I am thinking of an Alton Brown Cookbook for a present. Any recommendations? nm

[rhett o rick]

[TexasTowelie]

1. None at all.

I recall a thread a few months ago that indicated that Alton made some homophobic jokes and that he is a conservative so I'll make certain that my money goes elsewhere.

[CurtEastPoint]

2. ditto

[Major Nikon]

4. He is a socially conservative Christian and probably is a Republican

All of the allegations of homophobia seem to all point back to one source (there may be others, but I haven't seen them). His wiki page makes no mention of it or anything else that's all that controversial. If the allegations are true, I wouldn't be surprised given the background I mentioned, but as yet the evidence for it doesn't seem to be all that concrete and if I were convinced he was a homophobe I would be the first to call him a shitbag. If he is, he certainly hides it very well which is pretty uncharacteristic for religious homophobes, particularly celebrities who are in a unique position to promote that sort of hate.

I watch his show, but I'm not really a huge fan. I find everything he does to be unoriginal, I don't think he's as funny as he thinks he is which makes his show a bit cheesy. That being said, he's really the only one on TV who demonstrates food science principles to any significant degree. I was actually happy when he said he wasn't going to make anymore Good Eats episodes because I hoped that void would be filled by someone else. Apparently whatever other plans he had fell through and he's back to making new episodes.

[rhett o rick]

11. Where are you getting the information about his political alignment? nm

[Major Nikon]

12. By probably I mean I'm speculating

As far as I know he has never revealed any political affiliations. However, he's a born again Christian, a gun nut, and lives in a red county located in a red state. So your guess is as good as mine, but if I had to guess I'd say he's a Republican. He does speak frequently about sustainability when it comes to food products, which isn't really a Republican speaking point and might suggest an alternate political affiliation. Personally I'm not that worried about it because even if he is a Republican, he doesn't appear to contribute to political causes or promote them.

[Major Nikon]

3. I'm not a big fan of cookbooks anymore

The reason is because pretty much every notable recipe anyone has ever conceived is available online either in text form or on youtube. So cookbooks are fine for older people or other assorted luddites who aren't connected to the internet, but I suspect this wouldn't be the case with anyone who has an interest in Alton Brown's works.

I often reference Alton Brown's videos, because he demonstrates techniques and methods that are certainly available elsewhere, but he has more name recognition than any other chef that employs the principles of food science so directly. However, he is not the only one and nothing Alton comes up with is even all that original. He's simply repeating things he's learned elsewhere from people who were more original and inspired than he is and profiting from their efforts.

If you are looking for a good book for someone who has an interest in Alton Brown, it would be hard to go wrong with On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen. Although I have never known Brown to say so, I can pretty much guarantee this was the inspiration for his show and many of his episodes lift many of the principles explained in this book pretty much word for word. On one of his episodes you can even see him flipping through the pages of it. I actually have two copies as I bought the updated edition a year or two back.

[Warpy]

7. Cookbooks are for people of all ages who are learning how to cook.

After all, if you're going to splash stuff around, you don't want to kill your laptop or tablet when you do it. Hard copies are still good for a lot of us and that applies to more than cookbooks. Most of my weaving patterns are hard copy because tablets just don't work when I'm under the loom doing a complicated tieup.

That being said, I really prefer Bittman's How to Cook Everything book, the Doubleday Cookbook, some of the Joy of Cooking editions and Julia Child's first book for burgeoning cooks. Fannie Farmer is also good, but mostly for the midwest (and no, that's not snark, it's a recognition of reality).

I agree that showstopper recipes are best online. However, you can't beat a comprehensive beginner's book for actual pot walloping.

[Major Nikon]

8. I print out recipes I like and keep them in a binder

I will often either edit them prior to printing or make pen and ink changes to convert volumetric measures to weight which I most often prefer. I also have a stand for my ipad that I keep in an area of the kitchen safe from splashes so I can reference video clips, which no cookbook can ever do.

So I think overall you can beat paper cookbooks for a variety of reasons. That's not to say cookbooks don't have their place because sometimes it's nice to have a collection of recipes all in one place from authors or subjects(like beginners' recipes) you like. So I still have several cookbooks that I reference from time to time, but it's pretty rare that I will buy one these days unless it's in digital format.

[Retrograde]

9. Cookbooks are for curling up with, reading the recipes, and imagining how they would taste.

I frequently read cookbooks when I'm sick and don't want to eat anything other than soup. It's my equivalent of a romance novel: I know I'll never cook anything from my favorite fantasy book, "Last Dinner on the Titanic" (especially now that my state has banned foie gras), but it feeds the imagination.

My problems with on-line recipes are that they often do not present recipes in the context of an overall culture, and that they often shamelessly copy without attribution.

[sir pball]

20. Most modern books are just eye candy, for amateurs.

I've noticed a huge rise in "restaurant"/"coffee table" cookbooks the last few years, most of which are way too involved for home cooks, but quite nice to look at and an interesting peek into what goes into creating at that level, since half of the text of most of them is the chef bloviating about their background and inspirations. It can be quite interesting and a good read, but there's very little the average home cook is actually going to do with a book like that beyond read and drool.

