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Summary: Alton Hits It Again
Review: Whether or not you agree with Alton Brown on every point he makes, you have to admit that he is not shy about giving his opinion, often in the face of generations of contrary tradition. Alton believes in multi-tasking, and he has a point; in my kitchen, most likely in yours, 20 percent of the implements do 80 percent of the work. Even in the most capacious kitchens, space comes at a premium. Ever injure yourself clattering through a drawer-full of this and that? You get my point. Kitchen tools and implements need to earn their stripes in terms of both quality and utility. For this reason, Alton's great taxonomy in "Gear" lays out an extremely useful framework, if anything, to avoid buying something expensive and needless. The serious cook cannot help but disagree with something Alton propounds, and yet still benefit from the depth of his viewpoint. This is an important culinary work, and a good read as well.Food writer Elliot Essman's other reviews and food articles are available at www.stylegourmet.com
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Summary: How to cook in a flowerpot and other uses for frisbees
Review: You're going to wish you had this book years ago, before you spent all that money on gadgets that got tossed into the junk drawer only to get used once a year. You'll wish you'd had it before you selected all the wrong things on your wedding registry. But when you look back ten years from now and add up all the money, time and aggravation you've saved after following the advice in Gear For Your Kitchen, you'll get that little smile that only comes with the special joy of smugness. And after all, you will have one kick-a** (and uncluttered) kitchen! Author, director and chef Alton Brown brings his trademark bottom-line style to GFYK. To make it easier to use as a spot reference, it is divided into sections: Pots and Pans, Sharp Things, Small Things with Plugs, Kitchen tools Unplugged, Storage and Containment, and Safety and Sanitation. The short introduction at the beginning orients the reader to some guidelines about organizing, how to decide an item's keep-or-toss value, and rules that will keep you grounded in reality as you shop (and less likely to fall for sales ploys). A good sample quote on knife salesjargon: "If I'm getting ready to go into battle, I'd almost certainly want my sword to be full tang, but if the most violent task I'm to encounter is cutting through a chicken, I can think of about six characteristics of a knife that are more important." This section alone redeems the book's cover price very quickly. What really makes GFYK -- and AB - stand out from others however is the effortless teacherly approach the author takes. Just as with his tv series Good Eats, AB explains the logic, physics and application of tools, techniques and gadgets, but get this: it's all in simple, no-nonsense language so that you can really learn what you are doing, instead of following directions obediently. Applying your knowledge becomes easy at that point on. Really, no straining or note-taking required here to suddenly realize which pots you'll need for your favorite recipes for instance. He just slips it on in unnoticed, and dang it, you're an educated consumer that can make intelligent choices. How does he do it? As an added bonus, there are recipes spliced into areas relevant to the tools being discussed, little sidebar blurbs and comments on trivia, and often, photos of his personal items. AB includes tips on where to obtain some of the obscure ones. But my hands-down favorite thing about GFYK are the little gems on improvising and trouble shooting. Need a shield for your immersion blender (so that everything doesn't splatter out the top of the container)? Cut a hole in a cheap frisbee and slide it on through. Want a roaster that's also good for casseroles and baking bread? Two shallow terra cotta flowerpots should do the trick. I ask you, how can one resist the charm of learning how to makeshift a smoker for under fifty bucks out of common household items? I might add, you will be able to disassemble it and store it offseason in the garden shed...or just reuse the parts when you're done! I hope I've convinced you that you do need this book unless you are already a veritable expert on kitchen tools. Save yourself and your counter space, free up your closets and get cooking!
-Andrea, aka Merribelle
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