Alton Brown re-signs with Food Network

[PDC]

Alton Brown has signed on for three more years at the Food Network which includes new eps of Good Eats, Iron Chef America, a spinoff of Feasting On Asphalt called Feasting On Waves and "various other specials", whatever that means.

I look forward to the effusive praise of FN for keeping AB on the network equal to the bashing they received for cancellling the well-past-its-sale-date Emeril Live. Or maybe all the Alton haters will come out of the woodwork and re-cast him as "part of the problem". In any case, the reaction should be interesting, so let 'er rip, Internet foodies!

[bigbear]

Hail, Alton.

[jvalentino]

Alton is one of the few reasons left to watch IMO.

I came across a clip of him on The Big Idea with Donny D on youtube earlier today, it was pretty interesting. It's an interview where he talked about the how/why he got started in the food industry.

Here-

Jeff

[rlibkind]

He's a talented communicator about things food. If it was 1960 he'd be making "educational" films for schools -- the ones that were creative and had a sense of humor, not the stentorian-voiced ones. Whenever I watch I frequently learn something (or least something new to consider), but I always chuckle, smile and guffaw.

[Swicks]

As far as I'm concerned one of the only reasons left to watch the Food Network.

[Kent D]

I like to geek out to some "Good Eats" and "Feasting on Asphalt". Alton is one of the only "personalities" I still enjoy watching on FN. I almost wish all the cast-aways would form their own REAL FOOD network.

[KensethFan]

Finally, new episodes of Good Eats. I can't wait. That will be so cool. I love that show and was hoping their would be new episodes of Good Eats.

Now, if we can get them to show Iron Chef (especially the new ones) in HD. Why this show is not in HD is totally beyond me.

[Porthos]

More Good Eats on the way? Yay!!!!

I watched the sausage episode last night for the upteenth time. My 26 y/o grossed out when he showed the viewers what was origiinally used for casings.

[Toliver]

Thought I would revive this ancient discussion to post a short new article on Alton:

"Get Excited: Alton Brown's 'Good Eats' is Coming Back to TV"

Quote

Alton Brown—kitchen chemist, TV impresario—will be back on our screens (and in our hearts) sooner than we expected. Over the weekend, Brown announced the return of his classic Food Network TV show, Good Eats, at Dragon Con in Atlanta.

Return of the Eats—the reboot’s name—is set to air in 2018 on The Food Network. Brown is also teasing additional content available online for streaming.

I hope this means he will give up his ill-fitting role as Food TV host/emcee. 

[Kim Shook]

I usually enjoyed Good Eats and still watch reruns.  But I've gotten a bit tired of the new Alton lately.  It may just be the ridiculous Cutthroat Kitchen persona and show.  I'll certainly be interested in watching the new Good Eats.  Anything other than the marathon competition shows and half hour commercials (Diners, Cheap Eats, etc.) will be welcome.

[Tri2Cook]

1 hour ago, Kim Shook said:

I usually enjoyed Good Eats and still watch reruns.  But I've gotten a bit tired of the new Alton lately. 

Yeah, it's almost like he tried to adopt the Bourdain snarkiness but couldn't successfully pull it off. It flows from Bourdain in a natural way that I enjoy, Alton just comes off as petulant and cranky in his more recent shows. But like you said, almost anything has to be better than endless episodes of Beat Bobby Flay and kid cooking competitions.

[weinoo]

16 hours ago, Kim Shook said:

 a bit tired of the new Alton lately.  

Understatement of the decade.

 

Though I was always tired of the old one as well.

[Kim Shook]

8 hours ago, weinoo said:

Understatement of the decade.

 

Though I was always tired of the old one as well.

As long as he was "straight cooking", I was fine.  But all of what I call "stunt cooking" was tiresome to me.  He disdains what he calls unitaskers, but then sends you to the hardware store for dozens of items to build your own smoker or dehydrator.  Sigh.

[weedy]

On 9/7/2017 at 3:19 PM, Kim Shook said:

...  But I've gotten a bit tired of the new Alton lately.  It may just be the ridiculous Cutthroat Kitchen persona and show...

 

 

the persona is the question for me.

