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Food for Thought: Essays and Ruminations
From Alton Brown, the New York Times bestselling cookbook author and beloved culinary food personality, a debut collection of personal essays defined by his flair, wit, and insight.
From cameraman to chef, musician to food scientist, Alton Brown has had a diverse and remarkable career. His work on the Food Network, including creating Good Eats and hosting Iron Chef America and Cutthroat Kitchen, has resonated with countless viewers and home cooks. Now, he shares exactly what’s on his mind, mixing compelling anecdotes from his personal and professional life with in-depth observations on the culinary world, film, personal style, defining meals of his lifetime, and much more.
With his whip-smart and engaging voice, Brown explores everything from wrestling a dumpster full of dough to culinary cultural appropriation to his ultimate quest for the perfect roast chicken. Deliciously candid and full of behind-the-scenes stories fans will love, Food for Thought is the ultimate reading experience for anyone who appreciates food and the people that prepare it.
From cameraman to chef, musician to food scientist, Alton Brown has had a diverse and remarkable career. His work on the Food Network, including creating Good Eats and hosting Iron Chef America and Cutthroat Kitchen, has resonated with countless viewers and home cooks. Now, he shares exactly what’s on his mind, mixing compelling anecdotes from his personal and professional life with in-depth observations on the culinary world, film, personal style, defining meals of his lifetime, and much more.
With his whip-smart and engaging voice, Brown explores everything from wrestling a dumpster full of dough to culinary cultural appropriation to his ultimate quest for the perfect roast chicken. Deliciously candid and full of behind-the-scenes stories fans will love, Food for Thought is the ultimate reading experience for anyone who appreciates food and the people that prepare it.
304 pages, Hardcover
First published February 4, 2025
326 people are currently reading
7,769 people want to read
About the author
Alton Brown
17 books597 followersAlton Brown is an American food personality, cinematographer, author, and actor. He is the creator and host of the Food Network television show Good Eats, the miniseries Feasting on Asphalt and the main commentator on Iron Chef America.
Brown received a degree in drama from the University of Georgia. He first worked in cinematography and film production, and was the director of photography on the music video for R.E.M.'s "The One I Love". He also worked as a steadicam operator on the Spike Lee film School Daze.
At some point, he noticed that he was very dissatisfied with the quality of cooking shows then airing on American television, so he set out to produce his own show. Not possessing the requisite knowledge, he enrolled in the New England Culinary Institute, from which he graduated in 1997. Brown states that he had been a poor science student in high school and college, so he began to study the subject as he took cooking training and felt the need to understand the underlying processes of cooking.
Brown received a degree in drama from the University of Georgia. He first worked in cinematography and film production, and was the director of photography on the music video for R.E.M.'s "The One I Love". He also worked as a steadicam operator on the Spike Lee film School Daze.
At some point, he noticed that he was very dissatisfied with the quality of cooking shows then airing on American television, so he set out to produce his own show. Not possessing the requisite knowledge, he enrolled in the New England Culinary Institute, from which he graduated in 1997. Brown states that he had been a poor science student in high school and college, so he began to study the subject as he took cooking training and felt the need to understand the underlying processes of cooking.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 137 reviews
February 19, 2025
Three names on a list from 1993 were, stylistically, what a culinary hobbyist and Little Debbie Nutty Bars enthusiast wanted in his cooking show:
Julia Child, Monty Python, and Mr. Wizard.
Not only was Alton Brown able to successfully marinate that motley crew into Good Eats, he also did so with his essays and ruminations in Food for Thought.
Alton Brown candidly and adroitly serves his memories and convictions in perfect portions, as we expect he would. I mused and giggled so many times, especially reading his thoughts on how Martha (you know which one) actually ruined entertaining for us, his disdain for the etymology and use of the word “chef” (even though his Cutthroat Kitchen encouraged the trendy gravitas), and his take on the perfect martini, preceded by the Churchill quote how he has, “taken more out of alcohol than it has taken out of me.”
