Good Eats
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- For other uses, see Good Eats (disambiguation).
| Good Eats | |
|---|---|
| Image:Ge 02.jpg Good Eats Logo </small> | |
| Genre | Cooking show |
| Running time | 21 – 23 minutes |
| Creator(s) | Alton Brown |
| Starring | Alton Brown |
| Country of origin | Image:Flag of the United States.svg United States |
| Original channel | Food Network |
| Original run | July 7, 1999–Present |
| No. of episodes | 160 (as of October 4, 2006) |
Good Eats is a television cooking show created and hosted by Alton Brown that airs in North America on Food Network. Likened to television science educator Bill Nye, Alton explores the science behind the cooking, the history of different foods, and the advantages of different kinds of cooking equipment. The show tends to focus on familiar dishes that can easily be made at home, and also features segments on choosing the right appliances, and getting the most out of inexpensive, multi-purpose tools. Each episode of Good Eats has a distinct theme, which is typically an ingredient or a certain cooking technique, but may also be a more generic theme such as Thanksgiving, or "man food."
Contents |
[edit] Format
The show has a distinctive visual style involving Dutch angles and shots from cameras placed inside and on various items in the kitchen, including the ovens, refrigerator, and microwave oven. In some episodes, Alton and other actors play various characters to tell the story of the food. For example, in the episode "The Big Chili", Alton played a cowboy trying to rustle up the ideal pot of chili. Also in the episode "True Grits", Alton dresses up as Colonel Bob Boatwright (an obvious visual reference to Harlan Sanders), making Pineapple Upside-Down Cornmeal Cake. In other episodes Alton is simply himself, but is surrounded by fictional characters such as his eggplant and tomato wielding neighbor Mr. McGregor, or a city councilman who refuses to eat fudge. He also uses various makeshift teaching aids to demonstrate scientific concepts.
Episodes of Good Eats typically begin with an introductory monologue that always either ends with or leads into the phrase "good eats". The show often closes with the phrase as well. For the first several seasons, Brown himself would say the words "good eats." More recently, however, Alton avoids saying "good eats" at the end of the intro or outro, stopping just short and letting the theme music fill in the phrase.
Incidental music during the show is typically a variation of the show's theme. There are literally dozens of variations of the theme played throughout, crossing all genres of music, including the keypad tones in "Mission:Poachable" and nearly every incidence where a countdown of ten seconds is used. New music is composed for each episode by Patrick Belden of Belden Music and Sound.
Each episode also features text pieces containing trivia related to the food or cooking technique featured in the episode. These are always shown just before ad breaks, and are often shown between major transitions in location or cooking action. The information presented is usually, but not always, notes about the history of the food or technique, helpful cooking hints, or technical or scientific information which would be too detailed or dry to include as part of the show's live content.
[edit] Cast and crew
A staple feature of Good Eats is the presence of several recurring characters who play important roles on the show, from Alton's relatives and neighbors to various nemeses. There is an unofficial rule on the Good Eats set that every crew member must appear in an episode in some fashion, at some point in their time working on the series. Steve Rooney, who was the show's Executive Chef in the first seasons, has had the most varied characters.
A few members of Alton's real-life family have appeared on the show. His mother had a walk-on part; his daughter, Zoey, has appeared in several episodes; and his late[1] grandmother, "Ma" Mae Skelton, co-hosted the biscuit episode, "The Dough Also Rises." Even his bassett hound and iguana have shown up in a couple of episodes. However, his wife DeAnna (who is also the executive producer of Good Eats) has never appeared on an episode.
Specialists who hold real-life positions commonly appear as themselves to provide Brown with useful information on the topic at hand.
