7 ms·

While I'm a huge fan of J. Kenji Lopez-Alt and Serious Eats is my go to web site before cooking just about anything, nothing I've seen before or since beats Alt

by dagw 3y ago

While I'm a huge fan of J. Kenji Lopez-Alt and Serious Eats is my go to web site before cooking just about anything, nothing I've seen before or since beats Alton Brown and Good Eats when it comes to video based cooking education.

tkahnoski 3y ago
I was "A man, a can and a plan" cook prior to being introduced to Good Eats videos. Particularly since Alton delves straight into the scientific 'why' things are happening. I don't remember exact recipes well, but processes and how things work I can hold well so his explanation of what's happening with the mallard reaction or gluten in bread or any number of topics have made it possible for me to execute very simple meals very well. In hindsight, most other cooking shows at the time were basically just food porn. Watch me make this simple recipe, trust me it's easy in 30 minutes! (Ignore prep instructions, ignore how to pick produce, ignore any explanation of why you're doing what you're doing).
tengbretson 3y ago
Good Eats sets the standard for educational cooking content, but actually implementing the recipes Alton demonstrates usually results in a nearly day-long cooking project.
- Spivak 3y ago
  I'm not entirely sure what else you expect? Cooking takes a long-ass time, it is a day-long full-time affair. You can hide the real time by doing prep, outright fully preparing parts of dishes agreed of time, having multiple people or buying premade but someone is putting in those hours somewhere.
  - nsvd 3y ago
    Cooking one meal should not take all day in most cases. I cook myself dinner every night and it usually takes an hour or two, plus clean-up time.
  - dagw 3y ago
    Cooking takes exactly as long as you want it to. While I do sometimes love spending all day in the kitchen when the mood takes me, I can equally turn out a decent in dish in less than 30 minutes on my own, including all prep time.
  - episteme 3y ago
    Me and my wife cook meals with fresh ingredients every night and it takes between 20 and 40 minutes. Do you order takeout for every single meal? Did your family spend every day cooking all day growing up? I'm curious how someone can have this take.
    - SamoyedFurFluff 3y ago
      I think it largely depends on what’s being cooked. My mother used to make bone broth at home, which is definitely an all day affair, but it became the basis for noodles and stew dishes for the rest of the week which took much less time…
      - corinroyal 3y ago
        I've recently figured out that I've been looking at long cooking tasks wrong. Instead of blocking the whole time for that task I block out that time for another task and take breaks where I prep the next cooking step while the pot boils unattended. I had a big mental block on making sourdough starter, as it requires attention every day for three days, which I didn't figure I could manage. But now it's just something to do while I'm making coffee. Throw some more flour and water in there and mix it up. I don't actually have to sit by the counter for three days waiting for fermentation to happen. I can't believe it took me so long to realize this.
        SamoyedFurFluff 3y ago
        I noticed that’s something people don’t pick up on when they cook also, but some things really are all day affairs. Meaning my mom couldn’t leave the house for most of the day. Baking, certain stews, etc. function this way.
        brewdad 3y ago
        Saturdays are frequently spent with me watching sports and my wife puttering in the kitchen a few feet away. I’ll pop in to help with retrieving ingredients or prepping later steps so things are ready when she needs them but it’s her way to decompress after the work week. It can certainly be an all day affair though. Mid-week meals involve one of us prepping steps during the day depending on who has free time at the right moment. We do the final steps together while catching up on each other’s day. Maybe an hour of total prep time but usually less than half of that time requires active involvement.
  - mortureb 3y ago
    Not at all. My wife can whip up something delicious and complex in under 30-40 minutes.
  - mianos 3y ago
    It is highly possible to take a whole day the first time you cook something new. Being a good cook is as much about managing time and processes as it is learning the recipe. The more you cook something the quicker it is. There are many shortcuts, such as: - cooking rice in the evening before. - Cooking extra. - Using a pressure-cooker. - Using a mini oven. - Using the griller for more heat. - Sometimes using the microwave to pre cook things can lead to faster times. (Not often for me). - Purchasing partially prepared items. Pre cut carrots etc. - Using a deep fryer.
hamaluik 3y ago
Have you checked out Adam Ragusea on YouTube? https://youtube.com/@aragusea https://youtube.com/@aragusea He continues on in a similar, if more modern, tradition as Alton Brown, I enjoy his videos and I have learned a lot from his videos.
- TheAceOfHearts 3y ago
  Another YouTube cooking personality I really like is Internet Shaquille (https://m.youtube.com/@internetshaquille https://m.youtube.com/@internetshaquille). His videos are very informationally dense without engaging in many of the typical YouTuber nonsense. And the ads are always at the end.
  - redhale 3y ago
    Yes, I love this guy's stuff. His style is very unique, expertly knowledgeable while still completely casual and humble. Like a very smart friend teaching you, rather than being in a class.
    - afishisafish 3y ago
      same category is French Guy Cooking (Alex) Hacked his pyrolysis oven into a pizza oven (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJjr9lmUhZE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJjr9lmUhZE)
      - throw9away6 3y ago
        Kind of an annoying YouTube persona but I do learn some things from him occasionally
- deafpolygon 3y ago
  I liked early Ragusesa. Modern Ragusea has become haughty and tinged with a bit of the egotistical.
  - 3y ago

