AB - Alton Brown
AB (Alton Brown) has a show called Good Eats on the Food Network television channel. www.altonbrown.com for those who are curious. Some people say he reminds them of me. Some say I remind them of him. As luck would have it, I was able to tell Alton that little anticdotal bit myself when I met him at a book signing. I told him I took it as a compliment and he replied he took it as one as well. My wife says we seem like two kindred spirits. Yes, we both have spikey hair and similiar glasses but I'm not going to dye my hair to look exactly like him no matter what the tabloids have suggested. Well, anyway, the point I'm trying to make is it took a like-minded person to show me what cooking is and what it isn't.
What type of stuff does he teach? COOKING - that it's the proper combination of food and heat, with a little kosher salt thrown in on occasion. Alton, pronounced Al-ton, says cooking is about thinking and understanding food and heat. For example, when cooking in the oven, where does the heat come from? Either a flame or a calrod, right? Technically that's correct but knowing that doesn't make me a better cook. If I'm broiling, the heat comes in the form of radiation. If I'm frying, heat comes from conduction (from the fluid medium) and convection (of the fluid medium). This is the stuff Alton teaches that gives a person the knowledge to walk into a kitchen and make a meal from almost anything. For example, through studying his book "I'm Just Here For The Food," I learned that different cuts of meat cannot all be cooked via the same method. No big deal to some of you, for me, a big deal.
This blog will track my learning from Alton (from his show and first book) and let you know what I'm learning, where I've messed up, how I've improvised, and what great tools I've had to buy. Not all the postings will be directly about AB and/or the book. Heck, if you want that - BUY HIS BOOK. I'm currently without a cast iron skillet but not for long.
Before I forget, last night I sorted out all the pots, pans, glassware, and common kitchen tools for easier access. What did my wife say about that? I'll let you know when she gets back in town.
That's it for AB. I hope D will stand for Duck or Density of Meat and not Disaster.
What type of stuff does he teach? COOKING - that it's the proper combination of food and heat, with a little kosher salt thrown in on occasion. Alton, pronounced Al-ton, says cooking is about thinking and understanding food and heat. For example, when cooking in the oven, where does the heat come from? Either a flame or a calrod, right? Technically that's correct but knowing that doesn't make me a better cook. If I'm broiling, the heat comes in the form of radiation. If I'm frying, heat comes from conduction (from the fluid medium) and convection (of the fluid medium). This is the stuff Alton teaches that gives a person the knowledge to walk into a kitchen and make a meal from almost anything. For example, through studying his book "I'm Just Here For The Food," I learned that different cuts of meat cannot all be cooked via the same method. No big deal to some of you, for me, a big deal.
This blog will track my learning from Alton (from his show and first book) and let you know what I'm learning, where I've messed up, how I've improvised, and what great tools I've had to buy. Not all the postings will be directly about AB and/or the book. Heck, if you want that - BUY HIS BOOK. I'm currently without a cast iron skillet but not for long.
Before I forget, last night I sorted out all the pots, pans, glassware, and common kitchen tools for easier access. What did my wife say about that? I'll let you know when she gets back in town.
That's it for AB. I hope D will stand for Duck or Density of Meat and not Disaster.
posted by Chris at 5:52 AM
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