Didn't see this coming

The other day I was just plain ol' floored. I opened up my email attached to this site to find an offer an advance copy of a book. Under the Table: Saucy Tales from Culinary School is the name of said book. Its about one woman's journey in culinary school. I guess the publisher's publicity department thought since I have a whole blog dedicated to Alton Brown, I must be a serious devotee of things culinary.

That's a great assumption!

I received the copy yesterday and can't wait to get started on reading it. I skimmed through the chapters and some the titles gave me a much needed chuckle. My favorite was "Fido, the Fighting Lobster." The other great plus, there are several recipes in the book.

Once I finish it, I'll let everyone know about it. I know it doesn't have anything to do with AB per say, but because I have this blog about him I got the opportunity to find out about the book. :)

Seafood Sustainability second panel report

"Oh, sardines are sexy. And if you don't believe that, you haven't been with the right sardine," quipped Alton Brown during the second panel at the Smithsonian Institution's Understanding Seafood event on March 21. For the other half of the Saturday morning discussion--Sustainability in the Restaurant and in Your Kitchen--chefs, supermarket buyers, advocates and those in the media addressed topics for consumers.

As in the first panel, it was universally agreed consumers play a vital role in sustainability. AB's statement on the "sexiness" of sardines came as a result of a comment from a panel member in regard to marketing different fish to consumers. Typically in the American fish eating repertoire one finds salmon, tuna, shrimp and trout.

Tim O'Shea, co-founder of Clean Fish, said expanding the palette is important. As did Chef Jeff Black of the Black Restaurant Group. Chef Bob Kinkead noted consumers dictate what restaurants serve as well. Fish such as swordfish have fallen out of favor and menus reflect this change.

Chef Black also warned of going too far the other way in creating the new "it" fish using the example of red fish and Chef Paul Prudhomme. After blackened red fish became a culinary hot commodity, the once plentiful fish became nearly wiped out within a few years. Chef Kinkead added, we must protect what we have because the odds are we know most all the seafood species available.

A lot of pressure, however, is on the consumer. Carrie Brownstein, Seafood Quality Standards Coordinator for the Whole Foods market chain, believes getting to know your fish store is a vital method for the public. Moreover, looking for the Marine Stewardship Council's logo will insure purchasing more environmental friendly seafood. A key element in becoming a better seafood purchaser is talking with your fish monger, said Brownstein.

When purchasing fish, fresh is not the only option. Frozen is an excellent way to procure seafood. In fact, Alton said he buys a lot of it and in his opinion fish flash frozen immediately after caught is a better in many cases than its fresh counterparts. He reminded us fresh and raw are not the same thing.

AB asked each member of the panel to name one type of seafood s/he would like more people to be aware of and eat more. The list included, red fish, black cod or sable fish, blue fish, fresh sardines (this was also Alton's pick), mussels and gulf shrimp.

Seafood Sustainability panel report

Playing to a packed house at the Smithsonian Institution's Bard Theatre, Alton Brown served as master of ceremony for the "Understanding Sustainability" program at the Natural History Museum on March 21.

Dubbed "Master of Seafood" by the hostess from the Smithsonian Associates, AB told those in attendance it was appropriate for him being there since his "TV parents" were Julia Child and Jacques Cousteau.

The purpose of the event was to inform consumers of the goals and increase awareness to the sustainability movement in seafood. Alton made note as consumers, "we vote with our dollars" and we must take responsibility to be more educated buyers. He hoped everyone attending would ask better questions and pass on the word about sustainability in seafood. And while he rarely attaches his name to causes, promoting the health and future of the world's seafood stock is a something he believes in greatly.

From fishermen to farmers to restaurateurs and to the consumers maintaining a viable and health system is a joint effort. The first panel of the morning, Keeping Seafood in Our Future, addressed issues relating to marine biology, aquaculture, commercial fishing and conservation.

