Alton Brown, host of "Good Eats" on the Food Network spoke at the Physics Building Auditorium on Wednesday. Brown showed the audience a clip from a Good Eats episode called "head games" using a model of layers of bubble wrap made to look like a cell structure to demonstrate that plant matter uses photosynthesis, respiration and membranes much like a cabbage. Photo by LeRoy N. Sanchez, Public Affairs"Two things I want people to be aware of up front, I'm thrilled to be here and I'm scared to death because there are at least five people that can nail me on any given topic," said Alton Brown, host of "Good Eats," which airs on the Food Network. Brown spoke at the Physics Building Auditorium on Wednesday.
Brown attended the New England Culinary Institute in Montpelier, Vt. While there, Brown realized then that in addition to being a good cook, he also had to be a scientist. "The kitchen is a lab; everything is science related. Being here today is ironic," he said. "I took all my high school and college science classes twice, some three times."
Brown said a goal of his show is to get people to understand and enjoy cooking. He does so by using many models that incorporate metaphors and analogies. An analogy, or literal model, translates to the understanding of a general structure. An example of a literal model is not to overcook plant matter such as cabbage, Brown explained.
Brown illustrated this point by showing the audience a clip of a Good Eats episode called "head games" where he used a model of bubble wrap made to look like a cell structure to demonstrate that plant matter uses photosynthesis, respiration and membranes much like a cabbage. He then used a "heat source" and turned the model into what Brown described as wide spread destruction. "The secret to cooking is to control the chaos," he explained.
"The model is a gross oversimplification, but it is correct and that's what matters. I won't falsify information and I edit heavily," he said.
Brown provided a series of clips from his most favorite episodes illustrating various models that help audiences get the messages behind the science of cooking. "The key to a successful show is to keep things simple, share information so that the audience perceives you as a good, friendly person," said Brown. "To make the models more complicated means that I might lose the audience in the first 30 seconds. Nobody likes a know-it-all and I don't want to be perceived as a negative influence," he added.
The audience asked Brown who does his research. "For the first four seasons I was the only researcher, I would call friends, read science books, but now I have someone who downloads the information for me," he responded.
"Most of the stuff I talk about I just learned and this helps to keep things fresh and exciting. I get real inspired when I learn something on my own and the research is the fun part," said Brown.
"Teachers have reported that their students' average science grades went up not because the science was good, but because it was fun. People will learn more when they don't think that you are teaching them," he said.
Browne concluded his talk by telling the audience that his show must provide an opportunity for the viewers "to jump on the band wagon," he said. "The lessons have to be compelling."
Wednesday's talk was co-sponsored by the Community Relations (CRO) Office and the Central New Mexico Section of the American Chemical Society.