Alton Brown's Gear for Your Kitchen by Alton Brown
|
List Price: Our Price: $13.74 You Save: $13.76 (50%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $2.83 (click here) Category: Book See more book details and other editions |
|---|
Book Reviews of Alton Brown's Gear for Your Kitchen
Book Review: Great Resource for Cooks of Any Caliber
Summary: 5 Stars
"Gear for your Kitchen" provides a fairly in-depth discussion on the whys and hows of choosing various sorts of kitchen implements, from cutlery to pans to small appliances. Alton Brown uses his sense of humor to help present this information in a book that is truly easy and pleasurable to read. There is another book of this nature, a very large and diverse treatise, which attempts to showcase all the various sorts of kitchen gear available to the home cook. But unlike "Gear" it doesn't provide the information that we really need to choose our cookware.What is great about this book is that in addition to giving actual suggestions of specific products for various sorts of implements, it also goes into great detail to show you how to choose items that will work for you. Brown is careful to highlight areas where paying more money isn't likely in your best interest (e.g. the non-stick fry pans as mentioned in another review, for instance) and where it is (e.g. cutlery).
The goal of having the smallest set of kitchen wear to do all the cooking you need to do is a running theme in this book. In addition to a suggested exercise in minimizing your current kitchen implements, there are many suggestions on how you can use items for tasks other than they are intended, instead of buying specialty pieces (e.g. using the bottom of a heavy fry pan in the place of a meat pounder).
This book is a great resource for cooks of all sorts, from beginners to those with years of experience. It will make a great gift for those people who are just starting out on their own!
Book Review: I don't like the new Cuisinart either
Summary: 5 Stars
I'm a hobby cook and also a gadget-junkie, so I was delighted to discover this book by one of my favorite people on the Food Network. Brown covers much more than simply can-openers and veggie-peelers, though. His topical chapters cover pots and pans, storage containers, small miscellaneous utensils, safety items, "sharp things," and "small things with plugs," and perhaps the best way to read the book is to browse from the beginning and then read his descriptions, comments, and opinions on certain items as they come to mind. I'm a regular reader of the consumer tests in COOK'S ILLUSTRATED, too, and I think Brown and Christopher Kimball would agree in many ways on what makes a particular tool useful and what features to look for among the products available. Brown's judgments are admittedly personal but he explains them very clearly. Not everything must be specially purchased, either; he recommends a length of dental floss for cutting slices of soft cheese, and he boils eggs in an electric kettle that automatically turns itself off when it reaches a boil. (Great idea!) The book's page design is also quite nice, with good photos and drawings of the tools he discusses, side discussions and tips highlighted in color, and lots of open space. All his sources appear at the back of the book. I certainly hope he does a revised and updated edition in about five years.Book Review: Excellent Book for stocking the kitchen
Summary: 5 Stars
This book may not be quite as useful for the person who has a fully stocked kitchen and is not likely to spend more money, but for the person who is starting the process of stocking the kitchen it is a great buy. Alton does not always recommend the cheapest items, but in the end, you'll get better quality, only what you need, and things that will last. You also may not spend as much money as you otherwise would have. For example, why buy a set of knives when you can start out with a couple high quality ones (chefs, paring, bread) you will use and last a lifetime (and add more as you find you need them)? Same with pots/pans -- start with 2 or 3 very good ones, and add as you know you will need them (no big sets!!). Buy the best thing going cheap -- cast iron. What can you find in restaurant supply stores? What do you NOT need? What do you already have that you can toss to leave room for things you do use? This book is well worth the cost, and even if it doesn't prompt you to buy or throw out a thing, it is worth the price for the entertainment and educational value alone.Book Review: Spend a little to save yourself alot
Summary: 5 Stars
I see this book as an essential item for anyone who;
A. Is sick and tired of a very cluttered kitchen
B. Is starting out fresh and wants to learn what to look for and avoid.
C. Is looking to upgrade their "culinary toolbox".
This book is a great read a very handy "guide" to making your kitchen a fun place to cook. We have a very small kitchen that was very cluttered with all kind of kitchen tools and by following alot of advice given in this book it has definitely made our cooking experience more enjoyable. We have about 1/2 the equipment in our kitchen now and can honestly say I haven't missed 1 piece we got rid of and we are having alot more fun. I can't imagine the hours AB has spent on research for this but I know I really thank him for it. By spending a little on this book it has saved us alot of $ and time searching for products that best suit our culinary needs. This is 1 book I will buy more copies of to give to friends and relatives.
Good luck to all in your culinary adventures.
Book Review: Intro alone worth the price
Summary: 5 Stars
Read the Introduction alone to help you trim down your kitchen gadgets to a useful number. After having accumulated WAY too many kitchen gadgets, it was with great delight that I read and applied Alton's procedure for paring down the clutter in my kitchen cabinets. I now have a pile of gadgets that I can give away, sell at the next garage sale or just throw away (which pains me to no end).
After that, he gives the best advice I have ever seen for every utensil in the kitchen. The best thing he does is look at things from angles that most people don't when recommending products. One of the best peices of advice that he gives is to buy quality products, which usually (not ALWAYS) means spending more than I would like. Sometimes, he even recommends products for your kitchen that may come from some unlikely places, like your garage or workshop.
The other great thing about this book is, like his TV show, he explains how things work, albeit without most of the details.
Finally, it's a fun book to read.