Kitchen

[qualitygal]

I tried to watch his show once and I don't watch the contests about food, but Bobby Flay is too much for me and Alton's antics are too much for me. My preferences.

[daisyk]

I make his onion dip recipe which is delicious! I did like his old Good Eats shows. I don't care for the competition shows either. I've probably tried something else of his but I can't think right now. I tried Bobby Flay's spaghetti and meatballs once and that was only so so. Didn't have luck with Rachael Ray either. Pioneer Womans stuff has turned out well for me, although I know many don't care for her recipes. I've tried her Beef with snow peas and green bean casserole-both very good. Anyway, if you like onion dip, google Alton's recipe and try it!

[Sammijo10]

I liked the Good Eats program because the science of the ingredients and the cooking process was explored. That and there were always good, basic recipes for family favorites. I've used three of his recipes over and over again. One is the green bean casserole from scratch (so much better than the very salty canned soup and processed onions), a glazed carrots side dish made with ginger ale (SOOO yummy) and a spiced pecan recipe (just posted on the other thread!).

I find I use Ina's recipes the most but I do have a couple of Rachel Ray's (try her chicken picatta pasta toss if you like lemon chicken) and a couple of Giada's salads that are regulars in my rotation. I find many of Giada's too fussy with a need to create individual portions all the time. Since her background is as a caterer and personal chef, I get that, but I don't have enough small dishes for everything she creates.

I find the Pioneer Woman's dishes much like Paula Deen's - too much butter, cream, sugar and fatty meats - too many calories for the way we eat.

[Free2be]

Last night I made Alton Brown's green bean casserole which was delicious. Some had trouble with the crisping of the onions so I followed one suggestion to oil them a little so the flour/panko would adhere better.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/thanksgiving/thanksgiving-sides/50-classic-thanksgiving-side-dish-recipes...

I forgot to say that I halved the recipe for the two of us and used one can of green beans rather than fresh just because I wanted to use what I had on hand.

[Barbarainnc]

Got to meet Alton at a cooking show in Raleigh, NC. He did a couple of demos then had a meet and greet. I waited in line 2 hours for him to sign the 2 cookbooks he had out at the time. This is my take on his pizza recipe. I use to make it in my Foods class all the time!!!!

Pizza Dough

Dissolve 1 teaspoon of yeast in ¾ c warm water. Add 1 T vegetable oil, 1 t salt, 1 T sugar and 1 cup of bread flour. Stir then add 1 more cup of bread flour. Knead until soft and place in a gallon plastic bag overnight in the refrigerator. I put about 2 T of oil in the bag with the dough.

The next day put the dough in a pizza pan. Put about 1 cup of pizza sauce, 2 cups of shredded mozzarella cheese and about 25 pepperoni. Bake at 450* until as brown as you like.

[rudy]

Loved his Good Eats series and his recipes are top notch.

[RedTop]

I have several of Alton Brown's recipes that my family likes. The first one that comes to mind is his recipe for cooking a prime rib roast; turns out perfect every time.

[PamelaSue72]

I adore him and I loved watching Good Eats. I learned so much by watching. He didn't only tell you what to do, but he also explained why you should do it that way. I really miss that show. Alton and Ina were the only shows I actually took the time to watch. The other shows? Meh

DH and I would sit down together to watch Good Eats. He would sit with me to watch Ina Garten, too, but he really likes Alton.

We met Alton a few years ago at a Food Network food convention in southeastern PA. He's incredible, down-to-earth and very easy-going. We had a chance to speak with him as he was autographing books and I didn't have my camera with me to take a picture. So I asked him if I could have a hug instead.....and he did! Took me right off my feet. Then he looked at DH and said, "Well, I suppose you want a hug, too!" DH said, "Oh what the heck!" and so they hugged. He is a riot. (DH told his mother that I'd probably never wash the shirt I was wearing again. Yes, I really do love the guy. ) They taped the show we were at, but I never saw it on Good Eats. If you see it, I'm the redhead in the pink long-sleeved shirt with a smile on my face. DH said the camera was on me quite a bit, probably because I couldn't stop smiling and laughing. He's such a riot.

And yes, I use many of his recipes. His Good Eats Roast Turkey is the only turkey I make for Thanksgiving. His White Trash is delicious. I use his pizza dough recipe. I have tried so many of his recipes and they've always turned out great....with the exception of the Butternut Gnocchi, I think it was, something like that. I had nothing but trouble with that one (found out later that there was some kind of typo in the book and he even had some issues with the recipe). He has a way of "frying" steak that was delicious. I use his method for pork chops on the grill. I use so many of his techniques and suggestions. I could never quite cook an omelet perfectly until I watched him.

His prime rib roast uses a terra cotta planter with the lid. OMG, it's just delicious! That's the only way to do prime rib! Thanks to Alton, I have a large bucket used just for brining my turkey. And I have a large terra cotta planter and lid that are used just for prime rib. Quirky? Well, yeah. But lord, it's Good Eats!

[peggyhbsl]

I cook my 23lb turkey every year following Altons recipe from years back. The night before I mix honey into butter, pat it in a roll and freeze it. In the morning I preheat oven to 500 and let the bird sit out at room temperature while I make a small amount of stuffing for inside the bird. I cut the frozen butter/honey into discs and very carefully push it under the skin all around the bird. Sometimes I use toothpicks to keep the skin in place. I make the aluminum foil "bra" so its ready to go. I stuff the bird, rub canola oil over top and put it in the hot oven for around 20 min then cover it with the foil and turn down heat to 325 to 350 until done. My turkeys come out moist and tender every time.

[Vamp]

I haven't watched his show in ages but have used many of his recipes I've found on line. For the most part, I've had great luck and find his recipes very do-able. Tasty without being intimidating.

PamelaSue--What a great story! How lucky that you got to meet him in person. He sounds like a real sweetheart!