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Alton Brown talks 'Good Eats 2' celebrity chefs
"Good Eats" breaks down the techniques and science of cooking to simplify and demystify the process, but what goes on behind the scenes is anything but simple.Host Alton Brown, whose second book in the series "Good Eats 2: The Middle Years" goes on sale Monday, Sept. 27, likes to call his trademark show "The Precious Snowflake Machine" -- no two episodes are alike. This means constant innovation, whether it's new skits, new metaphors or new filming techniques.
The Halloween candy episode, which will air in October, is the reason he's running a tad late for his interview.
"I was doing this very involved shot about syrups that involves not only moving cameras but also moving mirrors and magnifying glasses," he tells Zap2it. "Oh my gosh, it's one of the things where you know, every day I tell myself, 'I'm going to shoot something I've never shot before.' It's our mantra.
"So today, the precious snowflake that I'm building involves being able to see things from different angles by having mirrors in the shot. It's enough to make you pull your hair out. This is why it takes me three days to shoot an episode."
It's this passion, however, that makes for entertainment, 11 good years of entertainment on The Food Network.
As one would surmise, "The Middle Years" takes a look back at a good chunk of those shows and features remastered recipes, or as Brown likes to call them, "applications." It's all about technique after all, and this is probably why there's a discrepancy between the book's Top 20 Classic Recipes listed in the press release and the Top 20 Applications that Brown prefers.
The former includes items like chocolate frosting and blueberry muffins -- simple, identifiable, everyday recipes. Brown's Top 20 Applications, however, include sweet potato waffles, pineapple upside down cornmeal cake, pressure cooker chili, avocado ice cream, beef jerky and deep fried turkey, among others.
"My list is about basic techniques," Brown explains. "Look, if you only need 20 of these things, if you were to only tear 20 recipes out of this book and walk away, after paying of course, what techniques will take you the furthest? Which techniques are the most adaptable? 'Good Eats' is always about technique, about walking away with more technique than you walked in with."
The book isn't merely a collection of applications though. We're talking "Good Eats" after all. Besides behind-the-scenes photography and scientific or culinary trivia, the book also includes a DVD of short-form "Good Eats" interstitials that aired on Food Network
"They're actually some of my favorite pieces from a filmic standpoint," says Brown. "There's one about Sucralose, comparing Sucralose to Frankenstein, but in a good way. There's a short about free range chickens. It involves me playing five different farmers at one time. There's one about grog. There's one about cowboy speak in the culinary world. They're kind of crazy, all over the place little bits. It's actually worth the price of the book I think."
Celebrity Chefs in Our Culture
Done hawking his book, Brown takes time to ponder the bigger picture. As one of the faces of Food Network, he has mixed feelings about the rise of the celebrity chef and their effect on our culture.
"I think that our culture's awareness of food is increasing," he says. "That's good. We have big problems in our food system that need to be addressed. I don't think that most of us in the media are doing as much as we could to address that. But hey, we're entertainers. By and large, that's the first thing that we're here to do."
On the downside though, Brown observes that culinary schools are flooded with people who aren't necessarily interested in cooking but want to become TV stars.
"And there has got to be a correlation between food media and Americans becoming big fat pigs," he says, "I'm not going to say Food Network's responsible for American obesity. I'm not going to say that because of course what you put in your mouth is your own fault and your duty. But the fact that the rise of the celebrity chef has happened hand-in-hand with people becoming big fat pigs, someone's going to reckon with that.He also points to the Travel Channel's popular eating challenge show "Man vs. Food" as "disgusting." "I think it's a sin," he states. "That show is about gluttony, and gluttony is wrong. It's wasteful. Think about people that are starving to death and think about that show. I think it's an embarrassment."
So, which culinary or eating shows are doing it right? Brown responds well to information, and thus his favorites highlight either technique, instruction or broadened horizons. Among them are "Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations," Canada's "French Food at Home" with Laura Calder, Michael Symon's "Cook Like an Iron Chef" on the Cooking Channel and PBS' long-running "America's Test Kitchen."
"I also like 'Bizarre Foods.' I like Andrew Zimmern a lot," he says. "You know why? He can go to strange places and he never disrespects anybody. So there's a show about a guy eating stuff, but it's the other side of the coin of 'Man vs. Food.'"
He also gives love to "Iron Chef America," for which he's the expert commentator, and props to its Japanese predecessor.
"The original Japanese 'Iron Chef' is still absolutely stellar. It's the opera of it," enthuses Brown. "I've actually wanted to get a collection of them and re-dub them again just for the fun of it. Like a 'Mystery Science Theatre 3000' kind of thing and just release them on YouTube. I mean, who's going to stop me?"
Return to Zap2it for more with Alton Brown when he discusses hosting "The Next Iron Chef 3," which premieres on the Food Network on Sunday, Oct. 3.
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Photo credits: Stewart, Tabori & Chang; Food Network
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If he thinks "Man v. Food" is "disgusting," then I think his opinion of the show is "disgusting."
