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Alton Brown is the mad scientist of the culinary world, a fearless hacker who regularly bends the rules of conventional cooking. Like the time he modified his Weber grill with a 1,875-watt hair dryer and a length of tailpipe to get the coals to burn hotter. In his new book, Alton Brown's Gear for Your Kitchen (due in September), the cameraman turned Food Network chef puts ordinary tools under the microscope – and explains how multipurpose gadgets will help you clear out your junk drawer. Along the way, he serves up 25 recipes, scientific and historical trivia, and his favorite hardware hacks: "Unglazed pavers, or quarry tiles, aren't actually designed as pizza stones, but will work well and for a fraction of the cost of composite stone." If a $2 slab from Home Depot can do the job, why spend $29 at Sur La Table? Save your wad and spring for the book instead.
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Dwight Eschliman [garlic roaster]| 
Dwight Eschliman [teaspoon organizer]
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Dwight Eschliman [cheese board]| 
Dwight Eschliman [pastry brushes]
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Dwight Eschliman [cheese slicer]| 
Dwight Eschliman [pastry guide]
The MAD science of Kitchenware [ Four fun factoids from the book ]
• In 1913, a physicist at Corning (who apparently skipped lunch) thought the borosilicate glass liners in large lead acid batteries could double as baking dishes. He sawed off the bottom of one, and his wife made a cake. Pyrex was born.
• Silicone does more jobs than boobs: The material used in waterproofing, electrical insulation, and, yes, breast augmentation, also makes spatulas and nonstick baking mats heat resistant.
• It wasn't vitamin C that made the family glow. In the 1930s and '40s, uranium glaze gave Fiestaware its bright orange hue. Science teachers now use the dishes to show how Geiger counters work.
• Though Teflon is nearly indestructible, it breaks down when exposed to high heat (572 degrees Fahrenheit and above). The fumes can cause flu-like symptoms in humans and kill a pet bird. The moral of this story: Don't broil in nonstick.
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