# Iron Chef: How Do They Know What Ingredients the Competitors Will Need? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 24, 2004, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iron-chef-how-do-they-know-what-ingredients-the-competitors-will-need/246862 "2004-05-24T19:37:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2004, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iron-chef-how-do-they-know-what-ingredients-the-competitors-will-need/246862/1 "2004-05-24T19:37:35Z")
I’ve only recently gotten in to _Iron Chef_, like in the past month, so forgive me if this particular issue has been discussed on these boards. Anyway, I’m curious as to how the producers know what the chefs will need to complete their dishes. For example, last week one of the competitors used fat from a horse’s neck (at the base of the mane) in one of his dishes. Now, that’s about as obscure an ingredient as I’ve ever seen used in a recipe. I could go my whole life without ever cooking or eating a dish with horse-neck fat in it. However, when the Iron Chef competitor needed it, it was right there. Sending a courier to go get it would have been impossible within the one-hour time limit of the contest. And besides, where in Japan does one go when one needs horse-neck fat? So I’m forced to conclude one of three things: 1. The competitors are told, in advance, what the “secret” ingredient is, and they tell the producers what they’ll need. 2. The _Iron Chef_ kitchen has every imaginable spice, vegetable, fruit, animal product, etc. in its cabinets and coolers. 3. A panel of experts goes over every possible dish that might be made with the secret ingredient and makes sure the kitchen is stocked with the necessary supplies before the competitors arrive. Anyone know? ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2004, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iron-chef-how-do-they-know-what-ingredients-the-competitors-will-need/246862/2 "2004-05-24T20:12:49Z")
I’ve read elsewhere that the contestants are told in advance that the theme ingredient will be one of four things. They then plan four menus and give the producers their shopping lists so they’ll have what they need regardless of which of the four things they’ll be cooking. ---
**Author:** ![Rex\_Fenestrarum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rex_fenestrarum/32/7265_2.png) [@Rex\_Fenestrarum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rex_Fenestrarum)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2004, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iron-chef-how-do-they-know-what-ingredients-the-competitors-will-need/246862/3 "2004-05-24T20:19:31Z")
Well, in one of the specials about the new “Iron Chef America”, they went to great pains to point out that the ICA kitchens _did_ in fact have just about every ingredient under the sun. We also saw the guy that had to go out shopping in Asian markets for Japanese ingredients. I dont know if said ingredients were things that the Japanese chefs wanted _generally_ or if they were based on all the possible “secret ingredients” though. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2004, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iron-chef-how-do-they-know-what-ingredients-the-competitors-will-need/246862/4 "2004-05-24T20:21:39Z")
I one read that the chefs do have some warning about the theme ingredient…sort of. There is apparently a preselected short list of three or for possible theme ingredients which a preapproved by both chefs. Although they don’t exactly which ingredient it will be until the show they do know what the options will be and they do have some time to request possible speciality ingredients beforehand. That, and “Kitchen Stadium” is also extremely well stocked anyway, plus the chefs often bring some of their own pet ingredients with them. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2004, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iron-chef-how-do-they-know-what-ingredients-the-competitors-will-need/246862/5 "2004-05-24T20:22:57Z")
I once read that the chefs do have some warning about the theme ingredient…sort of. There is apparently a preselected short list of three or for possible theme ingredients which is given to both chefs. Although they don’t exactly which ingredient it will be until the show they do know what the options will be and they do have some time to request possible speciality ingredients beforehand. That, and “Kitchen Stadium” is also extremely well stocked anyway, plus the chefs often bring some of their own pet ingredients with them. ---
**Author:** ![Rex\_Fenestrarum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rex_fenestrarum/32/7265_2.png) [@Rex\_Fenestrarum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rex_Fenestrarum)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2004, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iron-chef-how-do-they-know-what-ingredients-the-competitors-will-need/246862/6 "2004-05-24T20:34:35Z")
> [@Diogenes the Cynic](#): > > That, and “Kitchen Stadium” is also extremely well stocked anyway… heh… I was reading on the IC website that the chefs are allowed to take home any leftovers from ingredients they’ve opened, and that more than one Iron Chef has opened a $500 tin of caviar, added a teaspoon of it to a dish and taken the rest to their restaurants. IIRC, most of the Iron Chefs have an assistant bring a cooler with them to chill the “loot” in the meantime. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2004, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iron-chef-how-do-they-know-what-ingredients-the-competitors-will-need/246862/7 "2004-05-24T23:35:01Z")
> [@Rex Fenestrarum](#): > > heh… I was reading on the IC website that the chefs are allowed to take home any leftovers from ingredients they’ve opened, and that more than one Iron Chef has opened a $500 tin of caviar, added a teaspoon of it to a dish and taken the rest to their restaurants. IIRC, most of the Iron Chefs have an assistant bring a cooler with them to chill the “loot” in the meantime. 🙂 Sakai is notorious for thelast-minute “Oh, I just have to have three caviar eggs - oops! I just opened a whole pound can of Osetra. Mustn’t let it go to waste, so I’ll take it home.” ---