[edit] Recurring characters
[edit] Fictional
| Character | Played by: | Role on the show |
|---|---|---|
| "W" (Vicki Wong) | Vickie Eng | A parody of James Bond stories' Q, "W" is a manager at Bed Bath and Beyond. "W" is antisocial, curt, and has a very sardonic sense of humor, and finds Alton particularly annoying. Alton realizes this, and intentionally fools with gadgets and acts silly to get a rise out of her. Even so, she is the most reliable source of equipment for Alton, as she knows everything about kitchen tools and appliances. Her appearances are accompanied by a theme that sounds similar to those heard in the James Bond movies. "W"'s full name is revealed in the episode "Salad Daze II: The Long Arm Of the Slaw." In real life, Vickie Eng is Alton's chiropractor. |
| Marsha Brown-Brady | Merrilyn Crouch | Alton's older sister. Marsha is a constant source of annoyance to Alton, often tricking him into cooking for her, which usually initiates the topic of that episode. For instance, in "Circle of Life," Marsha manages to talk Alton into making dozens of doughnuts for her Girl Scout troop's bake sale, and then tricks him into buying them all back. She has been divorced more then once, as Alton referred to her ink not having dried on her LAST divorce "yet" in "Behind the Bird." |
| Elton Brown | John Herina | Marsha's son, hence Alton's nephew. Elton is often featured as Alton's assistant, learning the ways of cooking in the process. Alton treats Elton almost like his own son, despite his and Marsha's constant feuding. The young actor, who looks strikingly similar to Alton, also plays a young Alton when necessary, as in the introduction to the roulade-centered episode "Fit to be Tied". |
| B.A. Brown AKA "Anti-Alton" | Alton himself | Alton's evil twin of sorts. Alton uses camera tricks to appear as himself on one side of the screen and as his "brother" on the other. B.A. Brown is often used in a manner similar to Goofus and Gallant to compare Alton's cooking techniques to B.A.'s techniques, which often fail or are inferior to Alton's. In "American Pickle", for example, B.A. compares Alton's sweet pickled fruit to a recipe for extremely hot "Firecracker" carrots. B.A. could either stand for "Bad Alton" or be Alton's initials, reversed, or it could be a reference to Mr. T's character on the television series A-Team who also had a "Bad Attitude." |
| Cousin Ray | Steve Rooney | Alton's cousin, who seems to be a bit of a redneck. Ray also appears to be either a con man or simply uneducated when it comes to food. In "Crustacean Nation," Ray claims that the shrimp he is selling are turning pink because they are happy to see Alton when actually, as Alton explains, they are cooking in their shells due to the heat. Steve Rooney plays Cousin Ray, as well as Alton's "Aunt Verna" who is seen at Alton's Thanksgiving dinner. |
| The Mad French Chef | Steve Rooney | Alton's arch-nemesis, who is stereotypically snobbish toward all forms of cooking not following the French ways, and often berates Alton for not using French techniques. Over the course of the series, the Chef seems to become more angry, as his title in different episodes changes to "Really Mad French Chef" and beyond. The Chef is currently voiced by Alton, as he is no longer seen on-screen except for one "appearance" as an oven mitt/puppet in the episode "Crepe Expectations." |
| Thing | unknown | Named after Thing from The Addams Family, Thing is a hand that appears in random locations to hand Alton ingredients and tools. Alton then replies, "Thank you, Thing." In "Behind the Eats," it was "revealed" that Alton's Thing is the son of the Addams Family Thing. |
| Paul | Paul Merchant | Paul is Alton's apprentice and intern. Paul is generally incompetent and quite often seems to stress out regarding food-related issues. Alton calls on him frequently for assistance, often because he is the only one available. |
| Lactose Man | Paul Merchant (?) | While appearing to be a superhero, he is in fact a nemesis to Alton, who is lactose intolerant. Lactose Man usually appears in dairy product-based episodes. A variation of the Lactose Man character, Lever Man (albeit in the same costume) appeared in the episode "Shell Game", which is dedicated to oysters. It may or may not be known that Alton knows the true identity of Lactose Man, as he identified Lever Man as being his apprentice, Paul. |
| Chuck | Daniel Pettrow | Chuck is Alton's "Butcher Neighbor." He has appeared in several episodes, including the episode "A Chuck for Chuck" where Alton spends the entire episode making a pot roast for Chuck, whose mother has left town on pot roast night. Chuck also appears in the episode "Romancing the Bird: A Good Eats Thanksgiving," where he drives a "Turkey Truck" and explains the difference between fresh, frozen, and refrigerated turkeys. |
| Frances Anderson | Widdi Turner | Frances (a parody of Annie Wilkes from Misery) is Alton's self-proclaimed biggest fan. She has a collection of many of the show's props that she purchased from the internet. Alton first encountered Frances in "This Spud's For You Too" after his truck broke down, and Frances held Alton hostage in "Ill Gotten Grains" after Alton lost his memory in a fender-bender. |
