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: Sneakily helpful
Summary: 5 Stars
Before I got this book, I heard many reviewers say oh you don't need this book unless you are stocking a new kitchen. Or borrow it from a friend. Not all of them said that of course, but enough did that it caused me to question if I needed this book. Let me tell you, I got it for Christmas and I'm very thankful I did. This book is awesome.
The very first thing I like about it? It caused me to rethink what I need in my kitchen. I'm getting married soon and as such I've been working on a registry and I'm registering for things that are a bit of an upgrade and replacement of old things that made do. That can cause you to think in the way of register for a set of cookware, register for a set of knives, etc. Well this book made me think hey, yeah, you are right, I don't need a set. I sure won't use every piece of it, so why do I want the pieces I don't want or won't use cluttering up my kitchen and stealing away my storage? Especially at the beginning of the cookware and the knives sections, he lists the items he uses often. This made me think more about what I use or would use and for what purposes. In this way I could register and purchase only what I really will use rather then getting useless pieces that companies wish to push on us. It also allows you freedom to choose pans from various brands if you want instead of all from one.
I love that it tells you what things to look for and consider for different items and why some items might not be the best choice (such as that electric wok.) It doesn't just say hey, don't get this because I'm the almighty Alton and I say so. He explains why they aren't such great items.
As mentioned by other reviewers, his section on sanitation in amazing and a must read. While I knew many of the things contained there there was more to learn. It's also nice to see things that many people don't always listen to in print. For example, the advice on sponges. How often do we STILL see people using sponges with no attempt at sanitizing them *Shudder*. Those people need to read this section.
I like that sprinkled around in the book are recipes that utilize the piece of hardware he has recently explained. It helps to get your creative juices flowing for what else you could do with it. I love to cook and bake and new ideas are always fun.
This book is a very worthwhile book whether you are starting a new kitchen, registering for new items, upgrading from older items, or even wanting to add a new item or appliance to your kitchen.
Book Review: An actual helpful resource for the budding enthusiast.
Summary: 5 Stars
I'm not sure exactly what inspired me to obtain this book. I am an AB fan, but not a fan of "cooking books" outside of the Cook's Illustrated periodical. That said, I'm happy I did - and here is why....
This is basically an easy to read text book for the cooking enthusiast. There is a nice bit on how to "de-clutter" your kitchen that I actually found to work for me. I ended up with a kitchen that had more space and was filled with tools I value and treat well/respectfully, and in return really enjoy using. That alone is worth the price of admission. Kitchen efficiency actually makes cooking more of a joy - right down to the clean up.
Brown really lays out theory on acquiring the best tools for your kitchen and keeping it a happy cooking place. I've been in the kitchen for over a decade now, and am just now finding I love certain knives - and value them as my "go to" tools. I once thought that "sharp and proper" was all there was to knife. Now, I have favorites.
Brown's advice in this book is spot on with, not only what I have heard, but, what I have learned in the kitchen. He does mention/plug brands he uses, but he doesn't go the route of the celebrity "foodie" and really push toward a specific brand. Instead, he shows you the characteristics to look for in a tool, and he does it in a practical and non-trendy way. The tools he recommends are meant to be multi-functional and work for "you" (so, you actually have to read and think - this is not a quick study on how to be a cool foodie for your friends).
Honestly, between this and a possible sub to Cook's Illustrated, you will be set for hardware in your kitchen without the clutter - but with the fun.
Lastly, I don't give 5-star reviews easily :)
Book Review: Great book for a tool junkie
Summary: 5 Stars
I am what you would call a "tool Junkie". I have tools for carpentry, electrical, plumbing, masonry. I have tools to fix small engines, build and fix computers and electronics, Lawn tools, musical tools (tuners, winders, adapters etc...). I believe I qualify for Tool collectors anonymous...
All fun aside. This book does an excellent job of explaining the various gear you will find in the kitchen (one of the more mysterious and less ventured areas of the house for me).
I picked up this book as well as Alton's book "I'm just here for the food: v.2" so that my family won't secretly wish for a pizza to be delivered, everytime it is my turn to make dinner. If you ever wondered why one pan is better than another due to it's shape or taper or material it is made from, or what features to look for in a small appliance, or twenty different ways to make coffee (I think there is really just six listed), then this is the book for you.
I was hoping there would be mention of the new "sous vide" type gear but I guess it's not common at all (way too exotic at this point). Maybe he'll add it in version 3.
Book Review: Informative and good book.
Summary: 5 Stars
I'm pretty new to cooking and bought this book because I love the show Good Eats and I think Alton Brown knows his stuff. So I bought the book so that when I start to buy my kitchen gear I'll know what I need to get, what to look for, and what to avoid. This book does that pretty well. It starts off going over how to get rid of unused kitchen gear but then goes into all the different types of kitchen gear you will likely want/need, and tells you what want out of the said kitchen gear. The book help me weed out products really fast and help me avoid spending hours doing research to see if it's really worth the money. But somethings Alton swears by I just don't know like a $45 pepper grinder(Unicorn Magnum Plus Pepper Mill 9-in.). But then again I'm just starting to get serious about cooking. All and all I think this book was fantastic and would recommend it to anyone that is new to cooking and not sure what they need, or what to look for, when buying kitchen gear.Book Review: Great Guide for a Wedding Registry
Summary: 5 Stars
My fiance and I bought and read this book before going to register for our wedding and it really helped us decide what we really needed/wanted. Had we not read the book I think we would have ended up registering for a lot more items that we later would have little use for. We are just starting out and have very little kitchen supplies to begin with, however because he covers all ranges of kitchen products I believe it is something we will re-reference in the future. We loved Alton's to the point explaniations and entertaining anecdotes. Definitely a book that should be read cover to cover at least once and then kept for reference when deciding on making additional purchase for your kitchen. I will add that while many of his ideas are fantastic - there are a few that are a bit too 'out there' to be all that practical, but to each his own.