About this season
Host Alton Brown explores the origins of ingredients, decodes culinary customs and presents food and equipment trends. Punctuated by unusual interludes, simple preparations and unconventional discussions, he'll bring you food in its finest and funniest form.
Episodes (20)
1. Milk Made
Aired 6 June 2007 • 21 min
Only one naturally occurring edible substance exists only as food – milk. Even honey, technically a manufactured product, does not qualify. Alton spends some time discussing the production and history of milk as well as some things to watch out for (featuring a surprise guest). Recipes include: Tres Leche Cake, Dolce de Leche, & Quick Cottage Cheese.
2. Pretzel Logic
Aired 20 June 2007 • 21 min
The pretzel, once a delicious treat, has sadly been twisted into the edible equivalent of cardboard. Alton Brown recreates the traditional soft pretzel in all its crisp, chewy, golden brown glory. Recipes: Homemade Soft Pretzels Homemade Hard Pretzels Best Mustard Ever
3. Coconut Cake Revival
Aired 9 July 2007 • 21 min
Is it possible to make great cake with coconut from a can? Should you even try? Host Alton Brown wants to know and he's willing to crack open as many nuts as it takes to make a slice of paradise on a plate. Recipes: Coconut Cake with 7-Minute Frosting Coconut Milk and Cream Coconut Extract
4. Sub Standards
Aired 16 July 2007 • 21 min
Whether filling in for your French teacher or your favorite spice, substitutes can be every bit as successful as the original. Join host Alton Brown and a handful of substitute chefs as they take on a few good recipes with one ingredient tied behind their backs. Recipes: The Chewy Gluten Free Southern Biscuits Faux Peanut Sauce
5. Fishing Whole
Aired 23 July 2007 • 21 min
Scales, tails and eyes oh my! Who's afraid of whole fish? Not Alton Brown. Confront your fishy phobias head on with the fearless host as he roasts, planks and fries up a few good (whole) fish. Recipes: Pan-Fried Smelts Plank Grilled Whole Trout Whole Striped Bass
6. Whithering Bites
Aired 8 August 2007 • 21 min
Dried fruit may not be glamorous, but what it lacks in fashion it more than makes up for in flavor and versatility. Recipes: Dried Fruit Individual Fruit Compote Pies Sweet Dried Fruit Compote Trail Mix
7. Stew Romance
Aired 13 August 2007 • 21 min
If great stew, like great music, is a commingling of ingredients to create culinary harmony, why do so many stews taste less like beautiful music and more like a murky dirge? Recipes: Good Eats Beef Stew
8. Dill-icious
Aired 8 October 2007 • 21 min
Join host Alton Brown as he helps a humble cucumber fulfill its culinary destiny of becoming a pickle. Recipes: Deep-Fried Pickles Dill Pickles
9. Peanut Gallery
Aired 15 October 2007 • 21 min
A little ghostly inspiration is all Alton Brown needs to turn a handful of peanuts into some seriously good eats. Recipes: Boiled Peanuts Boiled Peanut Soup Roasted Peanuts Homemade Peanut Butter Peanut Butter Pie
10. Bean Stalker
Aired 7 November 2007 • 21 min
Join Food Network's intrepid host, Alton Brown, as he reinvents the classic green bean casserole just in time to save the holidays. Recipes: Best Ever Green Bean Casserole
11. Kinda Blue (Blueberry)
Aired 14 November 2007 • 21 min
Join host Alton Brown as he reveals the secret to turning this summer's superstar, the blueberry, into a year-round treat. Recipes Blueberry Buckle Frozen Blueberry Pie Blueberry Soda
12. Puff the Magic Mallow
Aired 3 December 2007 • 21 min
From their swampy origins to modern machine molds, host Alton Brown shares the sweet, sticky science behind homemade marshmallow. Recipes include: Homemade Marshmallows, Ambrosia.
13. American Slicer
Aired 7 January 2008 • 21 min
Alton dedicates a show to the tools of the trade, cutlery. In it he discusses the three types of cutting techniques and the blade that best suits each. He also show the similarity between salsa and gazpacho.
14. The Wing and I
Aired 30 January 2008 • 21 min
The Wing's the thing as Alton Brown prepares America's most ubiquitous of bar foods: Buffalo chicken wings. Recipes: Orange Glazed Chicken Wings Buffalo Wings
15. Apple of My Pie
Aired 4 February 2008 • 21 min
An American classic is revisited when host Alton Brown makes everybody's favorite, apple pie. Recipes: Super Apple Pie
16. If It Ain't Broccoli, Don't Fix It
Aired 18 February 2008 • 21 min
It may be the bane of children and presidents but broccoli is a nutritional superfood. Join host Alton Brown as he transforms broccoli from limp and bitter to crisp and delicious. Recipes: Fresh Broccoli Salad Pan Steamed Broccoli Oven Roasted Broccoli
17. The Alton Crown Affair
Aired 17 March 2008 • 21 min
Host Alton Brown proves that Crown Roast of Lamb can be a dish to shock and awe without needlessly intimidating any cook who attempts to prepare it. Recipes: Crown Roast of Lamb
18. Cran Opening
Aired 31 March 2008 • 21 min
Host Alton Brown takes us from the bog to the bar as he explores the many uses of that all-American super fruit, the cranberry. Note: The episode was taped during the Cranberry season (September - October) of 2007. By the time it was edited in 2008, Food Network decided to hold it until the Thanksgiving season in the US even though it was the last episode of Season 11 and Season 12 was already beginning to air. It did, however air in Canada on 5-26-2008.
19. Honey, I Shrunk the Cake
Aired 14 April 2008 • 21 min
Join host Alton Brown as he breaks the trend toward an overly sweet and fussy pastry and gets us back to the original chiffon cupcake that will make you feel like a kid again. Recipes: Chiffon Cupcakes Chocolate Chiffon Cupcake
20. Going Dutch
Aired 5 May 2008 • 21 min
The power might be out but that doesn't stop host Alton Brown from breaking out the cast iron and using his hearth and his grill to whip up some very good eats. Recipes : Knead Not Sourdough Dutch Oven Cherry Clafouti Dutch Oven Hoecakes