"ALTON BROWN" news and stories

Alton Brown is back -- picking up where his bestselling Good Eats: The Early Years left off -- with Good Eats 2: The Middle Years. Showcasing everything Alton Brown fans have ever wanted to know about his award-winning television show, Good Eats 2: The Middle Years is chock-full of behind-the-scenes photographs and trivia, science-of-food information, cooking tips, and, of course, recipes.

Find out how to win one out of five autographed copies after the jump.

As one of the premiere faces of the Food Network, Alton Brown's enthusiasm for all things food reaches beyond the definition of "foodie." As the host of Good Eats and author of several cookbooks, Brown has spent years uncovering the science behind cooking, which in turn made him a natural choice to be the "play by play" announcer on Iron Chef America.

Brown returns this Sunday (Oct. 3) as the host of third season of The Next Iron Chef, where he'll guide us through the 10 contestants who battle it out in an effort to join the likes of Bobby Flay, Cat Cora and Mario Batali as a coveted Iron Chef.

Slashfood spoke with Brown about the concept of The Next Iron Chef, how the "secret ingredients" are chosen and how the Tea Party movement might inspire food culture down the road.

The excitement around Kitchen Stadium is heating up, as Food Network has released details about season three of The Next Iron Chef. Secret-ingredient overlord Alton Brown will host the competition, and he'll have his hands full with 10 Iron Chef hopefuls, including the likes of Blue Ginger's Ming Tsai, Hearth's Marco Canora, and Marc Forgione, a mohawk-sporting chef who goes by the nickname "Forge."

Donatella Arpaia is set to return as judge, where she'll be joined by Iron Chef Michael Symon and food writer Simon Majumdar. This season starts out in Los Angeles; chefs will then make their way to Las Vegas and finally New York, where the last battle will take place in the famed Kitchen Stadium. The winner will start immediately as an Iron Chef-- their first battle on Iron Chef America takes place on November 28, just one week after The Next Iron Chef's finale.

As in the past, many of the challenges are designed to test how "worthy" these Iron Chefs are. This season, contestants will have to cook on a desert island and catch the secret ingredient in the wild; design recipes out of condiments such as ketchup, ranch dressing and mayonnaise; create an Iron Chef worthy meal out of corned-beef hash; and create a snack out of pickles.

Wait, haven't we been here before? We got to know chef Dominique Crenn up close and personal last year when she tried out to be The Next Iron Chef, a distinction that ultimately went to Jose Garces.

If there's one thing we've learned, however, it's that you always get another chance to prove your Iron Chef-iness on the Food Network, and sure enough, Crenn was back this week to prove her unique Gallic mettle. And if anyone should be able to ace a competition where the secret ingredient is yogurt, it's a European chef, right?

Certainly, if Crenn approached the "coagulated milk protein" -- to use Alton Brown's over-explanation of it -- with a delicate touch, reigning Iron Chef Michael Symon practically bullied it onto the plate, baking, pressure cooking and custarding it until it was front and center.

His flavors and presentation were so bold, a dessert-course tuile threw judge Andrew Knowlton for a loop. "I didn't take you for a tuile kind of guy," he said. Symon's response: "I'm trying to show you my feminine side."

John Fraser had us fooled this week on Iron Chef America. To look at him -- brown hair neatly parted, boy-next-door face, apple-cheeked complexion -- he didn't seem that threatening. Everything about his appearance screams, "I gave up becoming a doctor to fry scallops," a fact we were reminded of countless times by host Alton Brown.

Don't get us wrong, Fraser's reputation precedes him: Rising-star awards, a New York Times three-star review for his restaurant Dovetail, incessant appearances on talk shows -- this is a guy who has "Future Iron Chef" written all over him.

But next to the streamlined, chrome-domed, tattoo-chested, "hey bro"-spouting defending champ Michael Symon, we were sure he'd be toast. And then a funny thing happened. After the unveiling of the secret ingredient (cauliflower!), Fraser had his own surprise: He'd be letting his flavors speak for themselves, he announced, without the help of sous chefs.