| Farmer McGregor | unknown | An elderly man who has a farm near Alton's home, he prides himself on his home-grown produce and enters them regularly in county fair food contests. Alton used to pilfer from McGregor's prized tomato patch, but soon stopped when McGregor realized the tomato dishes Alton gave him were made with his own tomatoes. McGregor also has the skills to produce larger-than-average produce, making a potato that weighed 29 lb (13 kg), although it lost in the "Big Food" contest to Alton's modest olive. McGregor also appears in the eggplant episode and brings Alton too many eggplant to use, often using wheelbarrows and cardboard boxes as delivery methods. |
| Coco Carl | Bart Hansard | Another nemesis of Alton, Carl is the symbol for the conglomerate chocolate manufacturers like Hershey. He is often seen peddling his products to people on the streets and does his best to force them down people's throats. Alton eventually walks by and becomes fed up with Carl's inferior products and then sets out to produce homemade versions of his own. Usually by the end of the episode, Carl ends up in jail for his ways, which Alton reads from a newspaper or on television. In "Power Trip", Alton visits Coco Carl in a solitary confinement cell in a scene that mirrors The Silence of the Lambs. |
| Sid Maxburg | Bart Hansard | Sid is a bombastic entertainment agent who is usually seen trying to revamp allegedly forgotten foods like vanilla ("My Pod"), sweet potatoes ("Potato, My Sweet"), and okra ("Okraphobia"). |
| "USDA Agents" | Alton, others | Stereotypical "Men in Black", who usually give information about government standards for certain foods. At times, they also claim that Alton's food does not meet USDA standards, and as a consequence often confiscate what he's cooked. Sometimes, Alton's aforementioned evil twin acts as a single "agent" [citation needed]; at other times, they show up as a group of three "agents," two men and one woman, and are generally played by members of the production crew. Alton always appears as one of the "Feds". |
| The Dungeon Master | unknown | Alton's personal dungeon master (a parody of Igor), who appears in "Cubing A Round" and "Tort(illa) Reform". Alton usually disproves of his loose grip on reality; for example, in "Cubing A Round" he spends $10,000 on a Swiss mechanical steak cuber using "the little plastic thing with the numbers on it" (a credit card). |
| The Lady of the Refrigerator | Caroline O’Neil | The Lady (a parody of The Lady of the Lake) occasionally shows up in Alton's refrigerator to impart information about the food or cooking technique covered in the episode, and to tease and needle Alton. |
[edit] Real
| Name | Specialty | Role on the show |
|---|---|---|
| Shirley Corriher | Author, chef, self-labeled "mad" food scientist | Shirley often appears as an aid to Alton, explaining the scientific processes behind cooking. She is the author of CookWise, the Hows and Whys of Successful Cooking, which won the 1998 James Beard Award for Food Reference and Technique. Whereas Alton tends to use comedy around the other experts, particularly Deborah Duchon, he generally plays straight with Corriher. |
| Deborah Duchon | Nutritional anthropologist | Duchon is from the Department of Anthropology and Geography at Georgia State University, and often appears on the show when Alton is exploring the history of a topic. Duchon tends to appear out of nowhere, leading Alton to almost predict her presence as soon as he mentions "nutritional anthropologist." She is probably the most featured expert on Good Eats, appearing in many episodes since part of the show is normally dedicated to exploring the history of a food. Generally, Alton ends his scenes with Duchon by asking her, "how do you like your (food of the day)?" One fourth season episode ("Chile's Angels") featured a character called "Debbie Duchon" who was supposed to be Duchon's daughter. She was, in fact, a fictional creation of Alton's when Duchon was not available for filming, leading to a bemused reaction from Duchon when fans of the show asked her about her "daughter." [2] |
| Caroline Connell | Nutritionist, dietitian | Connell (and other similar experts) tend to appear on episodes where Alton features a food that has positive health effects, and uses nutritionist's data as evidence. She appears many times in the first seasons, but now it seems that Alton retrieves his information from many specialists that only come on the show once or twice. |
| "Ma" Mae Skelton | Alton's grandmother | In addition to being referenced by Alton in several episodes, she appeared in "The Dough Also Rises," and baked biscuits alongside Alton. She passed away in 2001. |
Alton also plays other roles from time to time, which usually consist of him explaining something close to the camera while another Alton performs the information that is being presented behind him (similar to the technique used to present B.A. Brown). At the same time, he also acts out alone or with others on camera while providing a narrative quite often (to re-enact such topics as cavemen discovering cooking techniques). There are also scenes where Alton talks to a character played by himself, cutting away to the other after each one has said their line. This is mostly used when the "USDA agents" appear to give grades and regulations placed on meats and dairy products.
[edit] History
The pilot for Good Eats first aired on the Chicago, Illinois PBS affiliate WTTW in July 1998. The show was picked up in July 1999 by Food Network, which now owns exclusive rights to the show. As of 2006, new episodes continue to air on that network. Currently, the show airs at 7:00 p.m., 11:00 p.m., and 2:00 a.m. (rerun of 11 p.m. episode) Eastern Time (EST) Monday through Friday, and, additionally, 10:00 p.m. (rerun at 1 a.m.) EST Wednesday nights. New episodes usually air at this time slot.
