Alton Brown's Gear for Your Kitchen
by Alton Brown
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Book Reviews of Alton Brown's Gear for Your Kitchen
Book Review: Where were you Alton?
Summary: 4 Stars
About a year or so ago I finally gave up. All my knives were dull. All my pans were warped and flaking. All my appliances were not working as I wanted. I decided that I enjoyed cooking, but avoided it because of my equipment. I decided I'd start buying only stuff that'd last a life time or until something better came out.
It started with picking up some Wusthof knives, one every couple months. Then I started getting some new small appliances, and now I'm on to pans. I've cleaned out my "junk" drawer of unitaskers and replaced them with quality instruments.
The bad news, if I had Alton's book, I would have saved a lot of time on research. The good news is, I did fairly well on my own.
I admire Alton and this book in particular for two reason: He's innovative with his tools so that the least number of items can do the most tasks. I used to have four different garlic tools. I now I have one -- a knife. Also, a cooking tool doesn't have to come from a cooking store. Second, I enjoy how Alton doesn't shy from naming names, both the good and bad. In most parts of the book, he explains exactly what he thinks you should have and why. It's up to you if that sounds good to you.
A nice little plus is he gives recipes demonstrating some of the gear he discusses. So when you go out and buy something new, you can try it out.
You'll see a lot of this book on his shows. This is probably what this book is best at, a reference for the TV show. The book is not an authoritative look at what pan is best for this or that, or whatever. Cook's Illustrated is probably a better source for this. This is more of an overview of information. Some parts are more in-depth than others. I get the impression that the book was written from Alton's memory. In other words, Alton relied on past research and experience to write this book without going the extra steps to be more in-depth or complete. Some items are better researched and more in-depth than others, which illustrates this point. If it's important to Alton, he knows it front and back and has tested various products. If not, you just get a rough guide of what to look for.
In short, this book is basically Alton's view on cooking tools, which certainly is impressive, but I would not recommend making this book a shopping list. I don't agree with everything in the book, but it does arm you with enough information to know what you're doing at the store. Case in point, I'm looking for a new roasting pan. Alton incorrectly states that the All-Clad has an aluminum core -- it's only stainless steel. While certainly a quality pan, I'm looking for a more affordable alternative since the big thing with All-Clad is the aluminum core. Alton comes into play on what I specifically want: A stainless steel (non-reactive) pan that is heavy enough to de-glaze on the stove. In this case, I'm looking past Alton's strong product recommendation, but I know exactly what I want and why.
Alton's books and shows made me aware of my neglect for food safety. Some great tips in there. The kitchen truly is the most danger room in the house.
If you enjoy Alton's show and his tips for gear, you'll like this book, even if you've seen every episode. At the very least you'll have something to reference. For everyone else, I'd say page through it at a book store and look up topic you're familiar with. If you agree with what he says, buy it. You'll probably agree with everything else.
Book Review: How to cook in a flowerpot and other uses for frisbees
Summary: 5 Stars
You're going to wish you had this book years ago, before you spent all that money on gadgets that got tossed into the junk drawer only to get used once a year. You'll wish you'd had it before you selected all the wrong things on your wedding registry. But when you look back ten years from now and add up all the money, time and aggravation you've saved after following the advice in Gear For Your Kitchen, you'll get that little smile that only comes with the special joy of smugness. And after all, you will have one kick-a** (and uncluttered) kitchen!Author, director and chef Alton Brown brings his trademark bottom-line style to GFYK. To make it easier to use as a spot reference, it is divided into sections: Pots and Pans, Sharp Things, Small Things with Plugs, Kitchen tools Unplugged, Storage and Containment, and Safety and Sanitation. The short introduction at the beginning orients the reader to some guidelines about organizing, how to decide an item's keep-or-toss value, and rules that will keep you grounded in reality as you shop (and less likely to fall for sales ploys). A good sample quote on knife salesjargon: "If I'm getting ready to go into battle, I'd almost certainly want my sword to be full tang, but if the most violent task I'm to encounter is cutting through a chicken, I can think of about six characteristics of a knife that are more important." This section alone redeems the book's cover price very quickly.
