Alton Brown, Chopped, or Diners, Drive in, Drives?

Obviously the first would be the easiest to make and the latter the hardest but; anyone here try to make something from one of these shows they've never made before (as opposed to adding an ingredient or process to a dish you've already made)?

What'd you make and how did it turn out (the first time)?

Alton Brown is my go to for stuff I've never made before. Results are always better expected

We make stuff from online recipes, including Food Network, all the time. Our only guiding principle is "The first time, you have to follow the recipe exactly." Beyond that, we have pages and pages of printed out recipes full of hand written "modifications" in our Family Cookbook.

Our two youngest, both still teens, love to cook and turn out some really good meals. Their pride and sense of accomplishment in a well-cooked dinner is palpable. Like I tell my wife, "They'll make really good husbands some day." She laughs because she knows it's true...apple doesn't fall far from the tree.

I’ve made different recipes from Alton Brown, Emeril, Tyler Florence, Giada, Paula Deen and many others that are or have been on Food Network. They have all turned out really good. Emeril’s seemed a bit more involved. Alton Browns were pretty easy and good. Same for Giada.

It would take me a while to post everything I’ve made. Is there anything particular you’re looking for?

Yes.

Emeril:

cranberry jalapeno relish was a huge hit last Thanksgiving

Emeril's Favorite Boiled Shrimp is my go to method for chilled peel & eat shrimp

Alton Brown:

His pan seared rib-eye was my preferred steak cooking method until I discovered the reverse sear

Alton Brown's Buffalo Wings is my go to method for doing wings indoors (outdoors, I smoke on BGE). His idea to steam & chill before cooking in oven made all of the difference.

Giada:

Her cioppino was a big hit a few years back on Valentine's Day

her Marinara is very good and I've tweaked to my liking. Pretty much make a garden fresh version of it every week in July and August.

Her Chicken Cacciatore is delicious

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Ego is the anesthesia that deadens the pain of stupidity

DISCLAIMER: These are the author's own personal views and do not represent the views of the author's employer.

Big fan of Alton's. I've made a ton of his stuff and it always came out well.

I've had good luck re-creating food from all the shows except Giada.

Across the board her palette is just not in synch with mine.

One of the other things is Diners' Drive Ins and dives. I've had a chance to visit a bunch of their locations and invariably the food is lousy.

Yes. I made Alton Browns Swedish Meatballs though I modified his recipe slightly the second time. His was great but I wanted a slightly different gravy and more of it.

It turned out to be delicious and became a regular meal in our house. I’m making it for dinner tomorrow actually. A few years ago I was fortunate enough to visit Göthenburg Sweden. I had to try authentic Swedish meatballs while I was there and I must say Alton Brown managed to capture the flavor of the dish quite well.

I've made stuff from Brown's Good Eats, but Guy Fieri is nothing but a joke.

quote:

Originally posted by parabellum:
I've made stuff from Brown's Good Eats, but Guy Fieri is nothing but a joke.

I made a chili recipe from Guy Fieri once..ONCE! It was good but damn, it was labor intensive and had something like 15 or 20 ingredients.

JP

Emiril’s lasagna is expensive, labor intensive, and out of this world!

Paula Deen’s mashed taters are amazing.

We regularly pull recipes from the internet. Pepperidge farms’s chicken pot pie recipe came out fantastic.

The culinary fanatic on YouTube has great recipes. I’ve cooked his slow-cooked pot roast multiple times and it gets better and better every time. My mom couldn’t believe the difference between mine and hers.

Tony.

I stopped watching Food Network about 15-years ago when they continued to put uninteresting food shows with hack hosts/chefs. That said, Brown is pretty solid, can't go wrong with his recipes as they're tried and tested.