[edit] Episode guide
[edit] Season 1
| # | Title | Featured Food/Topic | Originally Aired |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 <td>"Steak Your Claim"</td><td align="center">Steak</td><td align="center">7 July 1999</td> | |||
| 02 <td>"This Spud's for You"</td><td align="center">Potatoes</td><td align="center">14 July 1999</td> | |||
| 03 <td>"The Egg-Files"</td><td align="center">Eggs</td><td align="center">21 July 1999</td> | |||
| 04 <td>"Salad Daze"</td><td align="center">Salads</td><td align="center">28 July 1999</td> | |||
| 05 <td>"A Bird in the Pan"</td><td align="center">Roasted chicken</td><td align="center">4 August 1999</td> | |||
| 06 <td>"Churn Baby Churn"</td><td align="center">Ice Cream</td><td align="center">11 August 1999</td> | |||
| 07 <td>"The Dough Also Rises"</td><td align="center">Biscuits</td><td align="center">18 August 1999</td> | |||
| 08 <td>"Gravy Confidential"</td><td align="center">Gravy</td><td align="center">25 August 1999</td> | |||
| 09 <td>"A Bowl of Onion"</td><td align="center">Onions</td><td align="center">1 September 1999</td> | |||
| 10 <td>"Hook, Line, and Dinner"</td><td align="center">Fish</td><td align="center">8 September 1999</td> | |||
| 11 <td>"Pantry Raid I: Use Your Noodle"</td><td align="center">Noodles</td><td align="center">15 September 1999</td> | |||
| 12 <td>"Power to the Pilaf"</td><td align="center">Pilaf</td><td align="center">22 September 1999</td> | |||
| 13 <td>"The Art of Darkness"</td><td align="center">Chocolate</td><td align="center">29 September 1999</td>
|
[edit] Season 2
| # | Title | Featured Food/Topic | Originally Aired |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 <td>"It's a Wonderful Cake"</td><td align="center">Cake</td><td align="center">15 December 1999</td> | |||
| 02 <td>"For Whom the Cheese Melts"</td><td align="center">Fondue and Grilled Cheese</td><td align="center">19 January 2000</td> | |||
| 03 <td>"Apple Family Values"</td><td align="center">Apples</td><td align="center">1 March 2000</td> | |||
| 04 <td>"Crustacean Nation"</td><td align="center">Shrimp</td><td align="center">8 March 2000</td> | |||
| 05 <td>"The Fungal Gourmet"</td><td align="center">Mushrooms</td><td align="center">15 March 2000</td> | |||
| 06 <td>"Crust Never Sleeps"</td><td align="center">Pie</td><td align="center">15 March 2000</td> | |||
| 07 <td>"True Brew"</td><td align="center">Coffee</td><td align="center">12 April 2000</td> | |||
| 08 <td>"A Grind is a Terrible Thing to Waste"</td><td align="center">Hamburger</td><td align="center">26 April 2000</td> | |||
| 09 <td>"Fry Hard"</td><td align="center">Fish and chips</td><td align="center">10 May 2000</td> | |||
| 10 <td>"Urban Preservation I: Jam Session"</td><td align="center">Jams / Jellies</td><td align="center">24 May 2000</td> | |||
| 11 <td>"Pantry Raid II: Seeing Red"</td><td align="center">Tomato sauce</td><td align="center">7 June 2000</td> | |||
| 12 <td>"Citizen Cane"</td><td align="center">Sugar/caramel</td><td align="center">21 June 2000</td> | |||
| 13 <td>"Pork Fiction"</td><td align="center">Pork</td><td align="center">5 July 2000</td> | |||
| 14 <td>"Ear Apparent"</td><td align="center">Corn</td><td align="center">19 July 2000</td>
|
[edit] Season 3
| # | Title | Featured Food/Topic | Originally Aired |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 <td>"American Pickle"</td><td align="center">Pickles</td><td align="center">20 September 2000</td> | |||
| 02 <td>"Mussel Bound"</td><td align="center">Mussels</td><td align="center">11 October 2000</td> | |||
| 03 <td>"The Egg Files II: Man With a Flan"</td><td align="center">Flan</td><td align="center">18 October 2000</td> | |||
| 04 <td>"What's Up, Duck?"</td><td align="center">Duck</td><td align="center">1 November 2000</td> | |||
| 05 <td>"Behind the Bird"</td><td align="center">Turkey (semi-sequel to "Thanksgiving")</td><td align="center">18 November 2000</td> | |||
| 06 <td>"Three Chips for Sister Marsha"</td><td align="center">Chocolate chip cookies</td><td align="center">13 December 2000</td> | |||
| 07 <td>"Flap Jack Do It Again"</td><td align="center">Pancakes</td><td align="center">27 December 2000</td> | |||
| 08 <td>"The Case for Butter"</td><td align="center">Butter</td><td align="center">3 January 2001</td> | |||
| 09 <td>"Flat Is Beautiful"</td><td align="center">Pizza</td><td align="center">10 January 2001</td> | |||
| 10 <td>"Pantry Raid III: Cool Beans"</td><td align="center">Beans</td><td align="center">17 January 2001</td> | |||
| 11 <td>"Mission: Poachable"</td><td align="center">Poached fish</td><td align="center">31 January 2001</td> | |||
| 12 <td>"Tofuworld"</td><td align="center">Tofu</td><td align="center">7 February 2001</td> | |||
| 13 <td>"Head Games"</td><td align="center">Cabbage</td><td align="center">21 February 2001</td> | |||
| 14 <td>"Grill Seekers"</td><td align="center">Grilled Lamb</td><td align="center">7 March 2001</td> |