It's not "Man v. Food"'s fault that restaurants offer these eating challenges. The challenges are marketing tools that are used to attract people to the restaurants. And only one out of the three restaurants featured on each show has an eating challenge. And not all of these eating challenges involve eating 8 pounds of food in 60 minutes (i.e., the hot wings challenges and the spicy tuna rolls challenge).
AND "Man v. Food" brings attention to these restaurants, and, as a result, the show increases their business. Because of "Man v. Food," I was introduced to so many incredible places, like Gladys Knight and Ron Winans' Chicken & Waffles in Georgia, and my life will not be complete until I go there. It's admirable that a show can help so many restaurants, especially during these tough economic times, when going out to eat has become somewhat of a luxury.
AND, Adam Richman is charming, witty, and someone who makes you feel better when you've had a rough day. He is welcome in my home any day of the week, and I'm sure that many feel the same way.
Alton Brown's comments are an embarassment, and "Man v. Food" is not, in my opinion. And he needs to be careful with that comment he made about a direct relationship between celebrity chefs and obesity. Way to bite the hand that has fed you for 11 years.
Can you quote where he said that Man v Food was disgusting? I can't find that in the article... thanks.
aaah okay. nevermind, i see it farther up the article.
well, gluttony is disgusting. maybe he was saying that all that fattening food being devoured down a big ugly hungry gullet of a big fat obese man was disgusting?
i find it to be.
While I like Alton Brown I find his comment about MvF a bit childish. I'm sure the Food Network wastes an incredible amount of food during the filming of their shows. At least he knows it's not smart to bite the hand that feeds you.
I think it's more that he's saying that sensationalizing these oversized meals, particularly when so many people are going hungry, is disgusting. While I think he could have been a bit more tactful in how he said it, I can't disagree with him entirely. Sure, there have been places featured on MvF that I say "I want to go to there" after seeing them, but I wouldn't necessarily need to see Adam try to scarf down 6 pounds of food to feel that way.
On the other side of the coin, I do enjoy the hell out of MvF and I don't think for one second that Adam and Co are out to glorify excess. Adam really does seem like a cool guy and while I love AB and Good Eats, he has had a bit of a "holier than thou" attitude since his weight loss. I will give him this though: his "Feasting On..." series gave plenty of Mom & Pop places exposure so that's not exactly something he can be picked on for not doing.
Long story short, I like both shows and both hosts and I think all involved have good points and bad. The fact that one doesn't care for the other, doesn't necessarily factor into my enjoyment of either....but it's interesting to know.
I think Alton Brown has become snooty and arrogant in his older years. I used to enjoy his show as it seemed he genuinely enjoyed sharing his knowledge. Now he comes of as though he wants us all to see that he knows more than we do.
Alton Brown and Anthony Bourdain ought to get a room at Hotel Condescension. Hey, you're both entitled to look down your noses at other shows if you want to but remember you are who you are and where you are for one reason, you know how to cook. It, as they say, ain't rocket science. Nothing nice to say, say nothing. Instead you come off as a prissy, entitled whiny, malcontent. Someone else said it above, making a comment like that about another show is the embarrassment here. How sad.
I'm with Alton re Man vs. Food. Adam Richman makes a disgusting fool out of himself, and clearly knows nothing about food. As for drumming up biz for mom & pop outfits, that's disingenuous at best. He only goes to popular well known shops. About time someone said something. Anthony B can rag on Ms. Ray but not his channel mate Richman? Como se dice "hypocrite?
Alton Brown has become a nasty, arrogant personality since he lost his weight!(I give him credit for this accomplishment, but it doesn't entitle him to bash another show or act as if he knows more than the rest of us, or that his judgment is superior) His comments were ungracious, nasty, rude and foolish. Alton, if you don't like MvF,don't watch it! Adam is a smart,handsome,warm talented, funny host.He's an actor, a"foodie"and a raconteur, among other things. He'd be a good host on any number of shows! Alton sounds jealous and childish.He sounds silly when he talks about starving people and Adam doing an eating challenge, in juxtaposition.Adam doesn't want people starving,anywhere.If Adam doesn't try the challenge, will people not starve????Adam has helped feed the hungry and aided suffering people in many ways.This is a show. It's entertainment. Adam is not recommending eating challenges as a lifestyle. Get over yourself, Alton. You are much too full of yourself! You are not all that wonderful!I for one, will no longer watch any show that is at all connected to you. And I WILL NEVER BUY YOUR BOOK!
I happen to agree with AB about his thoughts on Man vs Food. The whole point in this 'entertainment' show is that fact that people are being gluttonous in these food challenges. Why are we so excited about how much crap someone can shove down their throats?
Sure..AB is beginning to get a bit sanctimonious about big fat Americans now that he's on his high horse about losing weight, but he has a point about how glorification of this kind of behavior is pretty bad.