Learn to Eat Like Alton Brown from EveryDayCook
You know he’s the master of all things food science and the unequivocal expert of eviliciousness on Cutthroat Kitchen. But do you know what Alton Brown makes himself for breakfast? Probably not — but that’s about to change.
His brand-new cookbook, Alton Brown: EveryDayCook, is a collection of the eats and drinks he preps at home on a day-to-day basis, the tried-and-true picks that are all his own. Including new takes on morning staples like oatmeal, a kale salad you’ll actually want to eat, sweet treats like spiked bread pudding and much more, EveryDayCook features the best of Alton’s personal recipe repertoire, all up for grabs for you, his fans.
“I was trying to rediscover myself as a cook and as always (for me) find a new way to approach an accepted form,” Alton told us recently of the inspiration for this book. In the exclusive interview below, he shares more about what writing EveryDayCook taught him about his style of cooking and he details an over-the-top menu for cooking from the book for the first time.
How would you describe your day-to-day eating habits? (Do you gravitate toward a specific cuisine? Do you tend to skip breakfast? Do you snack late at night?)
Alton Brown: In a word: awful. The last couple of years have been terribly hectic, with too much travel, not enough sleep, too much caffeine and too much alcohol. It’s taken a huge toll on my body, and I’m just starting to get it under control. The answer, of course, is vegetables. But then that’s always the answer, isn’t it?
In writing a book about your everyday recipes, did you learn anything about yourself in terms of what or how you cook? Did anything surprise you?
AB: Yeah … I’m fairly peculiar and utterly mundane, at the same time and in equal measure.
What are a few of your most-used ingredients, the items you make sure to always have on hand no matter what?
AB: Kosher salt, quinoa, sardines, panko, bourbon, sumac, chicken, katsuobushi, bourbon … yeah, I put that on there twice.
Please build us an all-day menu of your favorite recipes from the book — what are the first dishes we should make for breakfast, lunch and dinner?
AB: Cold Brew Coffee, Chilaquiles, Amaranth Wafers, Roast Broccoli Hero, Not Just Another Kale Salad, Kick In The Pants Smoothie, Thai Iced Tea, Crispy Chickpeas, Bad Day Bitter Martini, Grilled Shishitos, Turkey Tikka Masala, Chocolate Chess Pie and then … Tomorrow, French Fries.
We noticed some Post-it note sketches in this book, and we’re guessing you drew those yourself. Can you talk about the importance of putting those personal touches on these pages?
AB: Actually, that’s about being too cheap to hire an illustrator.
What do you hope fans will take away from this book?
AB: Well, I hope that they’ll find some recipes that can be regulars in their household rotation and I hope they’ll feel like they know me better. I also hope they’ll enjoy looking at it and perhaps discover some new ways to visualize their food.
You can order your copy of Alton Brown: EveryDayCook here.
Related Links:
Why Alton Brown Is the Cutthroat Kitchen Prop Masterl
All The Things You Didn't Know About Ina Garten
Watch Episodes of Alton's After-Show
