[cakerookie]

Originally Posted by shel

If that were easily done I'd not be asking others for their opinion. Never even heard of Books a Million.

Shel

Then I guess you will have to buy them all.

[newbiechef]

Originally Posted by KYHeirloomer

Did I miss something here?

You're from (it says) Boulder, Colorado.
Shel is from the San Fran area---which, last I checked, was in California.

So what's this "we" stuff?

Besides, Shel wasn't taking shots at California agriculture. What he was justifiably complaining about is celebrity chefs who use products that purport to be what they're not.

"I don't think we're too far apart in some matters pertaining to Mr. Brown - perhaps I'm just more accepting of the faults of the show and his idiosynchrosies."

I reckon that sums it up nicely, Shel. Of course, I'm sure he's terribly bothered by my level of acceptance. Poor dear probably cries all the way to the bank.

first off, i was joking, i did not take shel's statements abot california agriculture seriously. i was joking around with my response, i guess its kinda hard to get the extreme sarcasm and proper tone to indicate it being a joke through words alone. and i realize she was taking shots at other stuff, like food tv and the chefs and so on... oh, and i merely LIVE in boulder, however i was born, raised and lived the majority of my life in... california, about 20 minutes from the capitol (no, LA is not the capitol of California...) in a city called roseville. so hence i use the term "we" ...since i am californian and all.

[shel]

Originally Posted by newbiechef

come on now... what with the "california grown crap" statement? dont be hating the state...

The comment was directed to the tomatoes, not the state or the agriculture. That's an entirely different rant <LOL>

I could see, even on my crummy old TV, and without even wearing my new prescription glasses, the terrible quality of the strawberries that were used.

My point is that if you're producing a show like "Tyler's Ultimate," then the ingredients should be first class. Too many people don't even know what a truly fresh, ripe strawberry tastes like these days, and for Mr. Florence to be opening a package of obviously poor quality berries and exclaiming how good they are is, IMO, doing a disservice to his viewers. No wonder people add sugar to their fruit - the effin' fruit has no flavor.

And, since this is an Alton Brown thread, AB recently did a show about strawberries, and he took the time to show his viewers how to recognize a good, fresh, flavorful berry from the insipd garbage found in most markets and purchased and eaten with acceptance by a populace that has no idea what they're missing.

There, I feel better now

Oh, BTW, one small point - I'm not a "she" as you mentioned in another post. I'm a big, tough guy transplanted from New Yawk City .... <LOL>

Shel

[newbiechef]

wow... i am incredibly sorry i referred to you as "she" unfortunately i do not remember what was going one when i wrote that, i do not know if it was a typo, or an insomnia induced brain-fart. whatever the reason, i am very sorry for doing so... oh, and tyler florence bugs the living crap outta me... and i agree with the word "ultimate" in the shows name, he should be using "ultimate" ingredients. i personally think, if possible, that buying produce from farmers markets and stands is WAY better than the supermarket. in a farmers market, produce travels much shorter distances and is therefore, fresher and riper. and let me state this once i again... in case it was missed, I WAS BEING SARCASTIC!!! i know you werent attacking california's agriculture, you were attacking that "tyler florence" charachter... and his show...

[shel]

Originally Posted by newbiechef

wow... i am incredibly sorry i referred to you as "she" unfortunately i do not remember what was going one when i wrote that, i do not know if it was a typo, or an insomnia induced brain-fart. whatever the reason, i am very sorry for doing so... oh, and tyler florence bugs the living crap outta me... and i agree with the word "ultimate" in the shows name, he should be using "ultimate" ingredients. i personally think, if possible, that buying produce from farmers markets and stands is WAY better than the supermarket. in a farmers market, produce travels much shorter distances and is therefore, fresher and riper. and let me state this once i again... in case it was missed, I WAS BEING SARCASTIC!!! i know you werent attacking california's agriculture, you were attacking that flaming, idiotic, prick that calls himself "tyler florence"... and his show...

No big deal about the "she" business. I was mostly just yanking your chain.

From what I've seen of Tyler Florence, I like the guy and the show. I had a thoroughly enjoyable read of one of his cookbooks a couple of weeks ago, and got some great ideas from it.

Perhaps calling him, or anyone, a "flaming, idiotic prick" on a public forum is a little excessive.

Shel

[newbiechef]

yeah... i guess youre right. name calling, especially the one i chose, is a bit excessive and i really dont mean that. its been a rough couple days and took out a good bit of anger on him, very wrong of me. i will edit my last post if possible still. and lets be honest, i like more than say... sandra lee, but hes not my favorite chef on the network. by the way, whatever happened to the naked chef? i liked him.

[SnowfallDesigns]

ok, wow! I was going to read this entire thread till I realized that it no longer had much to do with Alton Brown's cookbooks!

Anyways...I don't own any of his cookbooks, but my sis does. I've liked watching his shows simply because I pick up a few interesting tips here and there. I've never used any of his recipes and I don't watch him for his culinary experience.

About his cookbooks, I love to look at cookbooks, but I couldn't get through much of his without getting bored. If you've watched his shows, you've probably absorbed all the useful tips he has to offer - I wouldn't waste my money on his books. I don't think his books are supposed to be much about the recipes. For me, there were way too many graphics and not enough content. Then again, I don't think he has much more content to offer.

So, I hope I could help with your original question, or at least help get this thread back to the question raised.

[cakerookie]

I believe for new cooks the books would be a big help. I agree in the fact that if you have seen his shows you know most of the content anyway. But Altons main focus in his shows I think are the hows and whys of what happens when you do certain things. He is an entertaining fellow though you have to admit that, huh.