One cannot simply walk into his book and not hear the thespian voice assemble his experiences. He writes as he speaks; sophistication dripping with wit, sarcasm genuine in its predilection, and sprezzatura as … well, he explains that too. -Sara W.
Julia Child, Monty Python, and Mr. Wizard.
Not only was Alton Brown able to successfully marinate that motley crew into Good Eats, he also did so with his essays and ruminations in Food for Thought.
Alton Brown candidly and adroitly serves his memories and convictions in perfect portions, as we expect he would. I mused and giggled so many times, especially reading his thoughts on how Martha (you know which one) actually ruined entertaining for us, his disdain for the etymology and use of the word “chef” (even though his Cutthroat Kitchen encouraged the trendy gravitas), and his take on the perfect martini, preceded by the Churchill quote how he has, “taken more out of alcohol than it has taken out of me.”
One cannot simply walk into his book and not hear the thespian voice assemble his experiences. He writes as he speaks; sophistication dripping with wit, sarcasm genuine in its predilection, and sprezzatura as … well, he explains that too. -Sara W.
November 19, 2024
This collection of essays and general musings reads like the narration of an episode of “Good Eats.” It mixes autobiographical anecdotes with educational food lessons. Brown manages to pick and choose stories from his life that are interesting to hear about, and his voice and personality come through loud and clear. He does tend to get a little rambly at times, but that is his style. There were a couple of sections that didn’t really interest me personally, (such as the chapter in which he talked about what a masterpiece “Apocalypse Now” is. No disrespect, but I’m not really a fan.) In fact, most of the movies and TV shows he refers to in this book are not my cup of tea, so I was pretty convinced that Alton Brown and I would have nothing in common media wise. But he eventually mentioned being a huge David Lynch fan, so I admit that I was incorrect.
This book will likely make you hungry. The way he described his grandmother’s homemade biscuits made me want one immediately, swimming with melted butter. There was definitely plenty to like here, as the overall tone is very candid and personable. He was a theater major in college?! I’m SHOCKED! (I used to do theater all the time, and I am not shocked.) I personally loved his story about why he will no longer eat Octopus, because I also adore that animal for the same reasons. I also enjoyed the behind the scenes glimpses into how he pulled off various things throughout his career, such as speaking a mile a minute on “Good Eats” and “Iron Chef: America.” He goes into this in detail and it’s pretty interesting. And I do agree with him on several things, like the fact that a martini glass is poorly designed for socializing. There's a great section about Japan and I learned some interesting stuff from that one as well. I think that fans of Brown's shows will especially take to this book because of the bits of trivia and little factoids scattered throughout. If you want to gain more personal insight into his past and present, that's there too.
It is worth mentioning, though, that even amidst the humor he does come across as a bit of a snob in a couple of these essays. His disdain for The Food Network is very clear, as he refers to it bitterly as the “food game show network” even though he himself took part in those sorts of programs. The entire chapter badmouthing Martha Stewart is also not a great look, in my opinion. (And it’s a tad rich that he goes after her for pushing "perfectionism" on the masses when most of this book is about how staunchly particular Brown is about pretty much everything. I have to wonder why it was included at all.) There's a long political metaphor later on involving pineapple on pizza that I didn't fully comprehend, but that was probably on me.
Despite what I consider to be a few off-putting missteps, "Food For Thought" is a fairly smooth read that I would recommend to established fans of Alton Brown. I'm not sure if there's an audio version or not. If there is and he narrates, that's probably the best way to go with this one!
Thank you to Netgalley and to the Publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review! All opinions are my own.
