Some years ago, and I honestly don’t know how many now, I started watching cooking shows. I’d like to think that, largely, they’re the reason (sometimes to blame) for my cooking ability.
Yes, Virginia, you can learn something from TV.
Yesterday, as I was hashing up yet another weird idea, I thought: “Hey, I need an example of what I’m trying to get at here.” It wasn’t about the content of the idea, it was about presentation. And I knew the perfect thing to look for:
A clip of Good Eats, featuring Alton Brown.
For the record, Alton’s a bit of a nutjob. Unlike every other chef out there, he’s not content to act seriously about food. Yes, you can be serious about it, but for the love of all things tasty, at least have some fun with it! And he does. In fact, he was so entertaining, I couldn’t stop watching!
But he’s better than just merely entertaining. He not only shows you the how of cooking something yummy, he tells you the why. And believe, the why helps when you need to understand the difference between baking soda and baking powder.
His presentation style forever changed the way I cook steaks. I used to cook them on the barbecue. Now? In the oven. Believe it or not, my favourite steaks come out of a cast iron pan.
Anyway, back to my point about looking for a clip (which is the real reason I’m making this post). Alton (at least, it seems to be him) has blessed the world with something wonderful: Full episodes of Good Eats on YouTube. They’re usually broken into two parts (easily denoted by the titles, such as S1E1P1 and S1E1P2), and without commercials.
Want to cook better than you do? Pull up a computer and watch a few things. You might be surprised…