I enjoyed his Good Eats, slightly goofy, wide-eyed, inquisitive, affable personality... I'm less keen on the smirky know-it-all guise he affects for Cutthroat Kitchen (and everything since)

 

 

[rotuts]

learned lots of stuff from the GoodEats show

 

much of it entertaining to boot.

 

just thinking about it

 

Scrap Iron Chef    

 

stand out for me

 

Odd , no ?

Edited October 4, 2017 by rotuts (log)

[kayb]

I do like Good Eats. The others, not so much.

 

[Yiannos]

I have to agree with those here mentioning their dislike of AB's new personality/image or whatever. Alton Brown is one of the reasons I got into cooking way back when, his seemingly genuine geekiness appealed to me as I am a huge dork myself and could somehow relate. I found him pedantic at times, but his enthusiasm towards many of the finer details of the cooking process where a lot fun. I learned A LOT from his shows and books, simple things I thought I understood became clearer, and the whole Monty Python/Bill Nye approach to it all spoke to me and I'm sure lots of others who didn't connect with say Ina Garten or Bobby Flay. A few years ago, when Cutthroat Kitchen started, I found it OK in a game show kind of sense, but there was no real learning to be found, and his demeanor seemed to just get grumpier and more abrasive as time went on. I remember hearing he got divorced around that period, and I wonder if that has anything to do with it all because to be honest he just strikes me as a sort of bitter asshole sometimes who thinks his way of cooking a flank steak or whatever is the only proper and correct way to get a good result. The more I learned about cooking the more I realized there are myriad ways of cooking things so you can end up with the same or similar outcome, and I started to rethink his recipes. Now when I read his cookbooks or watch him on TV, he just tries so much to be "hard" or "cold" or whatever, the stiff drinks, the sort of hipster clothes, and the pedantry which is now off the charts. I do wonder like others have mentioned if he is somehow trying to channel Bourdain, which is too bad because this "new" Alton is sort of dickish in the same way. I'm not a huge fan of Bourdain, but at least with him you feel like he has lived it, Alton Brown has put on this bitter tough guy costume, and I think most of us that have enjoyed him over the years see right through it. There was a time when I would have begged for new Good Eats episodes, now I'm just sort of meh.

[lindag]

The old Good Eats was only marginally interesting to me, I found it too geeky.

The snide Alton Brown is even less appealing.

[rotuts]

@lindag 

 

points well taken from your view point

 

for me  no geeky at all  !

 

of course , "" What's Geeky "" ?

 

Im a bit technical myself  ...

 

but not over absorbed in it 

 

I always found his Eps had interesting insight

 

and a lot of Tongue dans le(s) cheek

[Yiannos]

1 hour ago, lindag said:

The snide Alton Brown is even less appealing.

 

That's the word, much more succinct than my rant...

[gfweb]

Odd that the innocent encourager, Guy Fieri, is reviled mostly and the entirely snide(fine word, that) Brown escapes criticism(Except here). 

 

My beef with old Good Eats was all the nonsense that the good stuff was surrounded with. Way way too much blather.  Get to the point , man. 

 

My beef with new Alton is that he is a media creation, he hasnt paid dues or whatever in the business. He has all the cred of the weather bunny on local TV...i.e. none. Don't be giving a real cook any shade little fellow. 

Edited October 5, 2017 by gfweb (log)

[Porthos]

2 hours ago, gfweb said:

Don't be giving a real cook any shade little fellow.

 

I don't watch Food Network anymore but before I stopped watching I lost respect for AB because of the change from who he was. He was already into some level of media production when he decided to go to culinary school. Good Eats came after that. The first hint of things changing where the "road shows." You might not agree with his current persona, but he is a real cook.

[gfweb]

8 hours ago, Porthos said:

 but he is a real cook.

 

He has been to school anyway.

[chromedome]

In fairness, the same could be said of Julia Child...she had the training, but was not a restaurateur. Nonetheless, she used her pulpit to change how millions thought of, and understood, cooking. 

 

In his less-exalted way, whatever one things of his on-camera persona, Alton is doing the same. 

[gfweb]

2 hours ago, chromedome said:

In fairness, the same could be said of Julia Child...she had the training, but was not a restaurateur. Nonetheless, she used her pulpit to change how millions thought of, and understood, cooking. 

 

In his less-exalted way, whatever one things of his on-camera persona, Alton is doing the same. 

Or Harold McGee