Good Eats 2: The Middle Years by Alton Brown

Good Eats 2: The Middle Years Reviews

• 
  Rachel

  Another great book from Alton Brown. I swear these books will make you a better cook. They teach you the science behind cooking, step by step so you can make good food consistently.
• 
  David Schwan

  OK, this the second book, and I put 9 postums (3M) in the first book, but only 8 in this one. Still a worthy book. As always Alton Brown breaks things down into easy-to-understand terms. Alton is such a jewel. One more book, but now he has a new show so who knows.
• 
  David R.

  More than a cookbook. Brown provides food facts, some show notes, and little known information along with his recipe "applications". I would have liked more from the show side, but overall it's a "Good Read."
• 
  Karen

  Another excellent fact/history lesson/cookbook from AB. Crabs have a 360º field of vision and see twice as well as humans; Denmark has the highest per-capita candy consumption in the world....36 pounds a year per Dane; the first sweet potato was cultivated in Peru around 750 BC; Yams are not sweet potatoes (Alton Brown agrees with you Grandma Freda); if the leaf of a plant contains essential oils-it's a herb...if the essential oils come from other botanical parts as in bark, roots, pods, seeds-it's a spice; vanilla is an orchid and no wonder it is so expensive-it's only available for reproduction 1 day out of the year plus very labor intensive to process; in ancient Greece..cutting down an olive tree was punishable by death. Ok, you get the idea of what a fantastic cookbook this series is...on to Book #3.
• 
  Elizabeth

  I miss Good Eats. I loved this show.
  
  I loved reading through this. It recommitted me to some of my cooking ideals!
• 
  Olivia Ambrose

  Interesting and informative! Fun to page through.
• 
  Amber

  Another fantastic and educational volume with some really good recipes.
• 
  Robyn

  I read these out of order, because of the availability at the library. Unfortunately, this was much more like the third installment than the first. The first book (Early Years) was fun because there was a lot of behind-the-scenes trivia and fun facts, as well as intros that were about the episode instead of quoted from the episode. This one and the third book are basically word-for-word the same (with a very few exceptions) as the episodes they present. The recipes have been reformulated in some cases, and there are a couple of pieces of trivia scattered within, but other than that it's the same tidbits that take the show to commercial, the same opening monologue, etc.
  
  The DVD with 20minutes of extra footage is a nice bonus.
  
  I'm not sure that a lot of home cooks are really using a lot of these recipes on a regular basis. I'm looking at one right now, which calls for 15 ingredients, a scale, three measuring cups/spoons, small bowls for melting butter twice, a stand mixer, a whisk attachment, a dough hook, a spatula, a large bowl, a towel, a medium bowl, a spoon, a 9x13" glass baking dish, a rolling pin, a pastry brush, a serrated knife, a shallow pan, another bowl, a sifter, a whisk, and 20 hours. That's a lot of things to have and clean for one recipe.
  
  Overall, good for Alton Brown fans, but not great.
• 
  Dan Appel

  I read somewhere that a very large percentage of those who purchase cookbooks do so, not to try the recipes but for the joy of reading them.
  
  I must confess that I love reading good cookbooks - and I enjoy cooking the recipe jewels I find. Cooking for me is relaxing, creative and a welcome relief from the stress of my daily life.
  
  So, I have decided to include a number of my favorite cookbooks so that you can enjoy them as well.
  
  Alton Brown is a former science teacher and his approach on the television series that this and the other two volumes in the series is built on, reflect his desire that we not only understand cooking but that we also understand why things happen certain ways when we are cooking. He is one of my heroes!
  
  This second volume in the series is built on the episodes and recipes of the middle years of the show. It is good reading and good cooking!
• 
  Rachel

  This is a scientific filled cookbook based off Good Eats, Alton Brown's first show for Food Network. I liked all the background knowledge about the subject matter, esp all the little-known facts scattered throughout the book. I was looking for the cookbook with the gyro recipe as I had seen the show years ago, because my husband is a huge gyro fan, and this is the volume that contains the recipe. Alton has fun and tasty recipes for beef jerky, 4 minute PB fudge, hot cocoa mix, banana ice cream, cheese soup and tapioca pudding, just to name a few. I think I will check out the other two volumes of this cookbook now too.
• 
  Megan

  If you love his show, you'll love this. It's a succinct summary of the show, but with behind the scenes bits and mostly fabulous recipes (I tried his sugar cookies recently and wasn't impressed). It's less science-y than
  I'm Just Here for the Food: Food + Heat = Cooking (in a good way), but it still retains the quintessential Good Eats vibe.
• 
  Chris

  I haven't made any of the recipes yet. I'll edit this review after I have. That said, this series of books is fun to read from an informational standpoint, even without making any of the foods. As with
  Good Eats: Volume 1, The Early Years, there are some recipes that I will never try due to the complexity.
• 
  C

  A summary + recipes of many of the episodes, including protein bars and gyros.
  
  Ohhh gyros...I should have copied those down before I returned the book to the library!
  
  I would say this one is for the die hard Alton fan, not necessarily a cookbook for everyone. Even as an ADHD gal, it was a little TOO ADHD for me!
• 
  Camilla

  AB has the incredible power of unifying my entire household to watch, read, or cook. I am even loathe to file this as "read" because it's on the bookshelf closest to the kitchen and we pull it off the shelf all the time. Great resource. Great recipes. That is all.
• 
  Amy

  Loved it -- can't wait for the final one in the series!
• 
  Amy

  Fantastic! It's like watching the show, but you're reading it in a book and best of all, the recipes are written down for you -- easy to copy.
• 
  Dana Cordelia

  Another fabulous collection of recipes, trivia and photos from my favorite Food Network chef.
• 
  Amanda

  I love AB and all of his GBD science, applications, humor, and trivia.
• 
  Donna

  Impulse bought way too many blueberries. Thank goodness the weather has been cool; muffins page 55, yum.
• 
  Kathryn

  Loved the book. Like the way Alton Brown Lays out the recipes. I love all the interesting little side information. The Chipotle Smashed Sweet Potatoes and the Pork Pot Stickers are super yummy!
• 
  Fran

  So much information and so interestedly presented. I truly enjoy Alton Brown.
• 
  Peter Chamberlain

  Of course I liked it, I like food.
• 
  Becky

  there is nothing else like alton's down-to-earth skillz in the kitchen.
  this book is full of recipes and tips from the show. hooray!
• 
  Angie Lisle

  Alton is one of my favorite chefs. This book has a lot of the recipes featured on his show, Good Eats - which makes it perfect for people, like me, who are too lazy to transcribe as we watch TV.
• 
  PottWab Regional Library

  E
• 
  Amaya

  to read