Rating: 
Summary: Easy to Read, Great for Wedding Registry
Review: Me and my fiancee are getting married in a 6 months+ and found it to be a GREAT book to build my wedding registry upon. I am a foodie and budding chef, which makes this book a wonderful read. This book was also a James Beard award finalist as well! A few things which I wish the book had:
1. Although organized well, you have to read the entire book to get the recommendations of tools and brands. There is no quick hit grid or summary of kitchen inventory.
2. There is no real comparison of multiple brands (equipment tests/ratings). Most product recommendations are based upon his prior experiences, which is pretty good in itself being a gourmet chef.
3. This book took a bit of time to fully realize everything that I really wanted to get out of it, but the time spent was definitely worth it. A great combo for learning how to cook and what instruments to use for it.
Hope this helps. COOK ON!
Rating: 
Summary: Three words: buy this book
Review: My fellow reviewers who agreed that this book is worth 5 stars have probably said what I feel better than I could. In a nutshell, this is an excellent resource to have on hand to learn which tools you really need for YOUR kitchen....not Alton's.
The six-month "purge" in the beginning of the book is worth the price of the book alone. It's such a simple technique but it's laid out in such logical detail that anyone who does this will know immediately how much space and money they've wasted on kitchen trinkets, cheap and expensive alike.
The section on cookware is an excellent resource for people who are scraping by on whatever cookware they got from their mother or from the local superstore. It'll help you choose the cookware (and individual pieces) that are best suited for YOU.
I also found his information on cutlery selection to be valuable.
Also, Brown doesn't automatically lean toward the idea that "expensive is better". In fact, he seems refreshingly honest when he tells you that superior tools can often be bought cheaper than at a restaurant supply store. One example is that he opts to use a trowel from the local hardware store rather than buy an expensive "pie server" from one of the houseware vendors.
In other areas, he's candid enough to say, "Hey, this is going to last you a lifetime and if you buy the cheapo, you're going to regret it."
Overall, I thought it was refreshingly honest, thorough and -- well, just plain fun to read.
Regarding the the person who said that "$28 was too much" for a book that "wasn't very big", I'm not sure what the complaint was. Although the book is 200+ pages, well-written and wonderfully designed, that's not even the pragmatic point of the book. It's this: knowing the information in this book will save you a heck of alot more than $28 when buying the RIGHT kitchen gear instead of wasting money on stuff you don't need or shouldn't own. If it does that.....well, in my opinion, it's done its job.
Plus, even if someone knows alot of this stuff, it's a good gift item for the chef/cook in YOUR life. Buy two and give one as a gift!
Rating:
Summary: Always fascinating
Review: My husband bought me this book (along with the newest set of the Good Eats DVDs). Initially, I didn't think that this book would be for me even though Good Eats is one of my favorite shows. As interesting as Alton Brown is, I didn't think that a book just about kitchen tools would be interesting. Then I started reading it. AB has such a unique way of writing that I was instantly mesmerized. It makes me want to go through my kitchen and purge all the unitaskers I've accumulated over the years. I will get there, though it may take a while. As an added bonus, he includes quite a few interesting recipes (that correspond to the gear he is talking about). I will never again doubt AB. In my opinion, he's the best there is in the cooking world.
Rating:
Summary: A Must-Have
Review: Nominated this year for another James Beard Award (for Tools and Techniques), Alton Brown has yet another gem for all to enjoy, "Gear For Your Kitchen". In this wonderful gem, Alton Brown explains how you can declutter your kitchen within 60 days and stock your kitchen with useful tools that you will actually use!As any "Good Eats" fan will tell you, Alton Brown believes in "multi-taskers." His logic is: Why have a yogurt maker when you only use it once a year? Instead, he shows us, on one of his shows, how he utilizes a heating pad and a couple of canisters to achieve the same results. Not only does he suggest unusual items for your kitchen (a cigar cutter to chop chives), but he also recommends traditional items. He explains the process with which one should consider before purchasing any item. He does explain how he chose that certain coffee maker, but he explains how we need to figure out which one is best for us. Being as he is forever in search of a great utensil or appliance, he is quick to point out which items are more difficult to clean, and not worth buying, and which ones are worth buying. In the section devoted purely to pots and pans, he explains each metal used for cooking, the best uses for that metal, how to care for it and the good and bad points with each metal. Instead of purchasing that expensive imported terra-cotta cookware, he suggests (with diagrams) on how to create your own cookware from flowerpots...I mean, they are both made from the same material. Why pay more because one says "cookware"? And he doesn't stop there. He also helps his readers by helping them select safety and sanitation supplies for their kitchens! And if you thought that was not enough, he has a large resource section, in the back of the book, where he recommends some excellent places to purchase your items, either through mail, telephone or Internet! This book is complete with Alton Brown's sense of humor, wit and enthusiasm. He is one of the only people out there creating books for people who never went to culinary school. I appreciate his thoroughness, and recommend this book to all new cooks, and for the more seasoned chefs as well.
Rating:
Summary: Intro alone worth the price
Review: Read the Introduction alone to help you trim down your kitchen gadgets to a useful number. After having accumulated WAY too many kitchen gadgets, it was with great delight that I read and applied Alton's procedure for paring down the clutter in my kitchen cabinets. I now have a pile of gadgets that I can give away, sell at the next garage sale or just throw away (which pains me to no end).
After that, he gives the best advice I have ever seen for every utensil in the kitchen. The best thing he does is look at things from angles that most people don't when recommending products. One of the best peices of advice that he gives is to buy quality products, which usually (not ALWAYS) means spending more than I would like. Sometimes, he even recommends products for your kitchen that may come from some unlikely places, like your garage or workshop.
