18 DIY Cooking Hacks Alton Brown Taught Us

A look at some of the best DIY tips and tricks from Alton Brown's "Good Eats."
LATE NIGHT WITH JIMMY FALLON -- Episode 128 -- Airdate 10/08/2009 -- Pictured: (l-r) Chef/host Alton Brown during an experiment with host Jimmy Fallon on October 8, 2009 (Photo by Tracy Leeds/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images)
LATE NIGHT WITH JIMMY FALLON -- Episode 128 -- Airdate 10/08/2009 -- Pictured: (l-r) Chef/host Alton Brown during an experiment with host Jimmy Fallon on October 8, 2009 (Photo by Tracy Leeds/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images)

Long before DIY became a trendy term via Pinterest, Alton Brown was hard at work on the Food Network show "Good Eats," training home chefs on the virtues of science and thriftiness in the kitchen. Brown's ban on "unitaskers," or cooking tools with only one use, led to some resourceful hacks. Here are some of our favorites.

1. Turn your grill into a smoker by making a tin foil pouch filled with wood-chips.


Recipe here

2. Make your own Greek yogurt with a bowl, strainer, saucer and a soup can.

Recipe here

3. Perfectly dice your avocados for guacamole with a potato masher.

Recipe here

4. Don't wash your turkey pan until you make gravy incorporate those brown bits of goodness stuck to the bottom of the pan for the best-tasting gravy ever.

Recipe here

5. Use a waffle iron to make bacon.

Recipe here
6. Or use a panini press to make roast chicken.

7. Or make homemade flat bread.

Recipe here

8. Use a steamer to roast peppers.

And don't forget to steam the skin off by placing a bowl on top

Recipe here

9. Pie tins can be converted into a stacked bamboo steamer.


Recipe here

10. You can make a make shift terrine pan with two bread tins.

Recipe here

11. Pit olives for tapenade with a bench scraper.

Recipe here

12. Protect your asparagus heads from burning by making this tin foil pan.


Recipe here

13. A fine or rasp grater does a great job grating nutmeg.

Recipe here
Or use a coffee grinder for whole spices to make your own blends

Recipe here

14. Tap on a butcher's knife with a mallet to cut a squash.

Recipe here

15. Make your own taco seasonings.

Recipe here

16. Dry age steak with pan tins, skewers and a paper towel.

Recipe here

17. Protect your turkey or chicken's breast from overcooking by using this tin foil hat.

Recipe here

18. Top your sangria with the ice to hold down the fruit.

Recipe here

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