[edit] Season 4
| # | Title | Featured Food/Topic | Originally Aired |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 <td>"Where There's Smoke, There's Fish"</td><td align="center">Smoked Salmon</td><td align="center">11 April 2001</td> | |||
| 02 <td>"Pressure"</td><td align="center">Pressure cooking / Broth</td><td align="center">18 April 2001</td> | |||
| 03 <td>"Fry Hard II: The Chicken"</td><td align="center">Fried chicken</td><td align="center">25 April 2001</td> | |||
| 04 <td>"Crustacean Nation II: Claws"</td><td align="center">Lobster</td><td align="center">16 May 2001</td> | |||
| 05 <td>"Ham I Am"</td><td align="center">Ham</td><td align="center">30 May 2001</td> | |||
| 06 <td>"Let Them Eat Foam"</td><td align="center">Angel food cake</td><td align="center">13 June 2001</td> | |||
| 07 <td>"A Chuck for Chuck"</td><td align="center">Roasted chuck</td><td align="center">27 June 2001</td> | |||
| 08 <td>"Pantry Raid IV: Comb Alone"</td><td align="center">Honey</td><td align="center">11 July 2001</td> | |||
| 09 <td>"The Bulb of the Night"</td><td align="center">Garlic</td><td align="center">25 July 2001</td> | |||
| 10 <td>"Mayo Clinic"</td><td align="center">Mayonnaise</td><td align="center">8 August 2001</td> | |||
| 11 <td>"Puff the Magic Pastry"</td><td align="center">Puff pastry</td><td align="center">22 August 2001</td> | |||
| 12 <td>"True Brew II"</td><td align="center">Tea</td><td align="center">5 September 2001</td> | |||
| 13 <td>"Chile's Angles"</td><td align="center">Chile peppers</td><td align="center">3 October 2001</td> |
[edit] Season 5
| # | Title | Featured Food/Topic | Originally Aired |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 <td>"Deep Space Slime"</td><td align="center">Gelatin dessert</td><td align="center">24 October 2001</td> | |||
| 02 <td>"Oat Cuisine"</td><td align="center">Oats</td><td align="center">7 November 2001</td> | |||
| 03 <td>"Crepe Expectations"</td><td align="center">Crepes</td><td align="center">28 November 2001</td> | |||
| 04 <td>"Celebrity Roast"</td><td align="center">Roast Beef</td><td align="center">5 December 2001</td> | |||
| 05 <td>"Scrap Iron Chef: Bacon Challenge"</td><td align="center">Bacon</td><td align="center">9 January 2002</td> | |||
| 06 <td>"Deep Purple (or "Berry From Another Planet")"</td><td align="center">Eggplant</td><td align="center">16 January 2002</td> | |||
| 07 <td>"The Trouble With Cheesecake"</td><td align="center">Cheesecake</td><td align="center">23 January 2002</td> | |||
| 08 <td>"Squid Pro Quo"</td><td align="center">Calamari</td><td align="center">30 January 2002</td> | |||
| 09 <td>"Art of Darkness II"</td><td align="center">Chocolate</td><td align="center">13 February 2002</td> | |||
| 10 <td>"Squash Court"</td><td align="center">Squash</td><td align="center">6 March 2002</td> | |||
| 11 <td>"For Whom the Cheese Melts II"</td><td align="center">Macaroni & Cheese</td><td align="center">3 April 2002</td> | |||
| 12 <td>"Send in the Clams"</td><td align="center">Clams</td><td align="center">10 April 2002</td> | |||
| 13 <td>"This Spud's for You Too"</td><td align="center">Potatoes</td><td align="center">10 April 2002</td> |
[edit] Season 6
| # | Title | Featured Food/Topic | Originally Aired |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 <td>"The Other Red Meat"</td><td align="center">Tuna</td><td align="center">19 June 2002</td> | |||
| 02 <td>"Strawberry Sky"</td><td align="center">Strawberries</td><td align="center">3 July 2002</td> | |||
| 03 <td>"The Choke's On You"</td><td align="center">Artichokes</td><td align="center">10 July 2002</td> | |||
| 04 <td>"Good Milk Gone Bad"</td><td align="center">Cheese / Yogurt</td><td align="center">24 July 2002</td> | |||
| 05 <td>"Egg Files V: Quantum Foam"</td><td align="center">Souflee</td><td align="center">7 August 2002</td> | |||
| 06 <td>"Tomato Envy"</td><td align="center">Tomatoes</td><td align="center">2 October 2002</td> | |||
| 07 <td>"Amber Waves"</td><td align="center">Beer</td><td align="center">9 October 2002</td> | |||
| 08 <td>"Dip Madness"</td><td align="center">Dips</td><td align="center">16 October 2002</td> | |||
| 09 <td>"Chops Ahoy"</td><td align="center">Pork chops</td><td align="center">6 November 2002</td> | |||
| 10 <td>"Choux Shine"</td><td align="center">Pate choux</td><td align="center">13 November 2002</td> | |||
| 11 <td>"Casserole Over"</td><td align="center">Casseroles</td><td align="center">8 January 2003</td> | |||
| 12 <td>"Use Your Noodle II"</td><td align="center">Stuffed Pasta</td><td align="center">15 January 2003</td> | |||
| 13 <td>"Salad Daze II: The Long Arm of the Slaw"</td><td align="center">Cole slaw</td><td align="center">29 January 2003</td> | |||
| 14 <td>"A Cake on Every Plate"</td><td align="center">Cake</td><td align="center">5 February 2003</td> | |||
