The Recipe Alton Brown Considers The Worst Of His Career
As a self-described foodist, Alton Brown seems to have an ace up his sleeve for just about any recipe. From his famous chicken dinner to his twist on French onion soup, everything Brown touches appears to instantly transform into culinary gold. But there's one comfort food favorite he considers the worst of his career: slow cooker lasagna.
This Italian classic is one that cooks of all abilities pride themselves on, but Brown's original slow-cooker recipe didn't measure up to his usual standards. Lasagna, in all its cheesiness, is usually baked in the oven, but Brown's version attempted to simplify and speed up the process with a slow cooker. In addition to his different take on cooking, Brown's list of ingredients raised more than a few eyebrows. It calls for layers of meat (raw ground sausage), vegetables, and noodles like a traditional lasagna, but then adds a twist with the addition of dried goat's milk powder.
For his part, Brown knows the recipe is bad and loathed by even some of his most ardent fans. In his book "Good Eats 4: The Final Years," Brown writes, "My original Slow Cooker Lasagna is, I believe, the most hated Good Eats recipe of all time. For those who wisely chose to avoid it, the noodles ran up the side of the slow cooker and, well ... dried goat milk was involved. I'm just going to leave it at that."
Totally revamping a classic
Sometimes the best way to ensure something is done right is to do it yourself. As a cook who's never been shy about experimenting with flavors, that's exactly what Alton Brown does with his new and improved lasagna. A slow cooker can be used to make dozens of great meals. But in an attempt to revamp his recipe, Brown decided to go back to basics and throw it in the oven.
Brown's lasagna 2.0, dubbed "The Final Lasagna," takes up several pages in the book and admittedly takes a bit of prep work because it features homemade ricotta cheese and homemade ragù alla Bolognese. But the resulting recipe produces in Brown's words, "the most lasagna lasagna that I know of."
Crockpot lasagna can be a delicious, and quicker way to enjoy the classic dish. But as Brown learned, sometimes getting too fancy with iconic comfort foods can backfire, and sticking with tried-and-true ingredients and cooking methods ultimately yields the best results.