Do you like Alton Brown?

I still like him. The recipes aren't the best but they are all solid and will give you a good starting point on doing your own. I really like how he explains the why on every step. I feel like watching his show has made me a better cook, even though I don't use his recipes(except his fajita one, it is $$).

His show is like the "Joy of Cooking" it's not the best cookbook, but you learn more from it than almost any other.

Met him at a book signing. Very personable and funny. To me, he is the glue that holds Food Network together.

I know what you mean. Like Cooks Ilustrated, he is better suited to beginners. They are both great for that, but after you learn the basics, they get a little boring and repetitive.

Alton also comes across as a bit of an arse in some of his other roles like host of Next bullshite Star and such. I know it is a role, and he is probably a good dude, but they play him so smarmy that I get annoyed with him.

Stopped watching when he had a ladder and a pulley to drop a turkey into a fryer

As stated, the show isn't about recipes. It's about techniques and understanding how food works so that you can branch out and cook.

I'm a big fan of Good Eats.

Alton is the only cooking TV guy I watch. I very much enjoy learning the science. I also enjoy the points about food history. The best TV guy on food history was Geoff Smith. He would have shows like 'how your ancestors cooked dishes in colonial America in the 1740s'. It really gave you an appreciation for their innovations since they had no gas, electricity or refrigeration.

Jeff Smith, "The Frugal Pederast"?

quote:

---

Jeff Smith, "The Frugal Pederast"?

---

Yeah, that's the guy with the beard who wanted to be a priest. His penchant for young boys got him cancelled but he had a great show. My litmus test for all shows is 'Did I learn something I didn't already know.'

Jeff Smith and Alton Brown always passed the test.

Puts out some good information now and then.
Not the best show but not bad.