The other great thing about this book is, like his TV show, he explains how things work, albeit without most of the details.
Finally, it's a fun book to read.
Rating:
Summary: Fine Tune your Kitchen and add fun to your cooking
Review: The top five (5) reasons for reading Alton Brown's GEAR For Your Kitchen are: 1. The tabulation of types of 'Pots and Pans' materials, their advantages, disadvantages, and relative costs. This chapter alone is worth the price of admission. This section will not save you money except for its advice on non-stick pans. All sources I've seen from Mario Batali to AB agree on not spending a lot for Teflon ® lined pans, except be sure to get them with oven proof handles for making frittatas.
2. The thoughtful discussion of knife design and how different design features are important, or not important for different cutting tasks. This section will save you money, unless you are a knife freak.
3. The discussion of most major types of gear, which give you the features you should find most desirable. You may not agree with AB's choices, but he tells you how to make the choice which is best for you.
4. The essay on kitchen sanitation. This is one of many areas where the home cook can learn from professional chefs' practice. I'll bet that even Martha Stewart is not as careful as Alton recommends, and I plan to begin following his recommendations immediately. Note that one can make a little game of finding all the oblique references to Martha Stewart in the book. I've found four (4).
5. The explanation of accuracy versus precision in evaluating measuring devices, especially weighing devices. Being a former chemist, I would argue that AB gives too little credit to the role of the balance, although I concede that using it in the kitchen does require both extra space and special knowledge the average chef may not have. To the book's credit, it has a wealth of references to actual makes and models, while I have detected no bias to any one manufacturer, in spite of some gratuitous general kudos to OXO. AB's opinions are based on a thorough and thoughtful use of kitchen tools over many years, so his opinions are much better than your Aunt Ida, no matter how good her apple pie may be. However, I take some with a grain of salt. I would not dismiss springform pans unless I heard both Maida Heatter and Nick Malgieri gave them up. Another minor nit I would pick is in his use of the term multitasking. In computer science, where the word was born, it means the ability to do two things in parallel, not two different things in series! I would especially disagree with some of the uses to which he puts a rolling pin, as some secondary uses may lead to nicks which may harbor microbeasties and impair it function. The solution of sanding said roller may give it an uneven shape. Tsk Tsk. This book is much better than his first, since it addresses in a comprehensive way a subject which is only dealt with in a very piecemeal way by any other source, including Cooks Illustrated. His first book was just another collection of recipes with humor and some (occasionally) misleading science.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Book for stocking the kitchen
Review: This book may not be quite as useful for the person who has a fully stocked kitchen and is not likely to spend more money, but for the person who is starting the process of stocking the kitchen it is a great buy. Alton does not always recommend the cheapest items, but in the end, you'll get better quality, only what you need, and things that will last. You also may not spend as much money as you otherwise would have. For example, why buy a set of knives when you can start out with a couple high quality ones (chefs, paring, bread) you will use and last a lifetime (and add more as you find you need them)? Same with pots/pans -- start with 2 or 3 very good ones, and add as you know you will need them (no big sets!!). Buy the best thing going cheap -- cast iron. What can you find in restaurant supply stores? What do you NOT need? What do you already have that you can toss to leave room for things you do use? This book is well worth the cost, and even if it doesn't prompt you to buy or throw out a thing, it is worth the price for the entertainment and educational value alone.
Rating: 
Summary: Great in places, but uneven
Review: This is a fun and engaging book, but I can't shake the nagging sensation that Alton Brown sat down and wrote it without reference to external sources. For better or worse, it's a brain dump.
Brown is a smart, experienced, and creative guy, and his brain is packed with years of accumulated kitchen wisdom and useful suggestions. But like anyone else, his brain is also carrying around some thirdhand folklore and some factual misconceptions (such as the idea that ceramic knives are sharper than steel knives, and the notion that infrared thermometers measure temperature by bouncing infrared light off of food).
Unfortunately, the format of this book forces Brown to expound on every possible kitchen implement whether it's dear to his heart or not. The sections on tools he likes and uses are impassioned and exciting -- they make you want to to the kitchen and play. Other sections feel like a rote recitation of "everything Alton Brown has heard about blank."
The result is a book that you'll appreciate and enjoy reading, but that probably has limited value as a reference book.
Rating:
Summary: From a fan Great Book, but not a good buy
Review: This is a great book, and very informative. As he does in his first book, he explains the concepts behind cooking in an almost scientific. BUT many of the most important tidbits are found in abbreviated with his first book. He also tends not to give the full story when endorsing a particular product. The Pressure Cooker, Stand Mixer, Perfect Beaker, etc. So before you buy, look at the recommendations on this site, consumer reports, and any other nonpartisan source you can.
My suggestion is try and find this book at your library, then decide if you want to buy it. For me I took a few notes, then returned the book. I can always go check it out, and its not the type of book I'll always have out.
(oh and before any of you try this, the terra cotta smoker is great, but not nearly as cheap and convenient as the smokey joe smoker in I'm just here for the food).
Rating:
Summary: Works Great for Us!
Review: We enjoy cooking and recently decided we'd have more good eating if we pursued a bit more culinary knowledge and skill. Along with checking out some tv food shows, re-reading the informational sections of cookbooks we already have, and putting 'meal prep time' on the daily schedule, we're using Alton's "Gear" book to guide us in getting and using the right tools for the job(s). We're the kind of folks who take a minute to look up the Consumer Reports buying tips/recommendations/ratings before heading out to the store to make a purchase. This book is like that kind of guide for our kitchen and cooking. It is serving us well and we enjoy the nice layout, graphics and humor he's included.
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