feasting on asphalt

This weekend I was lucky enough to attend Alton Brown's demonstration at the NYC Wine and Food Festival. The demo was a part of a Kidz Kitchen series, so the studio was packed with aspiring young cooks.

In person, Brown — who's a bit weary-looking with longer, shaggy hair — is comical, scientific, and jokingly insulting. Watching a chef cook live is an interesting experience, especially when they answer the audience members' questions.

To get up close and personal with Alton Brown and find out what he had to say, read more

Alton Brown fans rejoice, he and the Food Network have just announced a new three-year deal. This means there will be new seasons of Good Eats (yay!) and he will continue to host Iron Chef America. When asked about the deal, Alton had this to say:

Food Network is my home and I am staying home. I'm looking forward to producing more and varied shows with the network and am especially excited about Feasting on Waves, which will bring a whole new perspective to food.

That's right, AB will be back this Summer with a new version of his popular summer travel show Feasting on Asphalt, only this time he'll be in the Caribbean and will be Feasting on Waves. He'll be on the deck of a boat, diving, fishing, and doing whatever it takes to find good eats. They're paying him to do this? No wonder he's sticking around for three more years!

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The second season of Alton Brown's travel show Feasting on Asphalt premieres this Saturday, and I must admit, I am really looking forward to it. Alton is one of my favorite celebrity chefs, mostly because of his geeky scientific approach to cooking. In his first book, I'm Just Here for the Food, AB delivers the goods just like you would expect. There are recipes, science, history and lots of detailed instructions and handy diagrams. Much like his Good Eats tv show, Alton's book helps you understand your food, not just cook it. There's science behind it all and he wants to help you figure it out. Although there are recipes in the book, what Alton is really providing to his reader is knowledge. Know how things work, and you'll be able to do it yourself. Oh and did I mention that he does it in a way that is technical and somehow still loads of fun?

If you're an Alton fan and don't own this book, you should definitely remedy that. And if you've ever found yourself wondering about the how and whys in the kitchen, then definitely check this book out. In the recently updated 2.0 version of the book, there are now 15 more recipes and 4 refrigerator magnets. If you don't have the first edition, skip straight to this one. If you do have the first edition, not a lot has changed to justify a new copy.