Alton Brown's Gear for Your Kitchen by Alton Brown
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Book Reviews of Alton Brown's Gear for Your Kitchen
Book Review: An actual helpful resource for the budding enthusiast.
Summary: 5 Stars
I'm not sure exactly what inspired me to obtain this book. I am an AB fan, but not a fan of "cooking books" outside of the Cook's Illustrated periodical. That said, I'm happy I did - and here is why....
This is basically an easy to read text book for the cooking enthusiast. There is a nice bit on how to "de-clutter" your kitchen that I actually found to work for me. I ended up with a kitchen that had more space and was filled with tools I value and treat well/respectfully, and in return really enjoy using. That alone is worth the price of admission. Kitchen efficiency actually makes cooking more of a joy - right down to the clean up.
Brown really lays out theory on acquiring the best tools for your kitchen and keeping it a happy cooking place. I've been in the kitchen for over a decade now, and am just now finding I love certain knives - and value them as my "go to" tools. I once thought that "sharp and proper" was all there was to knife. Now, I have favorites.
Brown's advice in this book is spot on with, not only what I have heard, but, what I have learned in the kitchen. He does mention/plug brands he uses, but he doesn't go the route of the celebrity "foodie" and really push toward a specific brand. Instead, he shows you the characteristics to look for in a tool, and he does it in a practical and non-trendy way. The tools he recommends are meant to be multi-functional and work for "you" (so, you actually have to read and think - this is not a quick study on how to be a cool foodie for your friends).
Honestly, between this and a possible sub to Cook's Illustrated, you will be set for hardware in your kitchen without the clutter - but with the fun.
Lastly, I don't give 5-star reviews easily :)
Book Review: Great book for a tool junkie
Summary: 5 Stars
I am what you would call a "tool Junkie". I have tools for carpentry, electrical, plumbing, masonry. I have tools to fix small engines, build and fix computers and electronics, Lawn tools, musical tools (tuners, winders, adapters etc...). I believe I qualify for Tool collectors anonymous...
All fun aside. This book does an excellent job of explaining the various gear you will find in the kitchen (one of the more mysterious and less ventured areas of the house for me).
I picked up this book as well as Alton's book "I'm just here for the food: v.2" so that my family won't secretly wish for a pizza to be delivered, everytime it is my turn to make dinner. If you ever wondered why one pan is better than another due to it's shape or taper or material it is made from, or what features to look for in a small appliance, or twenty different ways to make coffee (I think there is really just six listed), then this is the book for you.
I was hoping there would be mention of the new "sous vide" type gear but I guess it's not common at all (way too exotic at this point). Maybe he'll add it in version 3.
Book Review: Informative and good book.
Summary: 5 Stars
I'm pretty new to cooking and bought this book because I love the show Good Eats and I think Alton Brown knows his stuff. So I bought the book so that when I start to buy my kitchen gear I'll know what I need to get, what to look for, and what to avoid. This book does that pretty well. It starts off going over how to get rid of unused kitchen gear but then goes into all the different types of kitchen gear you will likely want/need, and tells you what want out of the said kitchen gear. The book help me weed out products really fast and help me avoid spending hours doing research to see if it's really worth the money. But somethings Alton swears by I just don't know like a $45 pepper grinder(Unicorn Magnum Plus Pepper Mill 9-in.). But then again I'm just starting to get serious about cooking. All and all I think this book was fantastic and would recommend it to anyone that is new to cooking and not sure what they need, or what to look for, when buying kitchen gear.Book Review: Great Guide for a Wedding Registry
Summary: 5 Stars
My fiance and I bought and read this book before going to register for our wedding and it really helped us decide what we really needed/wanted. Had we not read the book I think we would have ended up registering for a lot more items that we later would have little use for. We are just starting out and have very little kitchen supplies to begin with, however because he covers all ranges of kitchen products I believe it is something we will re-reference in the future. We loved Alton's to the point explaniations and entertaining anecdotes. Definitely a book that should be read cover to cover at least once and then kept for reference when deciding on making additional purchase for your kitchen. I will add that while many of his ideas are fantastic - there are a few that are a bit too 'out there' to be all that practical, but to each his own.Book Review: Kitchen Gear advice for old schoolers and newbies
Summary: 5 Stars
Fantastic book! All the way to how he describes the culinary mundane. Alton has a way of making being in the kitchen, in your cupboards and pantry, and drawers an excellent adventure. I highly recommend this book to moms and dads who are getting ready to send their beloved adult-child out into the world to fend for themselves in the feeding department, girlfriends- trying to make that bachelor "kitchen handy"? This book is just the tool!Husbands- trying to help your wife figure out strategic Kitchen clearance? There are shovel contents within. Everyone will find something useful between these covers. And as a bonus- there are recipes too!