Good Eats: The Early Years
by Alton Brown
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Book Reviews of Good Eats: The Early Years
Book Review: Great book but could use some tweaks
Summary: 4 Stars
Ok, I didn't give this five stars...which really kind of hurts to do because I am a huge Alton Brown fan. (My DVR is set to record every episode of Good Eats as it airs, I have autographed copies of all his other books and I've cooked just about everything on the show so far.) Anyway, the book is great, the "knowledge concentrate" is great in that it gets to the point of each topic/show, the recipes that are there are great and well written and the book is very well put together in general.
So why didn't I give it five stars...well mainly because I find myself wishing it had a better way of organizing it and making the information and the related recipes easier to get to when you are cooking and don't really want to improvise and want to try his recipes out. Case in point, I had a bunch of friends coming over for dinner and I had very short notice to throw something together so I was following Alton's recipes for meatloaf and mashed potatoes. Finding the recipes was kind of challenging because i first tried to use the table of contents but that is sorted by the order of the episodes so it isn't really that helpful. next I turned to the index which actually worked very well. I think I am just spoiled by the ease of use of some good eats fan pages websites as easier ways to find recipes by searching by things like food and find myself wishing that was included in the book. I am also hoping (Wishing) that future editions will include some sort of master index (hopefully by food too) so that I can just look up something like "Pork, tenderloin" and see that it was used in his schweinbrauten recipe in episode x, and the recipe is contained in book y on page z kind of thing. Otherwise it is going to be messy to find something since the reader will have to remember which season/book the recipe is in. Other minor complaints involve the recipes. I got very excited to see in the first episode that he included an additional recipe that wasn't in the show but was kind of let down by the scarcity of more of these recipes throughout the book. Also, some of the recipes seem to be missing. Case-in-point, the chapter about pickling is missing some of the recipes he went over on the show such as for "firecrackers" and I had hoped that this book would become my one-stop source for all Good Eats recipes but some of them are missing and must be found on the internet.
The above complaints may be things that are specific to me and not something other general readers would find as a problem. Me, personally, I'm a bit spoiled by how easy Alton makes it to explain and understand some of the complex things about cooking so I wish they took some extra steps to make the book easier to use. Overall though I HIGHLY RECOMMEND this book...especially for people that are new to cooking or shy about cooking since it does contain a treasure trove of information that can be unbelievably helpful to people whether they watch the show or not.
Book Review: The perfect quick reference for some of my favorite episodes!
Summary: 5 Stars
Let me start by saying this: If you are looking for extreme detail about making bread, or butterflying a chicken, you are better off starting with Alton's other books, "I'm Just Here for the Food" (cooking) or "I'm Just Here for More Food" (baking). This book is made to give you a small snippet of each episode, which is centered around a specific topic, whether it be the blueberry or finding and using the perfect chef's knife.
Being of the scientific mind, and not really knowing what I was doing in the kitchen, Alton's approach as a "culinary cartographer" helped me understand food. I frequently would find episodes on [...] and watch it multiple times to get a handle on a scary food that I had never cooked with before. This book allows me to use the index and find the key elements I wanted to remember from the show, without dragging my laptop into the kitchen with me or make notes that I wouldn't worry about staining. Although it does leave out some of the hilariously entertaining pop culture from the show, it does make mention of it, and even includes some trivia from behind the scenes.
One of the best things about Alton's recipes (he calls them applications, in that they are not meant to be followed exactly unless stated as such) is that they are not a boring read. Many times when following recipes I had a tendency to glaze over and forget what I had just read, because recipes ALL LOOK THE SAME. Recipes have always seemed to be written in a sort of sentence equation, which can be hard to remember and a snore to read. For example, directions for mashers in the "This Spud's for You" chapter read:
3. When the spud water boils, ditch the lid, drop the heat to a simmer, and cook until the spuds are easily crushed with tongs, 15 to 20 minutes.
When I first read this, I laughed to myself at the author calling diced potatoes "spud hunks" and the directions of "ditching the lid". Finally, a cook who uses some colorful writing to talk to everyday, American cooks!
My only complaint, and its a silly one, is that the footnotes can be sometimes hard to find. I will read them at the end of the chapter and have no idea to what they are referring, so I go back to find them. Sometimes its extremely difficult, because they can be attached to photos, titles, headings, and items within recipes. I only wish they had made them a different color or something so I could find them easier!
Alton's books are the only books on cooking that I find I can read cover to cover and consider a page turner. And because the book is done chronologically, it does read somewhat like a story. So if you want some comedy, some cooking, some trivia, and an all in all good read, I highly recommend that you buy this book. As for myself (who owns all of Alton's book except for "Feasting on Asphalt") I will be anxiously awaiting Vol. 2!
Book Review: Gorgeous book - Good Eats at your fingertips!
Summary: 5 Stars
I admit it, we are foodies. It started with my hubby (a bit like Alton Brown so naturally he was happily drawn to the show Good Eats) who quickly addicted myself and both of our pre-teen daughters. We were immediately drawn to the entertainment factor and unbelievable tips and bits of information/education. We are devote Alton Brown fans. Anyone who can bring the level of education/information he does in such a fun way in just 30 minutes is awesome!