What really makes GFYK -- and AB - stand out from others however is the effortless teacherly approach the author takes. Just as with his tv series Good Eats, AB explains the logic, physics and application of tools, techniques and gadgets, but get this: it's all in simple, no-nonsense language so that you can really learn what you are doing, instead of following directions obediently. Applying your knowledge becomes easy at that point on. Really, no straining or note-taking required here to suddenly realize which pots you'll need for your favorite recipes for instance. He just slips it on in unnoticed, and dang it, you're an educated consumer that can make intelligent choices. How does he do it?
As an added bonus, there are recipes spliced into areas relevant to the tools being discussed, little sidebar blurbs and comments on trivia, and often, photos of his personal items. AB includes tips on where to obtain some of the obscure ones. But my hands-down favorite thing about GFYK are the little gems on improvising and trouble shooting. Need a shield for your immersion blender (so that everything doesn't splatter out the top of the container)? Cut a hole in a cheap frisbee and slide it on through. Want a roaster that's also good for casseroles and baking bread? Two shallow terra cotta flowerpots should do the trick. I ask you, how can one resist the charm of learning how to makeshift a smoker for under fifty bucks out of common household items? I might add, you will be able to disassemble it and store it offseason in the garden shed...or just reuse the parts when you're done!
I hope I've convinced you that you do need this book unless you are already a veritable expert on kitchen tools. Save yourself and your counter space, free up your closets and get cooking!
-Andrea, aka Merribelle
Book Review: Fine Tune your Kitchen and add fun to your cooking
Summary: 5 Stars
The top five (5) reasons for reading Alton Brown's GEAR For Your Kitchen are:1. The tabulation of types of `Pots and Pans' materials, their advantages, disadvantages, and relative costs. This chapter alone is worth the price of admission. This section will not save you money except for its advice on non-stick pans. All sources I've seen from Mario Batali to AB agree on not spending a lot for Teflon ® lined pans, except be sure to get them with oven proof handles for making frittatas.
2. The thoughtful discussion of knife design and how different design features are important, or not important for different cutting tasks. This section will save you money, unless you are a knife freak.
3. The discussion of most major types of gear, which give you the features you should find most desirable. You may not agree with AB's choices, but he tells you how to make the choice which is best for you.
4. The essay on kitchen sanitation. This is one of many areas where the home cook can learn from professional chefs' practice. I'll bet that even Martha Stewart is not as careful as Alton recommends, and I plan to begin following his recommendations immediately. Note that one can make a little game of finding all the oblique references to Martha Stewart in the book. I've found four (4).
5. The explanation of accuracy versus precision in evaluating measuring devices, especially weighing devices. Being a former chemist, I would argue that AB gives too little credit to the role of the balance, although I concede that using it in the kitchen does require both extra space and special knowledge the average chef may not have.
To the book's credit, it has a wealth of references to actual makes and models, while I have detected no bias to any one manufacturer, in spite of some gratuitous general kudos to OXO. AB's opinions are based on a thorough and thoughtful use of kitchen tools over many years, so his opinions are much better than your Aunt Ida, no matter how good her apple pie may be. However, I take some with a grain of salt. I would not dismiss springform pans unless I heard both Maida Heatter and Nick Malgieri gave them up.
Another minor nit I would pick is in his use of the term multitasking. In computer science, where the word was born, it means the ability to do two things in parallel, not two different things in series! I would especially disagree with some of the uses to which he puts a rolling pin, as some secondary uses may lead to nicks which may harbor microbeasties and impair it function. The solution of sanding said roller may give it an uneven shape. Tsk Tsk.
This book is much better than his first, since it addresses in a comprehensive way a subject which is only dealt with in a very piecemeal way by any other source, including Cooks Illustrated. His first book was just another collection of recipes with humor and some (occasionally) misleading science.