Micheal Sutton of Monterey Bay Aquarium reiterated Alton's opening remarks about the role of the consumer. Sutton said the power of commerce is greater than the power of government. Both AB and Sutton told the audience about Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch program and its guide designed to assist consumers in selecting the best seafood at the market or when eating out. The guides are available for download on the iPhone and for printing.

Efforts to revitalize and restore sea creatures have obtained notable successes. Dr. Steve Murawski, chief science advisor at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, explained ten years ago large, U-10 scallops (U-10 designation means under ten scallops per pound) were virtually unheard of as a purchasing option. But now, after allowing the scallops to grow for years rather than harvesting at a younger state, the scallops are much larger resulting the increase of larger U-10 scallop. Thus, creating a new market for such item.

Market forces create demands and agencies, aquaculture and fisheries must meet these demands with responsibility. Murawski informed the audience 84 percent of the seafood sold in the United States is imported. That makes regulating more difficult. Sutton, however, pointed out with the right incentive programs much success can be achieved.

Alton's philosophy on seafood sustainability is taken from Teddy Roosevelt, who believed in hunting and conservation at the same time. AB said good stewardship of seafood lies in finding that balance. It is vital to maintain wild stocks and also having responsible farming.

Beatrice Taylor, owner of Payne's Crab House in Urbana, Va., discussed the regulations on Chesapeake Bay watermen. Alton asked if the watermen thought the government were out to get them. Taylor replied most crabbers understand in order to make their livelihood last, the regulations are important. Sally Eason of Sunburst Trout Farm believes sustainability is a joint effort from both sides: the farmers, fishermen and scientists working to develop methods to have long lasting and thoughtful ways to harvest and the public to be more informed about what is being purchased.

The overarching theme of the panel was best summed up by Sutton, "we must fish in more thoughtful ways and farm more carefully."

And yes, both fishing and farming are needed to create sustainable seafood.

More Alton Brown DC photos

I'm feeling a bit under the weather, so writing up the panel discussions hasn't come together as of yet. I'm trying to get it finished but it's been about as painful as writing a term paper. In the mean time, here are a few more photos of Alton Brown at the Smithsonian event. These are from Saturday before the discussion got under way.

Get over it!

On Saturday morning before the panel discussion when Alton Brown was chatting with audience members, I ventured up to him. The reason, I needed to tell him about not being selected for the Dear Food Network: Grilling show.

I just needed to let him know. It wasn't going to change anything. It wasn't going to do anything. But I just wanted AB to know.

He told me he had nothing to do with the show. And I told him I knew that but I just wanted him to know the Food Network rejected me as a "big fan."

He said, "I'm sorry."

And, you know, people usually say that sorry doesn't make it better, but it kind of did.

Alton Brown and the bee

Before I had ever knew of Alton Brown, I collected items with bees on them. It came from the fact my undergraduate alma mater's mascot is a yellow jacket. But finding honeybees and bumblebees always seemed to be much easier to locate than the more vicious yellow jacket wasp, so my collection is has more bees than yellow jackets. But bees are cuter anyway.

When I found out Alton also liked bees, I thought it was so cool. Like he would really care, but it is something we have in common. :)

I also knew bringing something him with a bee on it would be an equally cool thing. Last year when I met him in Marietta, I brought a Fiestaware trivet for him because I spotted some Fiestaware in a few early episodes. For this meeting, I wanted to bring him a little gift again.

But what?

My good friend L had given me a link to a cross stitch pattern for a honeybee some time ago. I had planned on making it but...

Anyway some weeks ago I had a flash, make the little bee for Alton. It would be perfect. I ended up stitching the bee and putting in an acrylic paperweight case. It was perfect.

At the last meeting with AB, I knew it would be the right time to give him the little bee gift. I had been such a pest during the two day event, from showing him my websites to asking for some inside info about the upcoming cookbook. It was time to payback AB for putting up with me.

I pulled the item out from my bag and told Alton I had a gift for him. I handed the paperweight.

He looked at it and replied, "It's a bee." I was happy to see he liked it. Then AB said, "I have a bee tattoo on my arm," as he tapped his left arm.