Biggest TW: Brief mention of animal butchering for consumption, Disordered Eating, Lots of descriptive alcohol/drinking talk, Bullying
This book will likely make you hungry. The way he described his grandmother’s homemade biscuits made me want one immediately, swimming with melted butter. There was definitely plenty to like here, as the overall tone is very candid and personable. He was a theater major in college?! I’m SHOCKED! (I used to do theater all the time, and I am not shocked.) I personally loved his story about why he will no longer eat Octopus, because I also adore that animal for the same reasons. I also enjoyed the behind the scenes glimpses into how he pulled off various things throughout his career, such as speaking a mile a minute on “Good Eats” and “Iron Chef: America.” He goes into this in detail and it’s pretty interesting. And I do agree with him on several things, like the fact that a martini glass is poorly designed for socializing. There's a great section about Japan and I learned some interesting stuff from that one as well. I think that fans of Brown's shows will especially take to this book because of the bits of trivia and little factoids scattered throughout. If you want to gain more personal insight into his past and present, that's there too.
It is worth mentioning, though, that even amidst the humor he does come across as a bit of a snob in a couple of these essays. His disdain for The Food Network is very clear, as he refers to it bitterly as the “food game show network” even though he himself took part in those sorts of programs. The entire chapter badmouthing Martha Stewart is also not a great look, in my opinion. (And it’s a tad rich that he goes after her for pushing "perfectionism" on the masses when most of this book is about how staunchly particular Brown is about pretty much everything. I have to wonder why it was included at all.) There's a long political metaphor later on involving pineapple on pizza that I didn't fully comprehend, but that was probably on me.
Despite what I consider to be a few off-putting missteps, "Food For Thought" is a fairly smooth read that I would recommend to established fans of Alton Brown. I'm not sure if there's an audio version or not. If there is and he narrates, that's probably the best way to go with this one!
Thank you to Netgalley and to the Publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review! All opinions are my own.
Biggest TW: Brief mention of animal butchering for consumption, Disordered Eating, Lots of descriptive alcohol/drinking talk, Bullying
February 20, 2025
I absolutely loved these charming and humorous thoughts and opinions on life. It was interesting to get a sneak peek into his younger life working on a restaurant line. You can tell his Good Eats/Iron Chef personality is very genuine just from his sheer obsession with learning everything he can about food and ingredients. I also have to say his octopus story is one of the most amazing things I've read in a very long time, and will stay in my mind for even longer. It gave me chills. You'll have to read it to know what I'm referring to!
February 28, 2025
5 Stars for Food for Thought: Essays and Ruminations (audiobook) by Alton Brown read by the author.
It was interesting to hear how Alton Brown got his start in cooking and how his cooking shows got there start. It was really a treat for me to hear how he developed his turkey recipe. I fondly remember using that recipe for my first Thanksgiving dinner and what a success it was.
It was interesting to hear how Alton Brown got his start in cooking and how his cooking shows got there start. It was really a treat for me to hear how he developed his turkey recipe. I fondly remember using that recipe for my first Thanksgiving dinner and what a success it was.
November 15, 2024
When I saw Alton Brown was releasing a memoir, I knew I had to read it. I was so excited for this!!! I started reading it as soon as I got the approval email for the ARC!
I love Alton Brown. His wit, his methods, his knowledge, his techniques--I think he's great! I've never seen something with Alton Brown on Food Network that I didn't like. The moment I started reading this, I was hooked! Alton's voice comes through loud and clear; if I had read an excerpt without knowing what this was, I'd think it was something from Alton.
I was only a few chapters in when I texted my bestie and told her she needed to get on NetGalley and request this book. She also loves Alton, so stay tuned for her thoughts later haha! I laughed so many times throughout my reading experience with this text and that just made me want to keep going. It was entertaining and engaging and I was always excited to get an opportunity to read a little bit more. I haven't read any celebrity chef memoirs before and this made me want to find more... though perhaps Alton has set the bar too high..? 👀
Thanks to NetGalley and Gallery Books for the eARC!
I love Alton Brown. His wit, his methods, his knowledge, his techniques--I think he's great! I've never seen something with Alton Brown on Food Network that I didn't like. The moment I started reading this, I was hooked! Alton's voice comes through loud and clear; if I had read an excerpt without knowing what this was, I'd think it was something from Alton.
