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Coming Next Issue
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Chip Foose |
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BMW 760Li |
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VW Phaeton W12 |
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Prepare for Winter |
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Chef Alton Brown of "Good Eats"
Writer, Director, Food Hacker & Gear Head |
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By Steve Litscher
Editor-in-Chief
(October 6, 2004) |
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"Here, taste this," says Tamie Cook, Research Coordinator and Culinary Producer for Chef Alton Brown of "Good Eats", as she presents him with a small cup of a ice cream. It's just after 9:30 AM and the test kitchen at Brown's Be Squared Productions office in Atlanta is abuzz - there's a loaf of bread in the oven and spring rolls in various stages of completion, while an ice cream maker is churning away an eggnog-flavored treat.
Alton studies the creamy mixture, prodding at it with his spoon. He takes a taste and works the ice cream across his palette as a wine-taster would with a new vintage of wine. As he digs at the mixture with his spoon he asks, "What do you think?" Tamie replies, "I think it tastes pretty good," with emphasis on the good. Alton detects a crystalline texture and asks about the alcohol, water and fat content of the recipe. In a quick back-and-forth exchange with one word questions and answers, Alton and Tamie have poured over every molecular detail of the fat-to-water ratio. After another taste, he proclaims, "It's good. Let's call it good."
And with that, he exchanges the ice cream cup for his Shoei motorcycle helmet, turns to us, and with a smile on his face says, "Let's ride, shall we?"
Alton Brown isn't your typical celebrity chef. In fact, he makes jokes about his celebrity status, never taking it to heart. Now in its fifth year of production, Good Eats is one of the highest rated, most recognizable shows on the Food Network. His first book, I'm Just Here For The Food, has won a prestigious James Beard award. Most recently, he was named Bon Appetit magazine's Cooking Teacher of the Year - a highly-coveted distinction, and one that Brown takes pride in.
When you speak with the 42-year-old, "food hacker" (a term first coined by Wired magazine), it's his sincere, enthusiastic passion for knowledge that leaves a lasting impression. He lights up while explaining how his new line of Kershaw knives take advantage of a slight angle in the handle to improve the action of the knife. He becomes effusive when talking about his work with General Electric and their new TrivectionTM oven.
But Alton really takes off when it comes to motorcycles. "I love to ride. I've come to the conclusion that you're either a car guy, or a bike guy," he says while sitting atop his BMW R1100RT. "I'm a bike guy."
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