We use them as a compendium of what the notables are doing, not to follow the recipes exactly but rather to look at flavor combinations or techniques, take a few interesting chords and riff on them so to speak. Example - the Manresa cookbook is selling well to rave reviews but all the only people I personally know who own it (me included) have business in the kitchen.

Funny thing, on seeing the subject line, before I even opened the thread, I thought "Harold McGee". Of course there's not much in the way of recipes or instruction in there, but I suppose that depends on what the recipient wants the book for. As far as AB books go I'd suggest either The Early Years Vols. 1 and 2 or Feasting on Asphalt.

Or The Fat Duck, sort of AB on crack. I don't know anybody who could cook anything therein, though.

[pinto]

5. The Joy of Cooking

http://www.thejoykitchen.com/

[rdharma]

14. That's a great site!

They even had instructions for "Tarzan steaks". http://www.thejoykitchen.com/recipe/steaks-seared-coals

Thanks for posting.

[dixiegrrrrl]

6. A present you want to give someone ? or for yourself?

the question could be read either way.

[Retrograde]

10. Not knowing anything about the intended recipient, it's hard to say

I like his first, "I'm Just Here for the Food", for a first overview of how cooking works. It's also a good prelude to Harold McGee's "On Food and Cooking", which goes deeper into the chemistry and physics. The sequel, "I'm Just Here for More Food", is all about baking, and while it made the whole process make a lot more sense to me I don't bake much so I don't use it often. There's a three volume set that ties in to Good Eats, but a lot of the recipes from the show are left out.

[rdharma]

13. I've given cookbooks in the past as presents........ a big mistake.

It's like giving somebody a tie. It won't be used.

I know I wouldn't want a cookbook as a present. You can get any cookbook currently available through the library system......in book form or as an e-book.

[Phentex]

15. Depends on the person. I love them!

I like them if just to read the anecdotes behind the recipes. I gave two last year and both well well received but they were for known foodies.

My husband can give me a cookbook and I'm thrilled!

Yeah, yeah I have too many already but I use them.

[rhett o rick]

16. Thanks for the input. I also get recipes from the internetz and other places and keep

my own three ring binder of them. I do appreciate Mr. Brown's explanation for how things work. If he is a conservative, I wont buy his products but I need some proof.

[dem in texas]

17. He is full of BS

I watched one of his shows and he went on about how you should always crack your egg into a saucer before adding to the batter; won't get shell in the batter, egg may be bad, etc. Then. on his show the next week, he just cracked the egg on the side of the bowl and added it to the batter. He is totally full of it, so prissy with all his little measuring gadgets. I have had five cookbook published and although, I do measure all the recipes that I put in a cookbook, when I am free form cooking as I do most of the time, I don't use exact measurements. A kitchen spoon, a cupped hand and Pyrex measuring cup work fine. And never worry about my egg, even when separating out the white. Just crack it open and hold over bowl and pour egg from shell to shell and let the white drop in the bowl.

Joy of Cooking is my all-time favorite, I wore my first one out and had to get another one. I am not real crazy about most of the newer ones, I did like one by Stephen Pyle, although he usually takes his recipes too over the top for me. But his Heaven and Hell cake is a real show stopper and I simplified his recipe for cinnamon buttermilk ice cream and have made it many times.

I like regional, obscure cookbooks with lots of gossip and food stories. I found an old Mexican cookbook at an estate sale, written in both Spanish and English. One recipe was a "tablecloth stainer" stew, a Mexican classic. The recipe said to start it at 11:00 pm then go to midnight mass to pray for your stew to be a success.

[Fortinbras Armstrong]

18. I have very mixed feelings about Alton Brown

When he's talking about food chemistry, he clearly knows what he is talking about. However, he tries too hard and too often to be cute. Sometimes it works, but often it is merely annoying.

He has an odd set of prejudices. He breaks eggs on a flat surface because he says that cracking them on the edge of a bowl tends to get shell in with the egg. My mother taught me to crack eggs on the edge of a bowl, but I thought I would try it Alton's way. I got shell in with the egg.

He despises spring-form pans, but I love them. I use mine as my usual cake tins for any kind of cake.

He's stated, categorically, that he won’t have a single-use tool in his kitchen except for a fire extinguisher. Then he goes on to tell us all about things like waffle irons, deep-fat fryers, pasta makers and equipment like that -- single use every one of them. And, of course, he’s always seeing single-use (sometimes one-of-a-kind, custom built) tools on Iron Chef and insisting, "I've got to get one of those!"

I happen to own a Swiss Army Knife. Many of the tools on it are essentially useless -- I particularly refer to the corkscrew, which is too short, and the knife itself makes a terrible handle for the corkscrew. I prefer a single use tool which does its job well to a multitasker which does several jobs not so well.

[rhett o rick]

19. I agree with a lot you said there. I break eggs on a bowl edge but not a sharp one. nm