I was only a few chapters in when I texted my bestie and told her she needed to get on NetGalley and request this book. She also loves Alton, so stay tuned for her thoughts later haha! I laughed so many times throughout my reading experience with this text and that just made me want to keep going. It was entertaining and engaging and I was always excited to get an opportunity to read a little bit more. I haven't read any celebrity chef memoirs before and this made me want to find more... though perhaps Alton has set the bar too high..? 👀
Thanks to NetGalley and Gallery Books for the eARC!
February 13, 2025
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
My favorite food dad
Would have just read it for “Son of Blob”
Always so funny and has the best hot takes when it comes to food or any quirky thing.
Would listen to his opinions on anything.
My favorite food dad
Would have just read it for “Son of Blob”
Always so funny and has the best hot takes when it comes to food or any quirky thing.
Would listen to his opinions on anything.
February 16, 2025
Alton Brown had a huge influence on my pursuing a food science degree in college. I loved every single story in this book!
October 13, 2024
Alton Brown has been a favorite of mine and my husband for a considerable number of years now. We have all of the Good Eats cookbooks. We have watched him on so many cooking shows (which it is VERY interesting to see how Alton feels about Food Network now). I must say that I greatly enjoyed this version of a memoir--with essays that range from the foods that define him, an ode to the kitchen table, cultural appropriation of food, how we don't enjoy food for just food's sake anymore.....I cannot wait to recommend this book when it comes out.
I still need to access my notes and quotes but wow, it is so good.
Thank you Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review
I still need to access my notes and quotes but wow, it is so good.
Thank you Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review
March 3, 2025
As a long-time fan of Alton Brown, I was really excited to dive into Food for Thought. I can happily say that the book did not disappoint. In fact, it was a delightful and engaging experience from start to finish. Brown’s writing is insightful, personal, and, at times, downright hilarious. I loved hearing about his life, his experiences, and the events that have shaped him into the person we see on TV and behind the scenes.
The essays are a collection of reflections, anecdotes, and observations that give readers a deeper look into Brown’s personality and the world he navigates as a culinary figure. What stood out most to me was the accessibility of Brown’s voice—whether on screen or in writing, he has a way of connecting with his audience in a relaxed yet engaging manner. It felt like sitting down with a friend and having them share stories about their life, their passions, and their unique perspective on the world. I especially appreciated how he made even the most technical aspects of food and cooking approachable and entertaining.
One of the things I loved most about the book is how often I found myself laughing out loud. Brown’s humor is dry, witty, and completely in sync with his personality that we’ve all come to know and love. His anecdotes—whether about food, travel, or just life in general—were amusing without feeling forced, and it really made the book a joy to read.
I listened to the audiobook version of Food for Thought, and I’m so glad I did. Alton Brown narrates the book himself, and hearing his voice added a personal touch that you simply can’t get from reading the text alone. His delivery was full of personality, and his tone made it feel like he was speaking directly to me, which only enhanced the experience. It was almost like a personal storytelling session, with Brown sharing his life, his thoughts, and his humor in the most engaging way possible.
The essays are a collection of reflections, anecdotes, and observations that give readers a deeper look into Brown’s personality and the world he navigates as a culinary figure. What stood out most to me was the accessibility of Brown’s voice—whether on screen or in writing, he has a way of connecting with his audience in a relaxed yet engaging manner. It felt like sitting down with a friend and having them share stories about their life, their passions, and their unique perspective on the world. I especially appreciated how he made even the most technical aspects of food and cooking approachable and entertaining.
One of the things I loved most about the book is how often I found myself laughing out loud. Brown’s humor is dry, witty, and completely in sync with his personality that we’ve all come to know and love. His anecdotes—whether about food, travel, or just life in general—were amusing without feeling forced, and it really made the book a joy to read.
