In his best-selling first book, Food Network star Alton Brown described what happens when food meets heat. Now Brown is back and ready to revolutionize the world of baking-and more. Breads, cakes, cookies, pies, custards, ice creams: The popular host of Good Eats explores the science behind our favorite sweets — and savories — explaining it all in his own inimitable style.

The book opens with a complete encyclopedia of the core ingredients or "the molecular pantry" — what they are, what they do, and how they play together (or don't). The main part of the book is divided by mixing method: Biscuit, Creaming, Muffin, Straight Dough, Modified Dough, Eggfoam, Custards, and a section called As Well As..., which includes such specialized methods as crepes, popovers, mousse, and doughnuts.

To underscore the importance — and ease — of mastering the mixing techniques, the book features a special design that adds a half-page flap to the opening page of each mixing section. Printed on the flap is the master mixing technique to serve as a ready reference for each recipe that follows in that section.

The more than 80 recipes cover all the basics any baked-good lover could covet, from pie crust to funnel cake to homemade Pop Tarts to cheese soufflé. Select master recipes feature variations that underscore the effects of altering ingredient ratios or preparation methods. The classic chocolate chip cookie, for example, can be interpreted in soft, chewy, and crispy consistencies.

At 304 pages, the trivia-filled tome also contains all the fun components Brown fans have come to expect: fact-packed sidebars, intricate illustrations, glossaries, appendices, equipment lists — the works. It's everything readers have been waiting for... and more!

"Less a cookbook than a course book on baking, this entertaining and certainly educational follow-up to Brown's I'm Just Here for the Food offers up formulas for basic cakes, muffins, pies, custards and breads, as well as information on the components of each. Like a quirky, affable professor with a mad scientist's flare for facts and figures, Brown takes readers through the 'Molecular Pantry,' examining the properties and functions of proteins, carbohydrates and fats. Those familiar with his Food Network show, Good Eats, will be well-versed on these building blocks, and those who aren't will find his explanations and diagrams easy to comprehend. Unlike other baking books, this one is organized by 'mixing method' rather than by food type, which means that recipes like Banana Bread, Pineapple Upside-Down Cake and Buttermilk Pancakes are clustered together under the same umbrella — the Muffin Method of mixing. According to Brown, this is because 'mixing is more important than ingredients and even cooking method.' While some bakers would be quick to counter this claim, Brown supports it well, using diagrams to illustrate how mixing and over-mixing the same ingredients can yield different results (i.e., by over-mixing muffin ingredients, one can end up with cupcakes). As Brown states early on, this isn't a recipe book. Rather, it's an instruction manual for people who want to be better bakers. Those looking for appetizing photos of sumptuous dishes won't find any here, but they will find plenty of practical tips (use a food processor instead of a traditional flour sifter) and sidebars that can be both informational and anecdotal (Brown's story of his struggle with a 50-pound blob of dough bent on expansion is particularly amusing). Anyone who has a yen to learn the science and methodology behind good food will find this a fascinating read." Publishers Weekly (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)

"Less a cookbook than a course book on baking, this entertaining and certainly educational follow-up to Brown's I'm Just Here for the Food offers up formulas for basic cakes, muffins, pies, custards and breads, as well as information on the components of each. Like a quirky, affable professor with a mad scientist's flare for facts and figures, Brown takes readers through the 'Molecular Pantry,' examining the properties and functions of proteins, carbohydrates and fats. Those familiar with his Food Network show, Good Eats, will be well-versed on these building blocks, and those who aren't will find his explanations and diagrams easy to comprehend. Unlike other baking books, this one is organized by 'mixing method' rather than by food type, which means that recipes like Banana Bread, Pineapple Upside-Down Cake and Buttermilk Pancakes are clustered together under the same umbrella-the Muffin Method of mixing. According to Brown, this is because 'mixing is more important than ingredients and even cooking method.' While some bakers would be quick to counter this claim, Brown supports it well, using diagrams to illustrate how mixing and over-mixing the same ingredients can yield different results (i.e., by over-mixing muffin ingredients, one can end up with cupcakes). As Brown states early on, this isn't a recipe book. Rather, it's an instruction manual for people who want to be better bakers. Those looking for appetizing photos of sumptuous dishes won't find any here, but they will find plenty of practical tips (use a food processor instead of a traditional flour sifter) and sidebars that can be both informational and anecdotal (Brown's story of his struggle with a 50-pound blob of dough bent on expansion is particularly amusing). Anyone who has a yen to learn the science and methodology behind good food will find this a fascinating read." Publishers Weekly (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)

In his bestselling first book, the star of the Food Network's Good Eats described what happens when food meets heat. Now he explores the science of baking. More than 80 recipes cover all the basics any baked-good lover could covet, with fact-packed sidebars, illustrations, glossaries, appendices, and equipment lists. Full color.

The popular host of "Good Eats" explores the science behind our favorite sweets, and savories, explaining it all in his own inimitable style. More than 80 recipes cover all the basics any baked-good lover could covet, from pie crust to funnel cake to homemade Pop Tarts to cheese souffl.

Alton Brown is the writer, director, and host of the popular Food Network television program Good Eats. His first book, I'm Just Here For the Food, received the 2003 James Beard Foundation KitchenAid Book Award for Best Reference Book. His second book, Alton Brown's Gear For Your Kitchen, was nominated for both a James Beard and an IACP cookbook award.