I replied, "I know because I'm your number one fan, remember." He quickly responded, "Number one fan in West Virginia." I laughed and tried to sneak in that number one fan claim again. AB thanked me for gift and it was time for me to leave. He made that last comment about using up my quota and said to go away in his teasing manner. And I did.

But I finally got the Number One fan title, albeit only in one state. ;)

Photos from Alton Brown in DC

I'm sorry to say, I don't have a lot of photos from the events. When I saw Alton Brown on Friday at the book signing, I didn't want to act like a deranged paparazzo (or would that be paparazza with the "a" for the feminine singular like Spanish? My Italian is horrid) so I kept taking photos to a minimum. Then at the discussion on Saturday we're asked not to take photos. Totally understandable. Actually, I always feel bad snapping away at these things.

Anyway, I got a few snaps during the intermission and before the panel discussion on Saturday. And I totally forgot to get one of me and AB together. Though I rarely take a good picture, it would've been nice to have one.

What Alton Brown did to my mom

My mom surprised me by asking to go with me to Washington, D.C. back in January when I found out about Alton Brown being at the Smithsonian. She wanted to go. Why? I don't know. She doesn't watch Good Eats, Feasting on Asphalt or Iron Chef America. In fact she doesn't even know the channel number for the Food Network on the satellite service. She doesn't cook much any more. There was no rhyme or reason to it but she wanted to go.

So it was going to be a girls road trip to DC and seeing AB. I was excited from the moment of knowing about it. Mom was excited too but for reasons other than meeting Alton. Actually, she had met him before. Last March in Marietta, Ga. My good friend L's grandmother passed away a few days before we were to head south mom stepped in and ever since she been a traveling monster.

Anyway, a few weeks before the latest event mom was wondering what to bring for AB to sign. She didn't have any of his cookbooks. One day while prepping veggies and using my bench scraper, I hit me. I had a slightly used bench scrapper she could take. It would be perfect.

While we where in line to see Alton, he had the event staff pass out sticky notes to write our names on them. AB claims to be a terrible speller and said he could mess up spelling Bob.

After I had my first meeting with Alton for the evenig, I was standing back waiting for her. I don't remember exactly what I was doing but I was not looking in the direction of mom and Alton. Then suddenly I hear AB say, "Oh, you want the ebay version." I then hear mom say, "No." And Alton persisting to say, in a joking tone, about her selling it on ebay. And mom countering with no.

About ten nos later from mom, I stepped back toward the table, standing right behind Alton, and say, "I won't let her sell it." Alton straighten up from being bent over the table to sign the item and tells us both his mom would buy it. At this point mom is still telling him she isn't going to sell it and she was giving it to me.

AB insists his mom will buy the bench scraper, even telling us to put in on ebay that night and make it "buy it now" and she will buy it. Of course, I'm laughing all of the time about whole thing, playing along and basking in the exchange with him. Alton was in top form with his goofiness and I loved ever minute of it. I'm not sure what mom thought of the whole thing. But as we were leaving, AB turned completely around from the table, toward us, still insisting his mom would buy the item. He took a few steps away from the table with us, still claiming his mom will buy it.

Afterward, she thought he was so funny, being so insistent. I told mom he was just being his normal fun self. She did a great kick out of it.

When the dust settled and we were at the food portion of the program, mom was looking at the bench scraper and gloated how she got the little AB character. Foiled again. She also had to point out the size of the little guy, taking up most of the left side. And keep on pointing out this fact.

Irony defined. It was my bench scraper. It was my idea to bring the thing. I didn't get the little AB on my cutting board.

The only good part, she did give it to me. :)

Oh, and its still in my possession and not up for bid on ebay. Check the date on the newspaper ;)

Tidbits from Alton Brown's events at the Smithsonian

I still haven't gotten my keyser in gear to write up a detailed description of the panel discussions on Saturday. Most of the talk was from the panelists but AB chimed in with a few comments and thoughts on the topics.

I have a cute story about my mom's encounter with Alton on Friday. Its a hoot, AB was teasing her about selling her item on eBay.