I listened to the audiobook version of Food for Thought, and I’m so glad I did. Alton Brown narrates the book himself, and hearing his voice added a personal touch that you simply can’t get from reading the text alone. His delivery was full of personality, and his tone made it feel like he was speaking directly to me, which only enhanced the experience. It was almost like a personal storytelling session, with Brown sharing his life, his thoughts, and his humor in the most engaging way possible.
March 7, 2025
I love what Alton Brown did for cooking shows. He included the science of cooking which educated his viewers on why a specific ingredient was used in a recipe or how changing a recipe can impact the final product, both good and bad. His dry, no-nonsense manner is on full display in this book, which is about his life, his passions, and food. Fun and enjoyable!
February 11, 2025
Alton Brown has always been one of my culinary heroes and this book was wonderful to hear more about his culinary life. His wit and wisdom is there and absolutely wonderful to read.
March 7, 2025
What a treat! I loved this one. I loved the stories but what I loved the most was the author's humor. This was so funny.
I'm an Alton Brown fan. I loved loved his show "Good Eats". I trust his knowledge and his recipes. This was a fun memoir. I'd read this again in a heartbeat. So 5 whole stars for this one.
I'm an Alton Brown fan. I loved loved his show "Good Eats". I trust his knowledge and his recipes. This was a fun memoir. I'd read this again in a heartbeat. So 5 whole stars for this one.
February 19, 2025
Was sad it wasn’t longer! Alton is such a great food storyteller!
February 27, 2025
Amazinggg audiobook, though I do plan to buy the physical book at some point too. The chapter "Bad Day at the Bakeshop" in and of itself was worth getting the audiobook. I will be putting that chapter on to listen to whenever I need a good laugh.
February 21, 2025
I like that he narrated it. It felt more personal that way. As for the content, most of it was funny and interesting, but some of it sounded a little pretentious.
March 1, 2025
I could listen to 10 more hours of Alton’s thoughts and ruminations.
February 14, 2025
Can I give this 6 stars?? Fun, informative and full of heart!
January 22, 2025
This is definitely a book of short stories. It read like the history parts of Altons previous shows.
I found many of the stories boring, slow and I wasn’t sure why it was part of this book. There were a few times I laughed. I appreciated his story on why he no longer eats octopus, too!
If you are an Alton fan, I am sure you will enjoy this book.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc.
I found many of the stories boring, slow and I wasn’t sure why it was part of this book. There were a few times I laughed. I appreciated his story on why he no longer eats octopus, too!
If you are an Alton fan, I am sure you will enjoy this book.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc.
September 19, 2024
I loved watching Good Eats and Cutthroat Kitchen. This collection of essays was such a fun read!
February 3, 2025
I listened to the audiobook version and loved that it was Alton Brown himself narrating it. I grew up watching Alton Brown, with my grandma, on Good Eats and he was our favorite chef! We both loved the history aspect, fun food facts, recipes and stories he shared and his great personality on the show. I loved the little unknown stories he shares in this book, especially the stories from when he was still learning the ropes of the food and chef world. I had no idea he didn’t like Good Eats at the beginning, but I’m glad he kept going because that was a great show, and still my favorite cooking show to this day. I thought his comparison of porn and food was hilarious, but it is so true that we see better things than what is possible. “Without a good kitchen table no other tool really matters.” “The kitchen table is the place of consumption.” I love my six seater wooden kitchen table that was my grandma’s, with many memories of making thanksgiving stuffing at the table and hiding under it for a few earthquakes. I loved the turkey story! As many of the stories it made me laugh, and made me so glad that I know about his roast turkey recipe, which is now the hit item at my Thanksgiving dinner every year. His stories are so light hearted and made me laugh throughout the book. “Cooking is an act of love, and should be shared whenever possible.” Thanks to Alton I will now care less about what it looks like and focus more on how it tastes, and not care if I have the perfect Martha Stewart set up. “So maybe we should all think of every meal as the last, and choose accordingly.”
I will now focus on making good food and tend more to relationships around food with those I care about. This was a great book full of wonderful stories that made me laugh and think and reminisce on old memories. I look forward to reading the book when I get it at one of his meet and greets after it’s released publicly.
