Alton Brown makes cooking cool.

He’s a chef, the commentator for “Iron Chef America,” author of multiple cookbooks and has hosted the “Good Eats” show for over 10 years on the Food Network, and his popularity is still growing.

To honor his 10 years on the air, the following are 10 good things, in no particular order, about Alton Brown and “Good Eats.”

1. Tips before every commercial break

These tips offer you further historical information of the meaning behind why we call food items certain names. These little tidbits keep you coming back for more, keeping you curious about different cuts of meat.

2. Gadgets galore

Brown doesn’t own a panini maker. His reasoning is because it only makes paninis and he has other tools he can use to make a melty, crispy sandwich. This is the same for all gadgets in his kitchen. Sure he owns a stand mixer, laser thermometer and salt cellar, but the only piece of equipment that has one job in his food arena is his fire extinguisher.

3. Thriftiness

Not only will Brown not use a unitask gadget (besides the extinguisher), he will find the way to make food cheap. Either by teaching how to find the freshest food or the cheaper substitute, he shows good food that isn’t hard to get ahold of in markets.

4. Pop culture references

Since day one, Brown has dripped and stirred pop culture references into his show. From the titles of each episode to the names of his “helpers,” there is at least one reference for everyone to catch.

5. Not your typical cooking show

Take Bill Nye the Science Guy’s ability to explain chemistry, throw in a splash of Julia Child’s enthusiasm for easy, good food, stir with a bit of Shari Lewis’s affinity for puppets and you have Alton Brown. He’s quirky, fun, doesn’t speak in terms you won’t understand unless he has some sort of diagram or prop to explain and he’s smart enough so you actually feel like you’re learning something within half an hour.

6. Easy recipes

Most of what Brown puts into his food can fit on an index card. The ingredients are splashed across the screen, but you have enough time to write them down because there’s nothing truly complicated about what you’re going to cook. If there is a tricky step, Brown walks you through it and explains techniques that work well for him.

7. Brown’s conversational

Instead of tuning into a show that feels like a lecture hall, you are watching someone who looks like they know what they’re doing and they want you to know how to do it too. He’s like the cool uncle that has the patience for your questions and explains his answers in ways that make you want to keep learning.

8. Personalities of the show

Every episode features someone that is an “expert” or plays one on TV. Brown doesn’t hog the screen. He asks questions to his gadget expert “W” in the middle of a Bed Bath and Beyond-esque store surrounded by kitchen appliances and has helpers in every shape and size, either human or puppet.

9. No catch phrase

You won’t hear “Bam!” Nor will you be hounded with the redundancy of “Yumm-o” or “E-V-O-O.” The only thing that is ever repeated in each episode is the term “Good Eats” as it leads into the title screen. Brown’s not forcibly catchy or edgy, he doesn’t wear his sunglasses on the back of his head or orange Crocs on his feet. Although he dons some pretty odd attire from time to time, it’s usually to tie into the episode’s theme or make a point.

10. It has inspired “Chuck Norris” facts

Did you know that when Alton Brown slices onions, the onions cry? That’s according to the Web site wherethehellwasi.com, who has over 50 “facts” about Alton Brown.

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