On Saturday when she went to get the program signed, he thanked her for coming to the event and patted her on the shoulder. Of course, she will not let me live that down. I don't know how many times I heard, "he patted my shoulder" on the drive back home! You have to know, she doesn't watch any of Alton Brown's shows. The only time she has is when I've forced to watch.


But I'm still hearing about this shoulder pat!

Who's the fangirl now?!? ;)

I counter with, he was being nice to his elders and point out, biologically speaking, she's old enough to be his mother. ;) And mom returns the volley with she'd be have to be a very young mother but it be more like a big sister.

Fangirls, *rolls eyes*

Another Alton Brown meeting

I plan on giving a report on both panel discussions as well as details on meeting Alton Brown at the Smithsonian events last weekend. Still trying to get all of the photos in order and everything else.

But my initial thoughts on the weekend. First meeting AB again was just the most awesome thing ever. This was my fourth time seeing him and it was just as great as the first time. In fact, maybe better than the first time because I wasn't as nervous. I walked right up to him this time and started talking. I bet, AB wished I was still that star struck fangirl from Nashville 2007 who couldn't remember her own name.

The biggest and best impression I got from the whole weekend was how AB conducted himself at both events. And just like the other events I've attended, he was so warm and friendly to everyone. When I got to him to show him the blog, I was the very last person in line. And after greeting and signing for 750 people, the man was just as gracious to me as if I were the first person in line.

I've only met a few celebrities in person, and always at autograph events, but I've never experienced anything like meeting Alton. From his interactions, you can tell how much he appriecates those of us who come to see him. Alton takes his time and talks with you--I mean really talk with you. He answers questions. And my favorite, unleashes his wicked sense of humor on you. All of the meetings, he has given me some type of ribbing and this time was even better because I talked to him so many times. I got a lot of it this time :)

On Saturday, as I watched the hordes of people swarming around AB during intermission and after the discussion, I noted how approachable he was. At the beginning of the morning's event someone came up to him and asked for an autograph. AB promptly sat down on the edge of stage in the Bard Theatre and started talking with the woman. He rolled over on his side signing her item. A few other people, including me, ventured up to him. He sat on the edge of the stage talking and signing until the event began. He never shooed us away or said he needed to prepare for the discussion. No. He took the time to spend a few minutes with each of us. He even shook my hand, again, after we completed the conversation.

This big time TV star just sat on the edge of a stage talking with people like me. Success certainly hasn't gone to his head. It struck me how down to Earth Alton is. AB is class all of the way.

The loot

I'm delving in the goody bag :) Here are the things Alton Brown signed for me. Actually, I only have one book signed, Feasting on Asphalt: The River Run. I got it signed last March in Marietta. I guess next time, I need to bring a few of my cookbooks.


At Friday night's event, I brought a cutting board. I was hoping to get the little AB character on this one.


Denied!

Oh bother.

At the end of Saturday's event, AB hung around and signed stuff for people. This was the fourth time I talked to him for the weekend. I told him I've used my quota, but would he sign one last thing for me. He took the magazine, it was a copy of the Southwest Airline's in flight magazine my good friend L procured a copy and gave it to me (thanks L!), and started signing it as I talked with him some more.


I got the little AB character! I wasn't expecting it on the magazine because I've heard you only get the little guy on unusual items. Not sure if he put it on the magazine because it was an odd magazine, if he was happy to be rid of me ;) or if he liked me. What ever the reason be, I was shocked to see the little fellow and almost squealed.

Alton told me I had used up my quota as he handed the magazine back to me and told me to leave. :) It was a great end to a fabulous weekend! One last snap of his sarcastic wit.

Thanks Alton!

Thank you Alton Brown!

In my excitement from seeing Alton Brown for two days, I may have overlooked thanking him for his time! On Friday, I showed him the blog and the website at the very end of the book signing line. It is a big blur, I remember going through the binder I prepared for him. And he was so nice to spend some of his time with me in looking at the notebook. :)

On Saturday, I talked to him twice. That morning he remembered me from the night before! And he promised to look at the information I gave him about the blog and the website.