I will now focus on making good food and tend more to relationships around food with those I care about. This was a great book full of wonderful stories that made me laugh and think and reminisce on old memories. I look forward to reading the book when I get it at one of his meet and greets after it’s released publicly.
February 27, 2025
I did not think I was a fan of Alton Brown, though I was familiar with him from Food Network shows. Although I like food memoirs, I was not in a rush to pick up his "Essays and Ruminations." But when I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway, I decided to give it a try, and I'm so glad I did. In addition to being a successful TV host, Mr. Brown is an excellent writer. His essays are witty and entertaining. They meander (in a good way) through numerous food-related topics. You feel as though you learn the story of his life through reading them, though in a nonlinear -and never boring - way. The print book contains amusing illustrations (not attributed, perhaps drawn by the author?), but I also recommend listening to the audiobook to hear the book read in the author's voice with his unique delivery.
February 18, 2025
Alton Brown is not only talented at cooking, but is a great story-teller as well! I listened to the audio book because I wanted to hear the stories in his voice, but also grabbed a copy of the book so I could look at his illustrations and read the footnotes. My favorite chapter was Aunt Verna's Revenge - I laughed out loud! Bad Day at the Bakeshop featuring the Son of Blob was also hilarious. And I really enjoyed The Sip of the Civilized and My Horcrux where he describes in detail his way of making the perfect martini and his current method of roasting a whole chicken. This book was entertaining and thoughtful and I loved the format of short stories. Well done!
Read
February 9, 2025Oh this was great. Told as a series of stories/topics rather than chronologically, and that format really works for this because holy cow Alton is a crazy good storyteller. I had intended to pace this out and ration it for rainy days, but I was loving it too much for self control and finished it in two sittings lol
A few standouts to me—his thoughts on Apocalypse Now, the downsides of his four list diet, how he “memorizes” lines, and his realization that his wife cooks differently than him and that’s valid (this one was huge for me, it humanized a bit of his pretentiousness to me). He gets a bit long winded with his hot takes and “dropping wisdom” towards the end but it’s absolutely not a deal breaker and I would recommend this to anyone familiar with AB’s work.
A few standouts to me—his thoughts on Apocalypse Now, the downsides of his four list diet, how he “memorizes” lines, and his realization that his wife cooks differently than him and that’s valid (this one was huge for me, it humanized a bit of his pretentiousness to me). He gets a bit long winded with his hot takes and “dropping wisdom” towards the end but it’s absolutely not a deal breaker and I would recommend this to anyone familiar with AB’s work.
February 21, 2025
I’ve been a fan of Alton Brown for 25 years. A signed poster of him from his Edible Inevitable tour has presided over my kitchen for over a decade. I dedicated a book to him. There are some people…writers, performers, people in general…who just speak your language. The cadence of your brainwaves is the same as the cadence of theirs. When I say that Good Eats taught me to cook, I mean I fell in love with the experimentation and the investigation of cooking because I just got him. Alton Brown speaks my food language.
Alton is great, but the book is also great. Even if you haven’t been watching him for more years of your life than you haven’t, I cannot believe anyone wouldn’t be entertained. Did I learn a bunch of new stuff about him? Not really. But, generally, I read fiction. Extremely escapist fiction. And I did not want to put this down!
Alton is great, but the book is also great. Even if you haven’t been watching him for more years of your life than you haven’t, I cannot believe anyone wouldn’t be entertained. Did I learn a bunch of new stuff about him? Not really. But, generally, I read fiction. Extremely escapist fiction. And I did not want to put this down!
March 4, 2025
Reading 2025
Book 56: Food for Thought: Essays and Ruminations by Alton Brown
I enjoy Alton Brown’s cooking shows and am going to see him in person in May. I listened to this memoir on audio.
Synopsis: From Alton Brown, the New York Times bestselling cookbook author and beloved culinary food personality, a debut collection of personal essays defined by his flair, wit, and insight.
