The Type Of Food Alton Brown Feels Most Confident Cooking
Cooking can play to your strengths as easily as it can play to your weaknesses; Certain dishes may instill more confidence in home cooks than others, especially if you're new to cooking. Eggs, for example, are particularly beginner-friendly and popular across the board; The New York Post reports that many Americans feel the most confident cooking breakfast foods, from eggs over easy to French toast. As for the foods that tend to feel the most daunting? U.S. News cites seafood as a particularly intimidating category.
Given the variety of food groups, it's easy to pick and choose foods that suit your level of comfort. However, home cooks aren't alone in their selectivity. Alton Brown has a go-to category of food that he feels most comfortable making. Yes, even celebrity chefs play favorites, and Brown — who makes everything from banana bread with toasted oats to dirty martinis with vodka – is no exception. In fact, his favorite food to make isn't overly complicated or elaborate. It's a category that may intimidate novice cooks — but is a household favorite for many.
For Alton Brown, cooking meat is a special talent
In an interview on "Larry King Now," Brown cited meat as his ultimate cooking specialty (via Youtube). "If I have any actual innate cooking talent, it is with meat," he said, with the caveat that he believes he's a good generalist.
Some people, Brown explained, specialize in barbecue, while others have perfected the art of wedding cakes. In cooking, there can be thousands of specialties. Meat is just one of those options, albeit one that Brown knows how to navigate. He has a slew of meat-making recommendations that range from cooking steak in mayonnaise to making meatballs in a mini-muffin tray.
If you're not quite as comfortable with meat as Brown, Insider offers a few tips for cooking with confidence. Certain techniques can help simplify the process of cooking meat. Strategies may include baking, roasting, and braising, among others.
Alton Brown, however, relies on his intuition. "I've got a way with [meat]," said Brown. "I understand it."