Why the Food Network Is Still Worth Something.

The saving grace of the Food Network revolves around one man: the balding, be-moled Alton Brown, who makes my own nerdiness disappear in comparison. Not only is he the host of Iron Chef America, a show in which chefs take on a "secret ingredient" and create gourment cuisine in an hour, but he also is the brains behind (and host of) Good Eats, which is essentially the show Bill Nye the Science Guy would have if he cooked.

The name of the episode I'm watching right now is "American Slicer," and it demonstrates various slices and chops, which is in itself very useful. To top it off, he mentions while slicing a jalapeño that capsaicin, the "hot" element of peppers, is an oil that will stick on your fingers for hours.

Unless, that is, you dip your hands into a 5:1 solution of water and bleach. Why? "This will cause a chemical reaction that will turn the capsaicin into a water-soluble salt that will come off with a rinse."

I love it when science is fun.