Wouldn't it be so cool if he'd stop by the blog? I hope he will check up on me. ;)

Alton was so nice to put up with my pestering him. He's awesome! And a good guy!

Thanks so much Alton! You're the best!

Big scoop from Alton Brown event

I'm still processing everything, downloading photos and playing catch up. But there is one BIG piece of Alton Brown news I must pass along. The Good Eats book (volume 1) will come out in October. AB told me around the 12th.

Then, I asked about a book tour. And the answer a big ol' YES!

Alton said there will be a tour, "extensive East Coast tour and some in the Midwest."

At this point, I asked if this tour would bring him to West Virginia. I told him I've been waiting for him to visit. AB, true to form, quickly said, "There are no bookstores in West Virginia."

I don't remember my exact comeback, but I did poke him on the shoulder. Afterward, mom asked, "What did you do to him?" She was behind me taking pictures, this is one of hers :)

I told AB, I'll have travel to attend the book signing. So he starts telling me that it wasn't his decision. The publisher determines the places and tells him to go there.

The question yielded more info about how book tours are arranged than I wanted to know, but I'm glad to know its the publisher's fault and not AB's ;)

He's not avoiding WV because of me... yet! ;)

Even thought he picked on my home state, big thanks to Alton for giving me the information.

Quick update from seeing Alton Brown

I'm back in the apparently bookstoreless West Virginia (in joke with with me and Alton Brown, I'll explain later). I have a ton of info and goodies to show off. Not many pictures because no photos were allowed during the panel discussion. I have a few from Friday's book signing and today's discussion.

Should be able to have blog fodder for a week, easy.

I leave you with this photo and I'm off to watch Iron Chef America because my hotel room had NO Food Network!

In honor of meeting Alton Brown

So I went and did it, I told Alton Brown about the blog. And he wasn't freaked out by it or anything. Yay! And in true to his form, he had to give me a wisecrack about it.

He gave me a great blogging quote.

"Never before have so many people with so little to say said so much to so few"

Of course I thought awesome! I love the smart a$$ demotivator posters from despair.com

Then I replied with:

Blogging: We're going to need more monkeys"

And he laughed and said something about we always need more monkeys.

Thanks AB for giving me a great laugh. :)

Off to see Alton Brown

I'm head out for my fabulous adventure to see Alton Brown... oh, and Washington, D.C. too. I must see two places while there, the Library of Congress and the Air and Space museum! But, of course, the highlight of the trip is seeing AB.

As many loyal readers know (wink, wink), this will be my forth time seeing Alton in person. I'm just as excited as the first time. That's mostly because I'm going to tell him about the blog.

I sure hope he likes it.

I'm very nervous about telling him, if for some reason he doesn't like it I'd be very crushed.

I started this as a tribute to AB and to talk about cooking and his impact on my skills. And, I know, sometimes I gush a bit and get all fangirl but that just because I'm an enthusiastic person. When I like something and have a passion, I don't hold back letting people know about it. That's just me, I've always been like that. When I was a kid, my passion was Star Wars. Don't ask ask how many times I saw the original movie or what kind of toys did I have.

So Friday night will my tale be happy or sad, comedy or tragedy?

Stay tuned for more details. ;)

All a Twitter

To celebrate my impending departure to see Alton Brown on Friday at the Smithsonian, I have added a Twitter feature to the blog.

Right under the great countdown to the big day, is my Twitter feed. Complete with all of the dumb tweets I've made. I'm hoping for WiFi somewhere about town, if not at the event. ;)

Of course I'm excited!

As one of my coworkers left this evening, she commented how happy I was. She said that I probably won't stop smiling for a long time. She's right. I still may be excited about Nashville... 2007! ;)

Alton Brown's Indian Rice Pudding

I love rice pudding and it would darn near impossible to match the recipe I use from Cooking Light. But the Indian rice pudding from Alton Brown may just beat out my other recipe. Coconut is one of my favorite flavors and this rice pudding is packed with coconut flavor. The best thing about the recipe was its ease.