| 15 <td>"The Icing Man Commeth"</td><td align="center">Icing / Frosting</td><td align="center">19 February 2003</td> | |||
| 16 <td>"Beet It"</td><td align="center">Beets</td><td align="center">5 March 2003</td> | |||
| 17 <td>"Fit to be Tied"</td><td align="center">Roulades</td><td align="center">19 March 2003</td> |
[edit] Season 7
| # | Title | Featured Food/Topic | Originally Aired |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 <td>"Crustacean Nation III: Feeling Crabby"</td><td align="center">Crab</td><td align="center">25 May 2003</td> | |||
| 02 <td>"Q"</td><td align="center">Pulled Pork</td><td align="center">11 June 2003</td> | |||
| 03 <td>"The Egg Files VI: French Flop or Zen and the Art of Omelet Maintenance"</td><td align="center">Omelet</td><td align="center">9 July 2003</td> | |||
| 04 <td>"The Muffin Method Man"</td><td align="center">Muffins/English Muffins</td><td align="center">23 July 2003</td> | |||
| 05 <td>"True Brew IV: Take Stock"</td><td align="center">Chicken Stock</td><td align="center">6 August 2003</td> | |||
| 06 <td>"Sausage: A Beautiful Grind"</td><td align="center">Sausage</td><td align="center">20 August 2003</td> | |||
| 07 <td>"Raising the Steaks"</td><td align="center">Steaks</td><td align="center">10 September 2003</td> | |||
| 08 <td>"The Pouch Principle"</td><td align="center">Pouch steaming food</td><td align="center">13 September 2003</td> | |||
| 09 <td>"Ill Gotten Grains"</td><td align="center">Wheat Grains</td><td align="center">8 October 2003</td> | |||
| 10 <td>"Tricks for Treats"</td><td align="center">Multiple Homemade Candies</td><td align="center">26 October 2003</td> | |||
| 11 <td>"Potato, My Sweet"</td><td align="center">Sweet Potatoes</td><td align="center">12 November 2003</td> | |||
| 12 <td>"The Cookie Clause"</td><td align="center">Sugar Cookies</td><td align="center">4 December 2003</td> | |||
| 13 <td>"Herbal Preservation"</td><td align="center">Herbs</td><td align="center">7 January 2004</td> | |||
| 14 <td>"Spice Capades"</td><td align="center">Spices</td><td align="center">14 January 2004</td> | |||
| 15 <td>"The Man Food Show"</td><td align="center">Corndogs & Gut Bomb Burgers</td><td align="center">28 January 2004</td> | |||
| 16 <td>"Fudge Factor"</td><td align="center">Fudge</td><td align="center">11 February 2004</td> | |||
| 17 <td>"Sometimes You Feel Like A..."</td><td align="center">Nuts</td><td align="center">25 February 2004</td> | |||
| 18 <td>"I Pie"</td><td align="center">Lemon Meringue Pie</td><td align="center">3 March 2004</td> | |||
| 19 <td>"Toast Modern"</td><td align="center">French Toast/Bruscetta/Welsh Rabbit</td><td align="center">14 April 2004</td> | |||
| 20 <td>"Top Banana"</td><td align="center">Bananas</td><td align="center">3 May 2004</td> |
[edit] Season 8
| # | Title | Featured Food/Topic | Originally Aired |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 <td>"Hittin' the Sauce"</td><td align="center">French Sauces</td><td align="center">16 June 2004</td> | |||
| 02 <td>"Shell Games"</td><td align="center">Oysters</td><td align="center">23 June 2004</td> | |||
| 03 <td>"Flat is Beautiful II"</td><td align="center">Flatened Meats</td><td align="center">7 July 2004</td> | |||
| 04 <td>"Circle of Life"</td><td align="center">Doughnuts</td><td align="center">21 July 2004</td> | |||
| 05 <td>"Wonton Ways"</td><td align="center">Wonton Wrappers & Potstickers</td><td align="center">4 August 2004</td> | |||
| 06 <td>"The Big Chili"</td><td align="center">Chili con carne</td><td align="center">18 August 2004</td> | |||
| 07 <td>"Sandwich-craft"</td><td align="center">Sandwiches</td><td align="center">3 October 2004</td> | |||
| 08 <td>"Soups On"</td><td align="center">Soups</td><td align="center">3 October 2004</td> | |||
| 09 <td>"Say Cheese"</td><td align="center">Cheese</td><td align="center">17 October 2004</td> | |||
| 10 <td>"Art of Darkness III"</td><td align="center">Chocolate</td><td align="center">27 October 2004</td> | |||
| 11 <td>"True Grits"</td><td align="center">Cornmeal</td><td align="center">3 November 2004</td> | |||
| 12 <td>"Stuff It"</td><td align="center">Stuffing</td><td align="center">14 November 2004</td> | |||
| 13 <td>"Puddin' Head Blues"</td><td align="center">Pudding</td><td align="center">1 December 2004</td> | |||
| 14 <td>"Melondrama"</td><td align="center">Melons</td><td align="center">5 January 2005</td> | |||
| 15 <td>"Myth Smashers"</td><td align="center">Dispelling culinary myths</td><td align="center">19 January 2005</td> | |||
| 16 <td>"Cuckoo for Coq Au Vin"</td><td align="center">Coq au Van</td><td align="center">2 February 2005</td> | |||
| 17 <td>"Carrots: A Taproot Orange"</td><td align="center">Carrots</td><td align="center">16 February 2005</td> | |||
| 18 <td>"Sprung a Leek"</td><td align="center">Leeks</td><td align="center">2 March 2005</td> | |||
| 19 <td>"Dr. Strangeloaf"</td><td align="center">Bread</td><td align="center">16 March 2005</td> | |||
