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Alton is a sort of scientist cook and some of his recipes are a little strange, but I would think there are few that don't work. Most are awesome. He is probably the favorite of most people who watch Food Network because you always learn something, he's entertaining and his recipes have science behind them.

All that said, Ina Garten's Outrageous Brownies can't be beat.

Alton's recipes deliver exactly what he says they will. The only difficulty for you, then, is if your expectation of a brownie is different than Alton's. AB's recipe produced a more cake-like brownie that was very good, but my heart and taste buds lie with Ina on this one.

Dominic
the zen kitchen

I've had really good success with his recipes and the techniques that he displays in his show. However - some of his recipes as detailed on the Food Network page don't match up with the way he does it on his show. I am not sure if that is Altons or the Food Networks fault.

AB is exactly the opposite kind of cook I am -- I'm more of a "handful of this, pinch of that" kind of cook. And that's the reason I like him. His methods are particularly good with new recipes, new techniques, and even new cooking devices. And his methods are great if you're baking, because precise measurements of things like baking powder are a heck of a lot more important than the amound of basil you put in your tomato sauce.

I really liked his chocolate chip cookie show, where he made the same recipe three times, with adjustments, to get three different cookie textures. And he explained why each one came out the way it did.

I haven't tried his brownies, but like cookies, there are fans of different styles of brownies, ranging from the almost-cake to the almost-fudge varieties. If his are the cakey type, that's something to keep in mind.

Dominic is right on the spot here: his recipes work and deliver what he says they will. I just don't always want the same things he does. I haven't baked from his recipes yet (maybe it's that scale that I lack), but on the savory side, his baby back ribs, poached catfish, fresh pasta, and squid stir-fry have all made appearances in my house. The catfish and the squid I especially like, but I have a preferred technique for the ribs (an utterly blasphemous poaching then baking technique. Serves me right for listening to the French. It's Michel Richards, available on this site, and it's awesome.)

I also made the recipe for cocoa mix, which did the trick. Likewise for pancakes. Oh and I still have some...

One of his that I had trouble with was the turkey. That's a whole different can of worms, though.

If the recipe doesn't match your memory from the show, most of his shows can be found, segment by segment, on the you tube,

AB is the television equivalent of going to cooking school. He teaches the hows and whys in addition to "how to." He's pretty dependable with recipes.

Ina tends to be more decadent and if you're working with chocolate to please your BF, I'd go with Ina.

I like watching AB because he is so quirky and entertaining. I might not use his recipes very often, but I always learn something else, like a new technique or ingredient for some recipe I already use, or something useless like where tea originated.

I've made AB's Beef Stew recipe with great success.

I'll just agree with most of the people above - any recipes of his I haven't liked (his mac & cheese recipe comes to mind) were simply a matter of differing tastes - not an issue of having problems following the recipe, or a recipe that was flat-out wrong.

I Say Yay! He used to drive me nuts--sort-of annoy me. Over time he grew on me as a t.v. personality and now he's one of my faves.

He is very knowledgeable, and for that reason; my boyfriend and I refer to his recipes ALL THE TIME. We barely ever follow any recipes step-by-step, we adapt his information to whatever we're cooking up that night.

I hope that helps? Good luck!

Alton is amazing. He is an idol in my home. So much so that my wife has given me permission to have his children if that would be physically possible. I have his books and they are just as informative yet entertaining as his shows are. I've done many of his recipes and they all work. The deal is: his instructions are easily the best that I've ever read on how to cook something. He writes like an excellent technical writer and not a chef so he tells you exactly what you should do and how.

My first attempt as making Thanksgiving turkey was made by using Alton's recipe published in (Gourmet? Bon Appetite?) I was very nervous about that bird, but Alton held my hand the whole way. It turned out great-and I got LOTS of compliments!
THANK YOU ALTON!!!!

The reason AB uses a scale when baking is that you will get more accuracy with a scale than with measuring cups. Again baking is a science as you are dealing with chemical reactions of leavening and liquids.

You don't have to be so particular when cooking. A pinch of something will do, well, in a pinch. Recipes are written with standard measures (cups, tsps, etc) so that everyone can follow them. But most cooks will make their own adjustments to suit their palates.

I really like Alton Brown's show but not all of the reicpes we've tried have been winners. Avoid his mac and cheese recipe, both of them.

With the hundreds of shows he's done and topics he's covered, I find it so interesting that several have noted his turkey recipe and the 3 chocolate chip recipes - based on personal preference. Those are the ones I remember most and have tried successfully as well.

To search the turkey, I remember putting turkey 500 in the search box and there it was. I was at my daughter's, she had just had a baby and they didn't have most of the brine ingredients, so I just skipped that (very involved w/lots of ingredients like candied ginger & apples) step. It was still one of the best turkeys I have ever made.