8 Things We Learned from Alton Brown’s AMA
Prepare to laugh and cry.
CHC
Just when you think you know Alton Brown — and we think we do … or at least we did — the beloved food-science guru pulls back the curtain and reveals little-known facts about himself. On Tuesday, just days ahead of the much-anticipated return of his fan-favorite series Good Eats, he hosted a Reddit AMA over three hours in which fans could ask questions about whatever they wanted. And boy, did they. As of this posting, Alton’s AMA has garnered nearly 55,000 up votes and over 6,000 comments. To say Mr. Brown is popular is an understatement.
We combed through the threads to find all the hidden gems we never knew about Alton. Read on below and prepare to be shocked, uplifted and maybe even a little emotional. And of course, set a reminder to tune in to back-to-back new episodes of Good Eats: The Return on Sunday starting at 10|9c.
Alton’s going on one more tour. And only one.
This one kind of breaks our hearts! If you’ve seen Alton’s live performances, you know that they’re unlike anything else. Equal parts concert, comedy show and cooking school, Alton’s tour delivers to packed auditoriums everything you love about Good Eats and more — in person! So when he revealed the news that he’s planning only one final tour, we’ll admit we were pretty bummed. “We will go out on a new tour starting in November of 2020 and into the spring 2021. It will be my farewell tour,” he said. “You heard it here first.”
Alton really, really loves Good Eats.
I mean, DUH, right? You already knew this. But hear us out! User @ImranZakaheav asked about the inspiration in bringing back Good Eats, and Alton explained that this reboot was suppsed to happen a while ago, but life got in the way: “I always planned on bringing GE back. I'd planned on a 5 year break but due to the second live show (Eat Your Science) I got off schedule. Good Eats is my one and only baby. Everything else is frosting.” And in true Alton fashion, he also joked, “Excuse the mixed metaphor there. I'd never put frosting on a baby.”
Good Eats: The Return is going to be next-level awesome.
“This season of Good Eats is absolutely the best work we've done. Best food, best scripts, best photography. Best editing. It's GE turned up to 12,” Alton told one fan. And to another, he simply declared that this time around, “everything is better.” He also explained how making this show is a true labor of love, noting, “This current season took 8 months to research and write (including recipe development) and 50 days to shoot.”
Alton’s probably not binge-watching YouTube cooking videos.
“I don’t really watch food media,” Alton said. “I make it...I don't take it."
Alton understands that we all get in cooking ruts sometimes.
When user @squallykins asked, “How do you make cooking exciting for yourself?” Alton was quick to acknowledge that “This is such a thing!” Turns out, he’s been there before too. His advice was straightforward and compassionate: leftovers rule and ice cream is awesome. “Think about maybe only cooking a couple of days a week but make things that turn into great leftovers,” he explained. “I know it sounds over simplistic but one roast chicken can be turned into salads, sandwiches...you name it. Above all, don't put too much pressure on yourself. Life's hard. Oh...and homemade ice cream counts as a meal.”
Alton hates the same thing (almost) everyone else does.
If you have an aversion to beef liver, you’re in good company, because Mr. Brown is also not a fan. “I am never going to love [it],” he said.
Alton’s five essential seasonings are things you probably already have in the pantry.
You know how some chefs will tell you that they use a laundry list of rare ingredients and expensive tools in order to cook well? That’s SO not Alton’s style! User @montinsafi asked him to pick only five seasonings to use forever, and everything he chose was wonderfully approachable: salt, red pepper flake, nutmeg, parsley, cumin. (You own all those, right? If not, you should!)
Alton is human.
User @qofe79 knows that AB is a busy guy and inquired about when he has time to sleep and catch up on “regular human-type stuff.” Alton explained that to him, “sleep is critical,” and that he needs it in order to be the best version of himself. But then he said something that hit us right in the feels. “As for other human-type stuff here's a confession: I suck at a lot,” he said. “I have very (as in almost no) friends because I don't take the time to make them important. I'm a workaholic but I think I use that as an excuse not to engage and give of myself,” he proclaimed, adding: “I'm ashamed of that I'm I'm hoping to find something in me to fix it. I'm fortunate that so many people around me are more giving and caring than I am. Also...dogs. Dogs are wonderful.” (Side note: Have you seen Alton’s dog, Abigail, aka Scabigail? SO CUTE.)
Don’t miss back-to-back premieres of Good Eats: The Return on Sunday starting at 10|9c.
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