Geeks love cooking and there's no mystery why: it's science you can eat! We spent a week salivating over food gadgets, gathering tips and wisdom along the way. From that experience comes our list of best (and worst) gift ideas:

Taste Test food week wouldn't have been complete without our fun Q&As with Alton Brown, but his hot-out-of-the-oven book Good Eats: The Early Years is the real news peg. (Book tour dates below!)

Since Alton Brown is pretty much nerd-dom's representative on food TV, I figured I'd have to tackle one of his recipes for MacGyver Chef. I chose a classic: Beef jerky made with a box fan.

You know the deal: Alton hates single-purpose kitchen gadgets. So I read him a list of unitaskers that I thought might make the cut. Here's what did—and what didn't—meet the maestro's approval, along with his color commentary:

Alton Brown famously disdains spending money on "unitaskers" and other kitchen gadgets, when you can just as easily (and far more cheaply) get by with what's around the house. Here's what happened when I asked about his favorite hacks.

From the fires that blessed and cursed primitive man to that replicator in Picard's quarters that always delivers tea Earl Grey hot, food and innovation are bound eternally.