Okay, I know I’m a Johnny-come-lately to the Iron Chef genre, but I’ve caught a few episodes of ICA in the last few weeks and I’m hooked. Asparagus ice cream! Crawfish coffee!
I have a question about the show’s logistics. I have a hard time swallowing (heh) that the chefs are given a surpise secret ingredient, and in the time it takes for a commercial break they have planned 5 gourmet dishes and successfully communicated their plans to their staff of assistant chefs.
Once the secret ingredient is revealed ("… velveeta!"), how long do the chefs have before the 1-hr clock starts ticking?
No cites, but I believe that in the Japanese version the chefs had some time (fifteen minutes, perhaps) between the unveiling of the secret ingredient and “Allez Cuisine” to plan a menu and game plan. I’m guessing the American version has a prep period.