Book Review: Interesting, but not definitive
Summary: 4 Stars
Here, Alton attempts to assemble a definitive guide to what you should or shouldn't have in your kitchen.
Alton Brown has been described as a kitchen "hacker," kind of like a computer hacker. He's known for his clever solutions to common cooking problems -- his homemade smoker (made out of a wooden or cardboard box) and his ceramic roaster (made out of large terra cotta flower pots) are probably some of his proudest and best known creations.
The problem with this book is that it's a fairly subjective book, based on Alton's personal experience and opinion. Additionally, contrary to Alton's trademark style, the book is NOT filled with clever shortcuts or innovative usages of hardware items in the home kitchen -- his "hacks". For the most part, dedicated fans of his Food Network show, Good Eats, already know most or all of his tricks. The book doesn't really introduce anything new.
Also, the book is somewhat dated, since newer technologies and gear have rendered parts of this book less than totally relevant (e.g. the section on knives. Knives are now made with newer materials that the book does not even mention).
Some of the gear listed is difficult to track down (F. Dick Multicut honing steel, certain other specific makes and models of various items or appliances), some of it is shamelessly expensive (the previously mentioned honing steel is $108.00 on Amazon.com), and some items are probably not worth the price when compared to less expensive alternatives that do the job satisfactorily.
To be fair, Alton does indicate when certain goods cost more than the average cook might like to spend; however, he also suggests that readers buy some of the higher end goods on the market. The message can seem a bit muddied and contradictory when he favors a big cast iron skillet (at or around $10) while also suggesting that home cooks get a good, clad fry pan (~$180) and a clad saute pan (~$220).
Luckily, most of his advice seems to be solid, in my personal opinion. In general, he gives good descriptions of some of his favorite items and why you should try to acquire them if you can. Unfortunately, too many of these items are on the pricy side.
But please don't take this guide to be definitive in any way. Use it as a reference and remember that new gear is constantly coming out and replacing old gear. Some of it is garbage. Some of it is gold. Your best bet is to try some of it out, and to do a little research before plunking down some cash for a shiny new toy. Your wallet will thank you (maybe) later.
Book Review: Not worth the money
Summary: 2 Stars
Apparently I'm going to be the first person to give this book a less than glowing review. First let's take a look at the (list) price. For almost $28 you get a book that is actually fairly small. I was surprised when I opened it up.But the basic disappointment is that Brown just doesn't do a very good job of convincing me which types of devices I do and don't need and then what brands/designs I should look for in those devices.
The coverage of topics is somewhat spotty. At times his description leaves you to believe that pretty much everything you can buy in a category is equivalent, at other times he goes into excruciating detail about what to look for. Apparently all cake pans are equivalent so long as they are heavy-duty aluminum and not non-stick; no brand names are mentioned, no pros and cons listed. When it comes to ice cream machines, however, we are treated to a 2 1/2 page dissertation surveying a complete range from the $600 Musso Lussino to the $55 Krups. Sometimes he gives detailed explanations of why he prefers one brand over another, other times not. Sometimes he'll compare several brands, other times only compare his favorite against one other. This inconsistency is a little annoying.
There were some instances where I was confused at his advice because it seems to contradict what I've heard him say elsewhere. He says that a Y-shaped peeler is the best there is yet I could swear on his TV show he said the two different designs are for somewhat different tasks and you really need one of each. On his website he recommends getting a mini-food processor because that's the size that is useful for 75% of the kitchen jobs you do; yet in this book he says that size is useless ("I can do [that much] with a knife in less time than it takes to wash the work bowl.") Flip flops like that make you start to question other parts of his advice.
In the end, you're probably better off just paying $3.95 for one-month subscriptions to the Cook's Illustrated website and searching their archives for product reviews and recommendations. While they aren't quite as comprehensive as Brown's book (although they cover about 90% of the useful material in Brown's book) the reviews and recommendations you'll find are far more useful as they compare more products and give more detail about why certain products were liked and disliked as well as giving a range of products to try.