by dagw 3y ago

tkahnoski 3y ago

I was "A man, a can and a plan" cook prior to being introduced to Good Eats videos. Particularly since Alton delves straight into the scientific 'why' things are happening. I don't remember exact recipes well, but processes and how things work I can hold well so his explanation of what's happening with the mallard reaction or gluten in bread or any number of topics have made it possible for me to execute very simple meals very well. In hindsight, most other cooking shows at the time were basically just food porn. Watch me make this simple recipe, trust me it's easy in 30 minutes! (Ignore prep instructions, ignore how to pick produce, ignore any explanation of why you're doing what you're doing).

tengbretson 3y ago

Good Eats sets the standard for educational cooking content, but actually implementing the recipes Alton demonstrates usually results in a nearly day-long cooking project.

Spivak 3y ago
I'm not entirely sure what else you expect? Cooking takes a long-ass time, it is a day-long full-time affair. You can hide the real time by doing prep, outright fully preparing parts of dishes agreed of time, having multiple people or buying premade but someone is putting in those hours somewhere.
- nsvd 3y ago
  Cooking one meal should not take all day in most cases. I cook myself dinner every night and it usually takes an hour or two, plus clean-up time.
- dagw 3y ago
  Cooking takes exactly as long as you want it to. While I do sometimes love spending all day in the kitchen when the mood takes me, I can equally turn out a decent in dish in less than 30 minutes on my own, including all prep time.
- episteme 3y ago
  Me and my wife cook meals with fresh ingredients every night and it takes between 20 and 40 minutes. Do you order takeout for every single meal? Did your family spend every day cooking all day growing up? I'm curious how someone can have this take.
  - SamoyedFurFluff 3y ago
    I think it largely depends on what’s being cooked. My mother used to make bone broth at home, which is definitely an all day affair, but it became the basis for noodles and stew dishes for the rest of the week which took much less time…
    - corinroyal 3y ago
      I've recently figured out that I've been looking at long cooking tasks wrong. Instead of blocking the whole time for that task I block out that time for another task and take breaks where I prep the next cooking step while the pot boils unattended. I had a big mental block on making sourdough starter, as it requires attention every day for three days, which I didn't figure I could manage. But now it's just something to do while I'm making coffee. Throw some more flour and water in there and mix it up. I don't actually have to sit by the counter for three days waiting for fermentation to happen. I can't believe it took me so long to realize this.
      - SamoyedFurFluff 3y ago
        I noticed that’s something people don’t pick up on when they cook also, but some things really are all day affairs. Meaning my mom couldn’t leave the house for most of the day. Baking, certain stews, etc. function this way.
        brewdad 3y ago
        Saturdays are frequently spent with me watching sports and my wife puttering in the kitchen a few feet away. I’ll pop in to help with retrieving ingredients or prepping later steps so things are ready when she needs them but it’s her way to decompress after the work week. It can certainly be an all day affair though. Mid-week meals involve one of us prepping steps during the day depending on who has free time at the right moment. We do the final steps together while catching up on each other’s day. Maybe an hour of total prep time but usually less than half of that time requires active involvement.
- mortureb 3y ago
  Not at all. My wife can whip up something delicious and complex in under 30-40 minutes.
- mianos 3y ago
  It is highly possible to take a whole day the first time you cook something new. Being a good cook is as much about managing time and processes as it is learning the recipe. The more you cook something the quicker it is. There are many shortcuts, such as: - cooking rice in the evening before. - Cooking extra. - Using a pressure-cooker. - Using a mini oven. - Using the griller for more heat. - Sometimes using the microwave to pre cook things can lead to faster times. (Not often for me). - Purchasing partially prepared items. Pre cut carrots etc. - Using a deep fryer.

hamaluik 3y ago

Have you checked out Adam Ragusea on YouTube? https://youtube.com/@aragusea https://youtube.com/@aragusea He continues on in a similar, if more modern, tradition as Alton Brown, I enjoy his videos and I have learned a lot from his videos.

TheAceOfHearts 3y ago
Another YouTube cooking personality I really like is Internet Shaquille (https://m.youtube.com/@internetshaquille https://m.youtube.com/@internetshaquille). His videos are very informationally dense without engaging in many of the typical YouTuber nonsense. And the ads are always at the end.
- redhale 3y ago
  Yes, I love this guy's stuff. His style is very unique, expertly knowledgeable while still completely casual and humble. Like a very smart friend teaching you, rather than being in a class.
  - afishisafish 3y ago
    same category is French Guy Cooking (Alex) Hacked his pyrolysis oven into a pizza oven (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJjr9lmUhZE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJjr9lmUhZE)
    - throw9away6 3y ago
      Kind of an annoying YouTube persona but I do learn some things from him occasionally
deafpolygon 3y ago
I liked early Ragusesa. Modern Ragusea has become haughty and tinged with a bit of the egotistical.
- 3y ago