| 20 <td>"My Big Fat Greek Sandwich"</td><td align="center">Gyros</td><td align="center">6 April 2005</td> | |||
| 21 <td>"Field of Greens"</td><td align="center">Greens</td><td align="center">20 April 2005</td> | |||
| 22 <td>"Do The Rice Thing"</td><td align="center">Rice</td><td align="center">4 May 2005</td> |
[edit] Season 9
| # | Title | Featured Food/Topic | Originally Aired |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 <td>"Give Peas a Chance"</td><td align="center">Peas</td><td align="center">1 June 2005</td> | |||
| 02 <td>"Dis-Kabob-Ulated"</td><td align="center">Shish Kabobs</td><td align="center">15 June 2005</td> | |||
| 03 <td>"Urban Preservation II: The Jerky"</td><td align="center">Beef Jerky</td><td align="center">29 June 2005</td> | |||
| 04 <td>"Churn Baby Churn, 2"</td><td align="center">Ice Cream</td><td align="center">13 July 2005</td> | |||
| 05 <td>"Power Trip"</td><td align="center">Energy Bars</td><td align="center">27 July 2005</td> | |||
| 06 <td>"Wake Up Little Sushi"</td><td align="center">Sushi</td><td align="center">3 August 2005</td> | |||
| 07 <td>"Cobbled Together"</td><td align="center">Cobbler</td><td align="center">24 August 2005</td> | |||
| 08 <td>"Good Wine Gone Bad"</td><td align="center">Vinegar</td><td align="center">21 September 2005</td> | |||
| 09 <td>"The Waffle Truth"</td><td align="center">Waffles</td><td align="center">12 October 2005</td> | |||
| 10 <td>"Great Balls of Meat"</td><td align="center">Meatballs</td><td align="center">19 October 2005</td> | |||
| 11 <td>"Curious Yet Tasty Avocado Experiment"</td><td align="center">Avacados</td><td align="center">2 November 2005</td> | |||
| 12 <td>"A Pie in Every Pocket"</td><td align="center">Pocket Pies</td><td align="center">9 November 2005</td> | |||
| 13 <td>"School of Hard Nogs"</td><td align="center">Egg Nog</td><td align="center">1 December 2005</td> | |||
| 14 <td>"My Pod"</td><td align="center">Vanilla</td><td align="center">11 January 2006</td> | |||
| 15 <td>"Tender is the Loin I"</td><td align="center">Tenderloin</td><td align="center">18 January 2006</td> | |||
| 16 <td>"Raising the Bar"</td><td align="center">Cocktails</td><td align="center">25 January 2006</td> | |||
| 17 <td>"Tender is the Loin II"</td><td align="center">Tenderloin</td><td align="center">1 February 2006</td> | |||
| 18 <td>"Flat is Beautiful III: Flounder"</td><td align="center">Flounder</td><td align="center">22 February 2006</td> | |||
| 19 <td>"Your Pad or Mine(Thai)"</td><td align="center">Pad Thai</td><td align="center">15 March 2006</td> | |||
| 20 <td>"Shell Game IV: Scallops"</td><td align="center">Scallops</td><td align="center">5 April 2006</td> | |||
| 21 <td>"Olive Me"</td><td align="center">Olives</td><td align="center">19 April 2006</td> |
[edit] Season 10
| # | Title | Featured Food/Topic | Originally Aired |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 <td>"Tort(illa) Reform"</td><td align="center">Tortillas</td><td align="center">3 May 2006</td> | |||
| 02 <td>"Just Barley"</td><td align="center">Barley</td><td align="center">17 May 2006</td> | |||
| 03 <td>"House Of The Rising Bun"</td><td align="center">Cinnamon Buns</td><td align="center">7 April 2006</td> | |||
| 04 <td>"Cubing A Round"</td><td align="center">Cube Steak</td><td align="center">21 April 2006</td> | |||
| 05 <td>"Water Works I"</td><td align="center">Water</td><td align="center">12 July 2006</td> | |||
| 06 <td>"Water Works II"</td><td align="center">Water</td><td align="center">19 July 2006</td> | |||
| 07 <td>"Peachy Keen"</td><td align="center">Peaches</td><td align="center">20 September 2006</td> | |||
| 08 <td>"Okraphobia"</td><td align="center">Okra</td><td align="center">27 September 2006</td> | |||
| 09 <td>"Squid Pro Quo II"</td><td align="center">Calamari</td><td align="center">4 October 2006</td> | |||
| 10 <td>"Pop Art"</td><td align="center">Popcorn</td><td align="center">11 October 2006</td> | |||
| 11 <td>"Major Pepper"</td><td align="center">Peppercorns</td><td align="center">8 November 2006</td> | |||
| 12 <td>"Fry Turkey Fry"</td><td align="center">Fried Turkey</td><td align="center">12 November 2006</td> |
[edit] Special guide
| # | Title | Featured Food/Topic | Originally Aired |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 <td>"Romancing the Bird - A Good Eats Thanksgiving"</td><td align="center">Thanksgiving Special</td><td align="center">14 November 1999</td> | |||
| 2 <td>"Down & Out in Paradise"</td><td align="center">Special featuring multiple seafood</td><td align="center">21 July 2002</td> | |||
| 3 <td>"Eat This Rock!"</td><td align="center">Salt</td><td align="center">2 May 2004</td> | |||
| 4 <td>"Behind the Eats"</td><td align="center">Behind the scenes at Good Eats</td><td align="center">29 July 2006</td>
|
[edit] Tips from Alton
- Stick an apple in a bag with bananas - they'll ripen twice as fast.
