I used to joke that I need to eat out because my own cooking makes me sick. But like any joke, it's based on the truth — I knew very little about cooking that I would usually undercook something, while managing to burn it at the same time.

Then I started watching Good Eats, mainly because guys with glasses are so my type, and Alton Brown? Definitely my type. But it also helped that Good Eats uses humor to demonstrate the ins and outs of the cooking process. Brown doesn't just tell you to put stuff in a bowl and stir — he tells you why you need to put them in and what happens when they mingle together.

I've been watching the show since 2002, and it's because of Good Eats that I finally invested in more equipment, the most important being a thermometer. Since acquiring the thermometer, the incidences of sickness from my own cooking have essentially been eliminated. 160 degrees is such a magical figure.

I broil regularly. I make sure my oil is at least 375 degrees before pan frying anything. I'm not afraid to use butter. And on the few occasions I bake, wet ingredients go on top of dry.

These days, I find myself getting even bolder.

I usually pan-fry my steaks, seasoned with nothing but garlic salt, which I picked up not from AB but from mom. But one night, I experimented with broiling, and while I didn't follow Alton's instructions thoroughly, the resulting steak was still tasty. Another night, I supplemented the garlic salt with other herbs in my pantry, specifically Italian seasoning. I surprised even myself.

I bought the Italian seasoning for a recipe my mom used to cook. I could only find a big bottle of the stuff, so I've been putting it on everything. Tonight, I supercharged a chicken recipe. It's really simple.

Season chicken with salt and pepper. Coat chicken in mayonnaise. Roll coated chicken in bread crumbs. Bake for 20 minutes at 400 degrees.

That recipe alone is quite tasty. I altered it thusly …

Season chicken with salt, pepper and Italian season. Coat chicken in mayonnaise. Roll coated chicken in a mixture of bread crumbs and panko. Bake for 20 minutes at 400 degrees.

I don't know how much difference the panko made with the bread crumbs, but the Italian seasoning certainly played well with the other ingredients.

But as I was experimenting, I remembered a number of things from Good Eats. Spices burn, so I didn't mix the spices with the breading. Instead, the spices went on the chicken pieces themselves, with the mayonnaise coating to seal them in. I also remembered to let the chicken rest for a few minutes before serving, letting carry-over heat take over.

I wouldn't have been able to articulate that before.