This hardcover book is simply gorgeous. Attractive and worthy of being a coffee table book and simply a delight to hold and look through. This is a large book (10.3 x 9.3 x 1.7 inches ) and not to mention VERY thick with each of the 395 pages filled to the brim with information, diagrams and photos. This book has a chapter for each of the 1st 80 episodes of Good Eats (thus the reason behind the title: The Early Years. The book prologue happily informs us the volume 2 "The Middle Ages" is soon to come)
After the section for his interview you jump right into the episodes. Each episode chapter is very nicely set up:
* Title of episode and information about the episode.
* In depth "Knowledge Concentrate" which is VERY helpful things to know. Not too long, but just the right amount of information to keep you from drooling.
* The recipes themselves in a VERY well written way that is easy to follow and understand. Outstanding job with putting the recipes in this book!
And of course, in addition to the above, each chapter is filled with diagrams, photos, tips and more.
You will absolutely relive each episode and have the information in your hands to run to the kitchen with and use right away. Alton brings his humor, science and character to every inch of this book. At the end of the book, you also have your Conversion Charts/equivalents (for Weight, Volume & Oven Temperature) As with the chapters and recipes, these charts are easy to understand and use. This book also comes with a book cover which is actually a poster in disguise, pretty cool.
This is a gift for my hubby (You know, the guy who can't stop watching Good Eats and anything Alton Brown, lol) and I am very pleased with the quality and information in this gorgeous book. A must have for any Good Eats fan, a great idea for a gift (and useful as you don't have to go watch episodes and jot down recipes while watching) WELL worth the full price of $37.50 and even better at the Amazon discounted price right now. Not to mention free amazon shipping eligible.
Book Review: Turn the oven on, this book is ready to shake and bake.
Summary: 5 Stars
I've only recently become a devotee of the Good Eats show and a fan of Alton Brown. His cooking show is unlike any other on television today. He speaks plain English, leads the viewer through the cooking process and even throws in some food science to make the experience truly enlightening. Best of all, Brown makes the whole process entertaining.
Though this is supposed to be a review of the book, I find it impossible to separate it from the show. After all, the book celebrates the show; it's about the show, so the show is the deal.
The undertaking of compiling a book that intelligently covers the massive number of episodes that Brown has shot must have seemed to be an impossible undertaking. Just think about the number of recipes that would have to be involved. Yet they're all here. Recipes and more! The food science is here as well. Not as entertaining as watching it on television I admit, but now it's on your shelf, ready for you to use anytime you need it. In fact, there's much, much more. Script segments, pictures from the shows, the same food tips given on the show are all here. Good Eats: The Early Years is the closest thing to having the show at your finger tips, but organized so that you don't have to remember what episode a topic was covered.
Speaking of organization, Good Eats (book) is built around the broadcast seasons (1 thru 6 here) and then the episodes. If you can't remember the episode Brown covered the Black Bean Salad or Chips and Fish (p 185 and 114 respectively by the way) there is an index at the end of the book that will bring it all to you quicker that you can throw in a dash of salt. One more thing, Good Eats: The Early Years is only the first volume covering seasons 1 through 6. Volume Two: The Middle Ages is to be released sometime in the autumn of 2010.
Since I only discovered the show two seasons ago, having the book (both volumes) to thumb through will be a terrific asset.
If you're a science nerd, and if you like to cook, and if you like the zany with a sprinkling of seriousness, then Good Eats: Early Years is the book for you.
I highly recommend.
Peace Always.
Book Review: Good Eats - The TV Companion
Summary: 5 Stars
Full disclosure, I am a longtime fan of Good Eats and all things AB. His shows/cookbooks are a huge inspiration for my own cooking/baking. I have no professional culinary experience, I am primarily a self-taught foodie.
The Good: The book itself seems reasonably durable. The pages are thick and the graphics are gorgeous. This isn't a cheap black and white cookbook with a couple color pictures put in at the last minute, full color scenes and diagrams pepper the entire book.
This cookbook can standalone on it's own merits, you don't have to be a fan to enjoy it (it just helps). Most of the dishes are explained adequately for a novice.
The bad: Many of the inside jokes and trivia will be lost among the non-fan readers. The book is better if you already are a fan of the show.
The recipes don't have the traditional measurement equivalents (weight and volume). IIRC, both were normally given in all of the episodes that used weight as a measurement (even if AB didn't condone using volume as a metric). I have a cheap digital scale (Escali) so this is not really an issue for me.
Summary: Must have for fans. Having a detailed companion for the earliest episodes is very convenient. The only way it could have been more detailed was if the entire transcripts were given, and that's just not feasible.
An anecdotal experience: I got my copy (and 3 of AB's other books) signed yesterday at Whole Foods here in Austin, TX. I asked AB if he had thought about making a spiral bound version (the idea was mentioned in a review of one of his other books). He said he wouldn't b/c the cost to publish a spiral bound was ~1/4 - 1/3 more expensive.
Chris W