"It's Alive with Brad" is a series on Bon Appétit's Youtube channel that is hosted by their test kitchen manager, Brad Leone. As its title might imply "It's Alive" (generally) focuses on creating foods that are "alive" in a sense. They use the term alive pretty liberally. A lot of the episodes focus on fermentation, but there are also other subjects such as honey, oysters, salt, and even forging knives.
There are two main things I really enjoy about the series: the educational aspect, and the entertainment value. I would never think about watching a 10-minute video about making pickles, but not only do I do just that, I also end up watching another 40 minutes of videos about crabs, sausages, and knives. It just all flows so well.
What really surprised me was that this series was coming from Bon Appétit, which I really feel like it would be a little too persnickety for me. But, this series is extremely relatable and fun, even to someone who doesn't consider them a decent chef at all. I attribute this to Brad's hosting and how he admits mistakes and shows mishaps in his videos. He does most of the hosting alone, but references and converses with the silent cameraman, Vinny, quite often. I would say that the show wouldn't be the same without the dynamic between the two.
I'm waiting for Vinny to host an episode with Brad filming.
34. Fermentation, tips, tricks, and gadgets.
33. Making some sauerkraut.
32. A lot of people like Kombucha... somehow...
31. Harvesting salt.
30. Looks easy, looks tasty.
29. Creating some giardiniera (Italian pickled relish).
28. Farming oysters back east!
27. Chocolate adventure: Part 1.
26. Chocolate adventure: Part 2.
25. Beer craft.
24. Koji covered food hangs out in a shelf for a few days
23. Sweet and savory?
22. The magic butter.
🏴21. Corn Beef.
20. This episode needed Dwight and Mose to stop by.
19. Bee's that are actually cool.
18. Big pig BBQ.
17. The better "Deadliest Catch", part 1.
16. The better "Deadliest Catch": Part 1.
15. Some badass BBQ sauce with help from Babish.
14. Two sweeties make some sourdough.
13. Making knives with the local legend, Bob Kramer.
12. Some zazzy za. .
11. Those hellish looking shrimp are looking mighty tasty...
10. To be fair, who really brings a cooking mandolin camping?
9. This looks so simple, I'd screw it up without a doubt.
8. I'm sweating just watching this video.
7. Main thing I took away from this episode: Yeti oven is OP.
6. Pineapple looking popping.
5. I'm a sucker for campfire food...
4. ...especially breakfast campfire food.
3. I never knew how tasty raw sausage looks.
2. Crunchy + green + sour + pickles = heaven.
1. I really don't know who Matty Matheson is, but the tacos these two make look so fresh.