Starting with a little leftover rice from Saturday's gumbo, I began by combining it with one cup of milk. I have to confess to not owning a non-stick skillet. So I used the best non-stick skillet I own, my great grandma's cast iron skillet.


The rice/milk mixture is brought to a boil then heat reduced and simmered until thick. The recipe says 5 minutes, I didn't actually keep track of time, just cooked until the spatula pulled through, just like AB showed in the episode.


After the rice/milk mixture is thick, then add 3/4 cup of coconut milk, 1/2 cup of heavy cream, 2 ounces of sugar and 1/4 teaspoon of cardamon.

Let the added ingredients thicken. In AB's recipe he says to add golden raisins and pistachios. I didn't make the additions.


The pudding is creamy like good rice pudding should be with a nice coconut flavor. The cardamon is a welcome addition taking the pudding in a different direction from traditional rice pudding flavors.

AB's Indian Rice Pudding Recipe

Grains of Paradise

Over the years watching Good Eats, Alton Brown has introduced me to many different foodstuffs. Grains of paradise are just one of these unfamiliar foodstuffs. Since first learning of the little old school spice in "Okraphobia," I've been trying to locate them.

Then AB added them to his apple pie in "Apple of My Pie" and again, I was hard pressed to locate this spice.

A week or so ago, my blogging buddy Terrie, who writes Feasting on Pixels blog, posted about these little guys. One of the great features of the post was a link to a place to purchase them online.

I immediately bought a jar. Merci beaucoup, Terrie. I hope that is correct, my French is limited. But I am so happy and thankful for your post on the Grains and the link to buy them. :)

Alton Brown's cheesecake

Learning to make a cheesecake from scratch was something I never would have tried before watching Alton make one. Growing up my mom made the instant ones from Jello. I knew nothing of a real baked cheesecake.

AB's cheesecake episode showed how with the right technique a great cheesecake can be created. So out went the no baked and in came the real honest to goodness cheesecake method.

This cheesecake recipe has become the only one I make. It is a great tangy version. My mom made one of the no-bake Jello after having one of my real ones. She said it had ruined her and it's not the same.

I blame AB. She blames me for making it. It's still AB's fault.

Alton Brown's English Muffins

I would have never thought for one second about making English muffins until Alton Brown did, then I had to make some too. My desire to make the muffins started back when I first saw the "Muffin Method Man" episode. But I hesitated in making them right off. I had to find tuna cans to use for the pastry rings. After all, AB said not to buy pastry rings instead use tuna cans. Well all of the tuna cans I found had solid bottoms and could not be opened at the other end. Bummer.


Fast forward a few years... finally I broke down and went against Alton's suggestion, purchasing pastry rings from King Arthur Flour's catalog. I figured if the muffins were good it would be a great investment.

Pretty good thinking on my part. While they are a little on the short side, the rings work great for this recipe. I figure tuna cans would work too, if you find ones that can have their bottoms easily removed without severing a finger.

After making the English muffins I was shocked. Shocked that they actually tasted like something. They were soft, tender and just wonderful. The English muffins I've purchased from the mega-mart were dry, tough and tasteless. These were completely different! I had a few hot from the griddle with just butter. Ones a little cooler with blackberry jam.

Wow!

I did turn some into mini pizzas. As much as I like AB's pizza dough, these may beat it out by a smidgen. I wonder if AB would approve of making them into little tasty pizzas?

Oh well, if he doesn't. I do! These are by far the best application for them in my book. ;)

AB's English Muffins

Alton Brown in the Wall Street Journal

An article from the Wall Street Journal on FN and some of the hosts. Alton Brown has a nice little section. Good thing the author likes him! ;)

Flying with Alton Brown

Of course uber Alton Brown fan like myself know all about AB's flying interest. If you don't know, he's a pilot. Guess he turned in the motorcycle for wings ;)

Anyway, this month's in flight magazine from Southwest Airlines features Alton on the cover and inside. The article has some nice info. There also is an accompanying piece.

