I know this isn’t one of the great questions of our age, but having read a lot of Straight Dope archives recently things I wonder have started forming as SD questions in my head, so I thought I’d ask. I watch probably too much Iron Chef America (please no snark about any being too much :P). I’ve read the Wikipedia article so I’ve already been a little disillusioned; I know that the challengers don’t wholly choose their Iron Chef, and I know how they’re all given a list of possible secret ingredients to compile pantries and think about menus for. Disappointing, but I acknowledge the realities of TV shows, it couldn’t be just how we see it.
What I him wondering is how impressive it is to be an Iron Chef in the first place. I know they can be beaten by the challengers, but it’s pretty rare. Most of them seem impressive enough, but since I don’t have tastevision and I’m not really a foodie I don’t have any way to know. Are they really the creme de la creme, or is it something 30% of all professional chefs could do if they felt like selling out?
I doubt it carries any value outside of the show itself. Bobby Flay, Morimoto, Mario Batali, and those others are very accomplished and well-recognized chefs, and I don’t believe being in the bullpen for a cooking show actually is any great recognition. They would be just as well respected if they did not appear on the show, because their Michelin stars and James Beard awards speak for themselves.
I guess “prestigious” was a bad word. I don’t really imagine that other chefs are terribly impressed by that title… I guess I’m wondering how impressed I should be. Are the newer ones as impressive as Morimoto and Batali or second- and third-rung space fillers after the original chefs started phasing out?
Since the original American Iron Chefs were chosen based on their prestige alone while newer chefs are chosen through a fierce competition, I’d imagine the newer Iron Chefs are likely better. That being said, someone with experience like Morimoto is probably never going to be outclassed. He, for those who remember the American broadcasts, was one of the original Iron Chefs in Japan, and even then he was respected as one of the best Japanese Iron Chefs.
Bobby Flay, while being one of the most respected chefs on the Food Network, regularly loses battles to small town cooks on his show Throwdown!.
Actually Morimoto was one of the last Iron Chefs on the Japanese show.(He was the third and final Japanese food chef. (Michiba was considered to be the best of the 3 as far as I know.)
Oh one thing I always found funny about Throwdown. I remember Anthony Bourdain making some remark about Bobby losing to amateurs all the time. The funny thing is Bobby always seemed to beat bakers and pastry chefs and cooking cakes on that show. (Even ones that had been doing the cake thing for decades and some actually won contests for cooking the delicious cakes. Come to think of it the only cake contest I think he lost was for a wedding cake.)
Well, I’m glad to know I can think Geoffrey Zakarian is awesome without feeling gullible and silly about it. ^^ It was probably rigged that he got a perfect score in his debut, but still. (Never was very impressed by Bobby Flay for whatever that’s worth. He seems like he would be the one to lose to amateurs. Too much teaching, not enough competing.)
I agree with the chairman cracking me up… He’s delightfully campy.
I miss the original Iron Chef. It’s just not the same without the Japanese commentary, English overdubbing, and bizarre oriental ingredients. Seriously, is “Battle: bread” compelling to anyone? Where’s the squid ink ice cream, the urchin roe, the century eggs?
I just watched Bread today and I enjoyed it. To me the mundane ingredients are more appealing. Not that I mind strange ones, but I can’t really identify if they’re obscure or exotic.
Well, to be fair to Bobby, he challenges people who are known for being the best of the best in a specific thing. And he only gives himself a short period of time to come up to speed and compete with them. I’m surprised he wins as often as he does.
So, you have a chef with 20 years experience doing a bunch of various stuff. And another thats spent 20 years mostly perfecting X. Thats quite a challenge for the first guy.
Now, I haven’t watched a bunch of those episodes, but from the number I have watched thats the impression I get.
Throwdown! was designed for Bobby to lose. Food Network wanted to make him seem less arrogant, so he and his producer came up with Throwdown!, a show that regularly shows Flay getting beaten.
I seriously doubt Zakarian’s debut was rigged. The dude is that good.
The original Iron Chef was a total non-starter for me. I hate Japanese food and have zero interest in pretty much anything Japanese. But once they brought it over here, I became an instant fan.
In all fairness, most of the competitions are American cuisine, which is not exactly left field for Bobby Flay. He’s had episodes on burgers, BBQ ribs, meatloaf, fajitas, burritos, and all sorts of items that he’s been preparing in his own award-winning restaurants for years.
Watching him try to make sushi was a whole 'nother story.
ETA: If anything, it’s the judging that’s biased. One critic is usually local, and the tie breaker goes to the crowd favorite; people tend to prefer what they’re accustomed to -especially when it comes to comfort food.
Not most of them (certainly not the chefs that specialize in a single dish), but he’d have a tough time with some of the classically trained or more versatile chefs. Paula Deen comes to mind.
In spite of the tough competition to become a current Iron Chef, Marc Forgione has a remarkably UNimpressive record so far: he’s won 4 battles and lost 6; a 40% win rate. Why is he still on the show at all?