show about chocolate chip cookies and how changing the recipe even slightly creates differently textured and shaped cookies. Plus, I think it's neat when he talks to you from inside the oven. :o)
April 24, 2008 at 10:03 PM
C. August said…
I love the motto. That alone would make me watch the show, but for the fact that I'm not much for cooking shows. The science angle would be the only way to hook me, and it does actually sound really interesting.

RationalJenn, on the other hand, watches that weird cake decorating competition show. Weird, weird stuff. "With 232 pounds of stiff frosting, three toothpicks and an air brush, Team Smith has constructed a life-sized Easter Island head. But the temperature in the room has destabilized the structure, and... look out!!! Run away!!!"
April 25, 2008 at 3:51 PM
Jenn Casey said…

RationalJenn, on the other hand, watches that weird cake decorating competition show. Weird, weird stuff. "With 232 pounds of stiff frosting, three toothpicks and an air brush, Team Smith has constructed a life-sized Easter Island head. But the temperature in the room has destabilized the structure, and... look out!!! Run away!!!"

Yes, yes I do! I gotta get my thrills somehow! :o)
April 25, 2008 at 5:42 PM
Lynne said…
Yeah, the cake competition show is a little too much pressure for me to watch comfortably. I think Ace of Cakes with Duff something or other is pretty cool though. It really raises the bar on the whole birthday cake thing (my 14 year-old drew one she saw on the show and gave it to SB so he'd have 3 months to figure out how to make the 232 pounds of fondant icing and engineer the multiple layers with 3 toothpicks). My only restriction on cake creations? You guessed it, Rational Jenn - no black frosting!

I love when Alton talks from inside the oven, or to the lady in the fridge, or to Q (is that her name? - the queen of kitchen tools - who is actually Alton's chiropractor - go figure). But the best part is the science - he makes cooking really cool.

Watching Good Eats helped turn SB into a foodie/chef guy and now we're at the CIA to celebrate his birthday (no, not that CIA, the Culinary Institute of America). The last three winners of Top Chef trained here. It's a beautiful place - I hope to post on it tomorrow.
April 25, 2008 at 5:45 PM
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