The rest of them are a crap-shoot. Dean I don't care for, she over-does her ingredients, Giada and Ray have a few good ones but, they're largely fussed-up known receipes. Flay, Florence and Fieri they're all known clowns more interested in the celebrity limelight than actually being legit chefs. Fieri, I'll give credit, he's been generous with donations during the handful of big fires in N.Cal and his show features small independant businesses, nevertheless not only is he a douchebag but the places his show features are largely forgettable.

Alton Brown's recipes are always worth a try. Beyond his show Good Eats, he also has a Youtube channel with all kinds of good stuff.

https://www.youtube.com/c/AltonBrown/videos

I make Alton’s crepes a couple times a month around here as the whole family loves them. Sweet, savory, doesn’t matter. Always a crowd pleaser.

Check out Good Eats reloaded. Alton “fixes” recipes from the first shows. I have made a few of the America’s test kitchen recipes. Results are good, but I end up with a kitchen full of dirty bowls , utensils and pans for one entree.

I am a fan of AB and really enjoy reproducing Alton's recipes. Cooks Illustrated magazine (America's Test Kitchen publication) also provides some really great recipes.

I've watched Diners, Drive Ins, and Dives not for GF as much as just seeing steps that help produce some of the foods that make some restaurants well known. I've picked up a few little tips here and there from chefs featured on DDD but translating restaurant cooking and prep to home cooking doesn't always work.

It took me a minute to realize I've never watched Guy cook anything.

The Pioneer Woman has some very good recipes and easy to riff on. Tyler Florence is no slouch and I used to watch his Tylers Ultimate show all the time. Food Network is grossly wasting his talent by using him in that stupid Food Truck Race show.

One of his recipes I've made many times is is Dad's Meatloaf recipe. It works fantastic in the smoker and is super moist and a lot of flavor.

quote:

Originally posted by corsair:
I stopped watching Food Network about 15-years ago when they continued to put uninteresting food shows with hack hosts/chefs. That said, Brown is pretty solid, can't go wrong with his recipes as they're tried and tested.

The rest of them are a crap-shoot. Dean I don't care for, she over-does her ingredients, Giada and Ray have a few good ones but, they're largely fussed-up known receipes. Flay, Florence and Fieri they're all known clowns more interested in the celebrity limelight than actually being legit chefs. Fieri, I'll give credit, he's been generous with donations during the handful of big fires in N.Cal and his show features small independant businesses, nevertheless not only is he a douchebag but the places his show features are largely forgettable.

ditto,.


when they went from Food Network as in Cooking Shows to Reality TV, we pretty much ditched them


Cooking TV or something sounding similar was on for a bit, and we watched that as well,


I've made (actual, and altered, wife is Celiac) recipes from

Alton Brown
Two Fat Ladies
Tyler Florence
and one of our favorites, Jaime Oliver,


I'm a big fan of Alton Brown (his live shows are the bomb!) and Oliver's shows,

I haven't been doing much of the cooking recently unless the grill is involved but often I find that the recipes need a little tweaking.


One that my fiancee made recently that turned out great was Nick Stellino's
Shrimp with Asparagus, Peppers and Bacon.

Here's her version of it

I've made a ton of stuff from online or tv food guys/gals.
As far as recent and from the list namely Alton Brown - made some of his Gazpacho last week that was fabulous.

Alton Brown's technique for white rice. Comes out perfect every time!!

As to Para's post...side story on Guy Fieri...with my previous airline, I had several overnights in Kalamazoo, MI (of all places)...neat little town. There's a burger joint down from the hotel at which we stayed called Studio Grill...ALL kinds of stuffed burgers with combinations you'd never think of, but the combos REALLY work and are VERY tasty. http://www.studiogrillkalamazoo.com/

The first time I frequented the establishment, I spoke to the owner (REALLY nice guy) and asked if he had thought about contacting Food Network to try and get on a "Triple D" episode. He said that when he first opened, about 100 locals wrote to Fieri and NO ONE got even a "F--- off" response. He then spoke to several other restaurateurs and they told him Fieri was one, giant, egotistical ass-hat. I can see that. Told him he was probably better off.