Ever wondered about some kitchen tools that you saw Alton Brown use on Good Eats? We share some of the exact tools he used or ones that were very similar.
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You are watching: What Kitchen Tools Does Alton Brown Use on Good Eats?
On the website I am not shy about talking about how much I have learned from Alton Brown.
One of the most important lessons involved the tools he used in his kitchen.
I have learned how to pick items to use in my kitchen and discovered things I never knew exist. If you are a viewer of the show you might be wondering where does he get these gadgets from? He doesn’t name brands during the show.
Now he does talk about brands in his book “Gear for Your Kitchen”. But you might be looking for a particular item he uses in the show.
On this page, you will find a list of some items. I found these items through research and my growing familiarly with different kitchen items. I also have items where I don’t know the exact brand but was inspired by the show to pick up that type of tool for my kitchen.
Jump to:
- Pressure Cooker
- Ice Cream Scoop
- Pizza Slicer
- Plunger Measuring Cup
- Salt Cellar
- Microplane Grater
- Spider
- French Style Rolling Pin
- Bench Scraper
- Silicone Pastry Brush
- Thermometers
- KitchenAid Products
Pressure Cooker
You may have wondered whether or not Alton uses an Instant Pot, Ninja foodi, or any of the other electric pressure cookers out there, I am going to say no. In an episode of Good Eats Reloaded, where he updates classic episodes, he is still using classic pressure cooker. In his episode about chili, I know he used a WMF brand pressure cooker.
Ice Cream Scoop
Alton uses an ice cream scoop made by Zyliss to scoop out the vanilla, chocolate, and mint chip ice cream he made on the show.
I previously had a KitchenAid scoop. The Zyliss does what the KitchenAid one does, but better. It has an ergonomic handle that works well for even me a left-hander. I believe the term it fits like a glove would be appropriate here.
The Zyliss scoop also digs down into the ice cream well, even when the ice cream is pretty hard. It has a hold in the handle so you can hang it up on a hook. It is all you want in an ice cream scoop.
It is said to be dishwasher safe. However I would still wash it by hand. I have seen people complaining that the metal has started flaking off on theirs. I always wash mine now by hand and never seem to have any problems.
Pizza Slicer
Pizza slicers should not have handles. They are harder to control that way. When you just have a piece covering the blade you can put more pressure on it and it works better.
I have had 2 Zyliss Pizza Slicers. They work well and come apart for easy cleaning. That being said, the plastic has broken on both of them where it attaches to the blade. I am looking for a more durable brand of this type of slicer.
Plunger Measuring Cup
At one point Alton was selling kitchen tools on this own website. I remember seeing a plunger style measuring up with his cartoon face on it. They don’t seem to be available anymore.
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The brand that I have is made by Kitchen Art. It’s what I use whenever I have to measure something thick or sticky, examples being sour cream, honey, yogurt, peanut butter, etc.
Salt Cellar
Another item he use to offer on his website. Probably one of the most commonly seen kitchen tools on this show. How many times did we see him open that lid and spoon out or pinch some kosher salt?
I looked for the cellar as close to the one I saw on the show. This one from Modern Innovations looks close.
Our kitchen has a bamboo salt cellar that I use that was cheaper, although it has started to crack and needs to be replaced.
Microplane Grater
What else are you going to use when you need to pull nutmeg out of your pocket and grate some? The Microplane Grater is one of my favorite tools. I was sad when it was missing at our house for a couple months.
Besides nutmeg, it’s great for grating hard cheese and making lemon, lime, or orange zest.
Microplane has one with a handle that I own as well. It doesn’t work for zest as well as the other. I really use it at the table for grating hard cheese. Alton once said about these that we don’t need no stinky handles.
Spider
The next 2 items, the brand doesn’t matter too much.
Alton uses a spider with a bamboo handle, so any model with one would be close enough.
Spiders are the best thing for removing fried food from the hot oil. Or you use them like any slotted spoon, where you wish to get food out of a liquid.
French Style Rolling Pin
This is another case of we don’t need no stinkin’ handles. Rolling pins without handles actually given you greater control – Alton is a control freak! . A French style rolling pin is tapered at the ends.