Unfortunately, this airline does not service my area. But you can request an issue online. You know I already have!

It is so great to see AB getting some press but I was surprised the article didn't include his interest in flying.

Is this it?

Monday night I just knew Alton Brown's wild salmon sandwich was going to start talking. It didn't. But those green olive eyes and bread lips reminded me of some food commercial with a talking sandwich. It bugged me all day until I came across this on You Tube:

Okay, I'm a big enough nerd to go and hunt this old ad down. But, I found it!

My guess is AB was goofing on this orange juice ad from a few years back.

The only thing I can complain about in the "Gills Gone Wild" episode was the sandwich didn't talk. LOL ;)

Wild and crazy fishies

From scene one of the latest episode, Alton Brown hooked viewers into the wonderful world of wild salmon. It was been awhile since a new episode has made me laugh so much and so soon in the story. But "Gills gone wild" did just that.

While the cooking procedures and recipes were very simple, the highlight of the episode was it's entertainment value. It was easy to see Alton had some great fun producing this episode. Besides the fun, of course, lots of information was included in the show as is standard with Good Eats.

The fun kicked off with a scene with AB and visiting his "doctor." The Doc recommends Alton eat more fish but has no clue about the types of salmon. Upset by the doctor's lack of knowledge on the quality and differences among wild and farm raised salmon AB enlightens us, the viewers, by showing the differences in fish varieties. A brief lesson on differences between wild salmon and farm raised salmon gives some important facts about these two types of fish available at the mega-mart. From his explanation, it is very easy to see why the wild critter is far superior to its farm raised kin. The wild salmon, caught while returning to spawn, is filled with fat and other goodness needed for the trip. On the other hand, the farm raised fishy spends its life fattened up on fish chow until it reaches market weight.

Fish school dismissed, AB brings us to the cooking and explains there are three basic methods to cook fish. He began with a simple pan frying technique for fillets. Then moved to bi-level, skillet cooking then finishing in the oven. Finally, AB broiled a side with the hot box's broiler. Nice to see Alton also broke out the hanging upside down rig he used in the "Raising the steaks" episode a few years back.

Stolen from AB's website a few years ago.

Another great element of the episode was talking about fish spatulas. I remember AB discussed them back in the poaching episode, "Mission: Poachable," but that was several years ago. The style he recommended this time was one friendly to nonstick pans. He also reviewed Teflon, again covered in another older episode.


The winning recipe from this episode, for me, looks to be the broiled salmon side with the citrus glaze. I'm excited to attempt this one. Get all three recipes from Food Network here.

Overall this episode was funny from start to finish. Great fun, facts and fish!

Five fishies for a superb episode. Thanks Alton for another great show.

Ask Alton -- March issue

I came home to find two magazines in the mail today. Bon Appetite and Atlanta magazine, you know which one I opened first!

This month, Alton Brown tackles several question from readers about a variety of culinary queries. My favorite was the comment to the reader appalled by the bacon-izing trend in cooking. With his classic wit, AB's response made me actually laugh out loud.

Read Ask Alton for March here.

I also realize I failed to link February's column. Read AB's answers about Telfon here.

Still waiting for Alton answer the question I sumbitted in December!

Pinky and Alton Brown

Alton Brown will be discussing wild salmon in the newest Good Eats episode, Monday night at 8 p.m. Last year, AB partnered with Alaska Seafood and did a nice little video on sustainable seafood. This is what he's talking about at the Smithsonian later this month.




On their website, you can download the webisode script for it! Am I the only dork squealing over this? It's the A/V geek in me, but I love having the script. Get a copy here.

Back to the new episode, it was filmed back in May or at least the Alaska part filmed then. An article from The Anchorage Daily News AB talks about Copper River salmon. He also makes mention of holding a camera, filming, so I'm assuming this footage will make it to the episode.

Food Network has the recipes up on the their site, check them out here.