- When folding in an ingredient, stick the spatula in the center, move it down and around the side of the bowl, then up and over to gently mix the ingredients.
- There should be only one uni-tasker in the kitchen, and that's the fire extinguisher.
- Brining meats adds more flavor to it.
[edit] Trivia
- In Seasons 1–4, the episodes were shot in an actual home kitchen in the Atlanta, Georgia area, though the home was not Brown's.
- In Season 5, filming moved to the new home of the show's Line Producer (Dana Popoff) and Director of Photography (Marion Laney), in which they built a much larger and more versatile kitchen for filming. A 7 ft (2.1 m) section of the island was built for the show and placed on wheels, so it can be moved (or removed) for various shots, and a 12 sq ft (1.1 sq m) grid of pipe was hung from the ceiling, for easier placement of cameras and microphones. The house was featured in a Home Magazine article in February 2003.
- Starting with Season 7, the show moved yet again, this time to an exact replica of the previous kitchen and surrounding areas of the home, built on a sound stage. In the "Behind the Scenes" special, Brown said that complaints by Popoff's neighbors prompted the move. The stove top and the sink are the only functioning pieces in this kitchen. Many of the other appliances have even had part of their backs removed, so shots of Alton can be taken from inside cabinets, ovens, and refrigerators. This change was generally not known until the house used in Season 5–6 was put on eBay for sale. It was then revealed that they had moved. It is generally thought that in the "Q" episode on barbecue that was filmed in Alton's Airstream trailer, when Alton says that they are "building the set for Good Eats: The Movie" this is in reality a reference to the new house set. The set was not officially unveiled on the show as a set until the Avocado Experiment show, though the appearance of a trap door in the hardwood floor several episodes previous ("Good Wine Gone Bad") was highly suggestive of a TV set.
- Alton starred in Food Network's "All Star Kitchen Makeover" specials, a series which premiered in August 2005 and included other Food Network chefs Emeril Lagasse, Paula Deen, and Bobby Flay. The winner of the kitchen Alton was to design later went on to play one of the three federal USDA agents seen in "Churn Baby Churn, 2."
- The clock seen in "Good Eats" is often set by the crew to a significant date such as a crew's birthday, anniversary, etc.
- In Season 9, the episode "Behind the Eats" was produced, which offered a backstage look at the show's production.
- "Stuffing Is Evil" sign - Whenever Alton mentions the word "stuffing", someone holds up a sign that says: "STUFFING IS EVIL". This is in reference to the Thanksgiving special, wherein Alton denigrated stuffing as increasing cooking time, being a harbinger of food poisoning, and not being good eats. However, he does make exceptions for when stuffing would in fact be appropriate (particularly for stuffed pork), and he later recanted in Season 8 and agreed that stuffing, when done properly, is good eats (dedicating a whole show to the subject).
- In episodes with Bigfoot, the sounds Bigfoot makes are the same noises demons create when dying in the computer game Doom.
- The access codes for the Good Eats laboratory are:
- 0851390555 in Mission: Poachable (EA1C13 - Season 3 Episode 11)
- 180*745666 in Chile's Angles (EA1D01 - Season 4 Episode 13)
- Normally, Food Network shows do not display name brand names of products used during cooking, and care is taken to create false labels for products. However, in early seasons of Good Eats, Alton occasionally displayed brand name products on the show (ex: a bottle of Karo corn syrup during the episode on cooking with sugar). Currently, brand name product labels are altered, although the alterations generally consist of false names added to labels rather than entirely new labels. Also, when using crushed crackers in a recipe, Alton will usually say, "What kind? Well, I'm not going to tell you, but they look like this" then hold up a Ritz cracker.
[edit] External links
- Food Network: Good Eats
- Alton Brown's official website
- Good Eats Fan Page; contains extensive info about the show
- Good Eats at the Internet Movie Database
- Home Magazine article featuring the home used in Seasons 5 and 6
- TV.com episode listing