I felt like since I switched I have done better at rolling out dough.
Bench Scraper
Whether it’s moving ingredients from one place to the other or cutting dough into smaller portions, life is easier with a bench scraper or baker’s blade as it’s also called. I have a Wilton one that I have been using for quite a while now. It’s wonderful.
Silicone Pastry Brush
One issue that Alton pointed out about pastry brushes it that they are impossible to clean. Maybe not impossible but really hard. Silicone brushes came out that are easier to clean. Problem with them is that stuff doesn’t want to stick to the silicone bristles.
Solution – a brush that has a different type of bristles in the middle that holds food better. I don’t know what brand he used, but I found the Oxo Good Grips Silicone Brush years ago and I love it so much. I can’t imagine using a different brush.
I use it for brushing on egg washes, melted butter, BBQ sauce, and much more.
Thermometers
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Thermometers are the best tool a cook can have to know when their food is done. It’s the key to never overcooking food. I have seen Alton use 4 different type of thermometers on Good Eats – candy/fry, probe, infrared and instant read.
Candy/Fry Thermometer
The cheapest of the thermometers. These are a basic analog thermometer that you watch the temperature go up or down. They clip on the side of pot and no batteries are needed. The Taylor or Polder models both look like the one he used. Either would work well.
There are also candy/fry thermometer that are digital. They are easier to read. I have seen Alton use them before. But he has also said they liked the analog better because you can monitor the rate of the rise and fall of temperatures more accurately as you can see how fast or slow the temperature is rising or falling. This is vital for deep frying, so you don’t burn your food or have it too low so it absorbs excess oil.
Probe Thermometer
This might be the single most mentioned kitchen tool in the history of tise blog. That is how much I love probe thermometers. I have cooked beef roasts, turkey, pork, chicken all to perfection because of a digital thermometer with a probe attached. The main unit hangs out outside the oven while the probe is in the meat.
Alton uses different ones throughout the show. the one I use is made by Taylor, which are not very expensive and get the job done.
Infrared Thermometer
Infrared thermometers are great for testing out how hot a pan is or to do a quick temperature check . I use one to see what temperature my milk is at when making yogurt in the Instant Pot. I have actually used it lately to test the oil temperature when frying as my fry thermometer is getting worn out and the numbers are hard to eat.
Instant Read Thermometer
Another quick use thermometer is the Instant Read. Great for testing the temperature of a steak. Or Alton likes to check the temp of his breads to see when they are perfectly done.
I can’t confirm this for sure, but the ones I have seen Alton use look a lot like the Thermoworks Instant read thermometers. That wouldn’t surprise me as they are the most accurate thermometers.
If you are going to buy a Thermoworks thermometer I suggest buying directly from them. They do not have any authorized products on Amazon and have been experiencing people selling their products for either more money or having issues with the products sent. Has become such an issue that there is a notice at the top of their website about it.
KitchenAid Products
Finally I wanted to share the KitchenAid products that I have seen Alton use.
Stand Mixer
This is certainly the easiest tool to identify. You can’t cover up or hide an KitchenAid Stand Mixer. But you might be wondering about the flames he had on his. Can you get these kind of cool decals to go on your mixer?
You bet you can. Even a flame decal is available to buy (no mixer included!)
Flames not your thing? What about a Flying Tiger Shark plane decal or something more gentle like Victoria Roses!
Hand Mixer
Alton Brown once again goes for a KitchenAid product in an episode about egg nog. I can’t tell exactly what model of hand mixer it is, but the nob on top is what tells me it’s a KitchenAid.
Immersion Blender
Alton has used different immersion blenders over the course of the show, but I was able to identify this KitchenAid model being used. I love immersion blenders. They are great for pureeing soups or to make your own baby food.
The chopper attachment that comes with it is nice when you have a small amount of vegetables to chop up fine, especially onions as I am really sensitive to them, i.e. I cry like a baby.
Any tool that Alton uses is missing from this list? Let us know in the comments below.
Source: https://gardencourte.com
Categories: Kitchens