Part one of an ongoing series looks at the king of pantry essentials: Dried pasta. Alton Brown explores pasta styles, the best cooking method (water is key), the tools you really need (big), and a different way of saucing. Recipes: Pasta

Host Alton Brown journeys to the center of the onion. After rediscovering a kitchen classic, and debunking the mythology of tear-free onion cutting, he emerges with a darned fine bowl of soup. Recipes: French Onion Soup

Alton Brown cracks the mysterious egg case and pursues a higher understanding of the amazing ovoid's culinary powers. How to land a non-stick pan, scramble, over easy--and consider eggs for dessert Recipes: Lemon Curd Scrambled Eggs Unscrambled

Host Alton Brown conquers ""rouxs"" and leads the way to lump free gravy. Recipes: Gravy from Roast Drippings Sawmill Gravy White Roux

Alton Brown ponders the potato and its main ingredient: Starch. Baking, mashing and gratins are re-examined. Recipes: Mashers Potato/Portobello Gratin The Baked Potato

Exiled to bars, chopped and pre-packaged, drenched in noxious concoctions, the tossed salad deserves better. Alton Brown goes back to salad basics and pays homage to Caesar. Recipes: Hail Caesar Salad Veni Vedi Vinaigrette

Searching for the perfect southern-style biscuit, Alton Brown investigates flour and leaveners and turns to his Grandmother for a pointer or two...not to mention a few pointed comments. Recipes: Scones Shortcake Southern Biscuits

Host Alton Brown journeys from field to market to hardware store in search of the perfect steak and the perfect pan to sear it in . Recipes featured on episode: Pan Seared Rib Eye.

Why did the chicken cross the road? Probably to escape Alton Brown, who seems intent on defining the perfect broiled chicken that's out of the oven and bathed in sauce in under half an hour. Recipes : Broiled, Butterflied Chicken

Alton Brown dives deep into the watery world of fish and finds that with just three cooking methods under your belt, you can cook just about all of the critters. Recipes: Grilled Salmon Steaks Pan Fried Fish Striped Bass in Salt Dome

Alton Brown delves into the dark world of chocolate, picks a pod, roasts some beans, questions mysterious guests, visits his shrink, makes a mousse and hits upon the ultimate chocolate recipe. Recipes : Chocolate Mousse Chocolate Lava Muffins

Alton brown heads to LA for a sack of rice, evaluates rice cookers, unlocks saffron and rewrites the rules for the most versatile of all rice dishes: pilaf. Recipes: Rice Pilaf

You scream, I scream, but Alton Brown would rather make his own ice cream...and sorbet and granita. Secrets the pros don't want you to know and how to find an ice cream machine that delivers the goods without breaking the bank. Recipes: Serious Vanilla Ice Cream Coffee Granita Key Lime Sorbet