Review: I enjoyed this book. As with any collections of essays, some were better than others, but all formed a memoir ish book. I listened to a big majority of this walking around an airport on a snowy day. There were some things that were funny, and I did laugh aloud near unsuspecting travelers. Something I will recommend to my Alton Brown fan friends. 4⭐️.
Book 56: Food for Thought: Essays and Ruminations by Alton Brown
I enjoy Alton Brown’s cooking shows and am going to see him in person in May. I listened to this memoir on audio.
Synopsis: From Alton Brown, the New York Times bestselling cookbook author and beloved culinary food personality, a debut collection of personal essays defined by his flair, wit, and insight.
Review: I enjoyed this book. As with any collections of essays, some were better than others, but all formed a memoir ish book. I listened to a big majority of this walking around an airport on a snowy day. There were some things that were funny, and I did laugh aloud near unsuspecting travelers. Something I will recommend to my Alton Brown fan friends. 4⭐️.
February 12, 2025
Was this book perfect? No. However, was it everything I expected and wanted it to be? Yes. I am a long-time Alton Brown fan, and everything about this book just screamed him. It was funny, informative, a little rambling, over-reliant on film references, and a little bit cringy at times, but thoroughly enjoyable. I was familiar with a good handful of these stories but there was plenty of new fodder - although I feel a little bit disillusioned by the role that a tape recorder played in my beloved Good Eats. And, apparently, he really has a thing against Martha Stewart. While the book isn’t very long to start, the short essay format made it feel even faster paced. I do recommend listening to the audiobook for at least part of the read - nothing can convey Alton’s voice like Alton’s voice. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC and Alton Brown for the smiles - children are terrorists, and we don’t negotiate with terrorists!
February 23, 2025
I wanted to cry when I finished this book. I love Alton Brown and reading each essay, his voice, humor and way of thinking coming through each page, flew me back to a time in my life where he was ever present on Good Eats. This was pure nostalgia and an invitation to watch Good Eats reruns.
This holds a very special place in my heart and on my shelf.
This holds a very special place in my heart and on my shelf.
February 3, 2025
Thanks to the publisher, via Edelweiss, for an advance e-galley for honest review.
If you're a longtime fan of Alton Brown, I cannot recommend this one more. It reads very much in his voice, and the stories vary from nostalgic and heartfelt to incredibly humorous. It's a quick, enjoyable read with many of the essays being fairly short.
If you're a longtime fan of Alton Brown, I cannot recommend this one more. It reads very much in his voice, and the stories vary from nostalgic and heartfelt to incredibly humorous. It's a quick, enjoyable read with many of the essays being fairly short.
February 14, 2025
If you're looking for recipes, ...
... Don't bother ( except for detailed information on how he makes roasted chicken). Otherwise, the title says it all. These "essays" give you a deeper look into the life and several careers of Mr. Brown. Are they earth shatteringly hilarious? No, but I am not sure why you would expect them to be. Mr. Brown's humor appears to be very dry and distinctly sarcastic, and I have followed his TV career for more than 20 years. His thoughts on teaching is thought provocative. I enjoyed this book and highly recommend it to all of you.
After all, "cooking is an act of love."
... Don't bother ( except for detailed information on how he makes roasted chicken). Otherwise, the title says it all. These "essays" give you a deeper look into the life and several careers of Mr. Brown. Are they earth shatteringly hilarious? No, but I am not sure why you would expect them to be. Mr. Brown's humor appears to be very dry and distinctly sarcastic, and I have followed his TV career for more than 20 years. His thoughts on teaching is thought provocative. I enjoyed this book and highly recommend it to all of you.
After all, "cooking is an act of love."
February 18, 2025
Great book! I love biscuitteering and Aunt Verna's revenge essays! Aunt Verna's revenge was absolutely hilarious while biscuitteering has a special place in my mind having lost loved ones!
A must read!
A must read!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 137 reviews
