What is this program? culinary competition
When and where? premieres Oct. 7, 9 p.m., on Food Network
Who should watch this program? recipe collectors, omnivores
So how is it? Cooking competitions have come a long way since Betty Crocker bake-offs. In the wake of Fuji TV's Iron Chef, Bravo's Top Chef and Fox's Hell's Kitchen, Food Network is on the hunt for the next Iron Chef in, yes, The Next Iron Chef. After six weeks, one of the eight contestants, all accomplished chefs from restaurants across America, will be proclaimed the metallurgic master. Iron Chef originally debuted in Japan in 1993, pitting international cooking gurus against celebrity Japanese chefs. Each battle was based on one surprise ingredient, required as the foundation of appetizer, entree, and dessert. If the chefs were lucky, the ingredient was pumpkin. If not so lucky, it was sea urchin. Once the American version debuted, the rules, and the extremities, regressed to the point where Iron Chef turned into a culinary clone of America's Next Top Model. The first episode's trials include a speed test and a savory-dessert challenge: in 15 minutes, the chefs must de-bone a chicken, fillet a salmon, shuck clams and oysters, juice coconuts, slice paper-thin daikon, and French a rack of lamb; for dessert, they must incorporate the likes of bacon, tripe, and catfish into their final presentations. Commentator Alton Brown's elimination catch-phrase isn't exactly timeless ("You will not be the next Iron Chef, I'm sorry"), but the cutthroat competition (yes, there's blood) and impromptu creativity still make The Next Iron Chef addictive and irresistible. Like Cheetos!
Do you want to save this program or delete? SAVELabels: cooking, Food Network, reality |