**Author:** ![av8rmike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/edb3f5/32.png) [@av8rmike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/av8rmike)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2004, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iron-chef-how-do-they-know-what-ingredients-the-competitors-will-need/246862/8 "2004-05-25T01:25:28Z")
From the [Iron Chef FAQ:](http://www.ironchef.com/faq.htm#q7) > [@](#): > > _Does the challenger know ahead of time what the theme will be?_ > I finally have an official answer to this question. Hiroyoshi Sone, the head chef of Terra in St. Helena, CA, that was invited to be on Iron Chef. He says that a week before the show tapes, both the Iron Chefs and the challenger are given a list of 5 ingredients. The final ingredient will be chosen from this list but they don’t know which it will be until Kaga announces it during the taping. This way they have some time to request special ingredients and cooking utensils (not to mention special serving dishes like the ice bowls seen on Battle Salmon Roe). Also, after the theme ingredient is announced, the chefs have about 5 minutes to gather their wits and get their cooking strategy hammered out before the “Gong of Fate” sounds. Part of the reason for that is that the cameras and crew need to position themselves for the next shot. Also, as **DtC** put it, Kitchen Stadium was well-stocked anyway, with _just about_ anything the competitors would need. ---
**Author:** ![SmackFu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/53a042/32.png) [@SmackFu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmackFu)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2004, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iron-chef-how-do-they-know-what-ingredients-the-competitors-will-need/246862/9 "2004-05-25T04:36:33Z")
I think they often try to fit the theme ingredient into their pre-planned recipes. So they know they’ll be making horse-neck something regardless of what the specific theme is. ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2004, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iron-chef-how-do-they-know-what-ingredients-the-competitors-will-need/246862/10 "2004-05-25T04:41:32Z")
I just want to say that I want to own a Gong of Fate. ---
**Author:** ![antechinus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/fbc32d/32.png) [@antechinus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/antechinus)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2004, 5:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iron-chef-how-do-they-know-what-ingredients-the-competitors-will-need/246862/11 "2004-05-25T05:42:48Z")
Good link **av8rmike**. Iron Chef is a crack up. The dubbing is brilliant - I would love to see how it is done - the voice actors convey a good depth of content - from the incredibly stupid things the actress says to the pompous ravings of the older judge. ---
**Author:** ![tracer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tracer/32/20578_2.png) [@tracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tracer)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2004, 5:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iron-chef-how-do-they-know-what-ingredients-the-competitors-will-need/246862/12 "2004-05-25T05:52:53Z")
What’s amazing about the dubbing – particularly of the “sportscasters” who do the narration and speculation during the cooking – is how many **Americanisms** it’s laced with! “He _was_ going to use duck meat, but it looks like he ducked the duck!” “There’s about a buck forty-five left on the clock.” etc. I can’t believe the original Japanese contained any of these euphemisms or puns. As an aside, I’ve noticed that, more often than not, the seafood theme-ingredients are brought out live. The chefs frequently start cutting them up before they kill them, too. I wonder if they’ll ever do other kinds of live theme-ingredients – like, say, a “live pork” battle. ---
**Author:** ![Shalmanese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shalmanese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shalmanese)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2004, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iron-chef-how-do-they-know-what-ingredients-the-competitors-will-need/246862/13 "2004-05-25T12:44:09Z")
I remember there was one battle where an Iron Chef wanted to use a particular type of fish but the challenger had got the only one before him so he had to settle for a different kind so they DO run out of ingredients occasionally. Also, there was one where Sakai wanted to make a beef stew with one of the cheaper, more flavourful cuts of beef but all that were availible were high quality steaks presumably. ---
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2004, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iron-chef-how-do-they-know-what-ingredients-the-competitors-will-need/246862/14 "2004-05-25T14:06:36Z")
> [@HeyHomie](#): > > Anyway, I’m curious as to how the producers know what the chefs will need to complete their dishes. For example, last week one of the competitors used fat from a horse’s neck (at the base of the mane) in one of his dishes. Now, that’s about as obscure an ingredient as I’ve ever seen used in a recipe. I could go my whole life without ever cooking or eating a dish with horse-neck fat in it. > > However, when the Iron Chef competitor needed it, it was right there. Sending a courier to go get it would have been impossible within the one-hour time limit of the contest. And besides, where in Japan does one go when one needs horse-neck fat? Probably to the same place one goes when one needs horseflesh of any kind. As I was somewhat surprised to learn, horsemeat dishes are a regional specialty in Kumamoto. You can even get horse “sashimi” and sushi rolls there. I can’t remember ever hearing of anyone _outside_ Kumamoto sitting down to a big ol’ plate o’ horse, but for a trained Japanese chef horse fat probably doesn’t seem that obscure or exotic an ingredient. ---
**Author:** ![Jpeg\_Jones](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/4bbf92/32.png) [@Jpeg\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jpeg_Jones)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2004, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iron-chef-how-do-they-know-what-ingredients-the-competitors-will-need/246862/15 "2004-05-25T18:01:36Z")
> [@Shalmanese](#): > > I remember there was one battle where an Iron Chef wanted to use a particular type of fish but the challenger had got the only one before him so he had to settle for a different kind… I believe this episode was on last night, Salmon Battle. Sakai wanted the only female salmon of the 6, but the challenger got it instead (and got to use the roe, too). ---
**Author:** ![Podkayne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@Podkayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Podkayne)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2004, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iron-chef-how-do-they-know-what-ingredients-the-competitors-will-need/246862/16 "2004-05-25T18:08:06Z")
> [@tracer](#): > > What’s amazing about the dubbing – particularly of the “sportscasters” who do the narration and speculation during the cooking – is how many **Americanisms** it’s laced with! The dubbing is not completely faithful to the original dialog. In addition to throwing in puns and suchlike, they also explain certain foods and customs to the American audience which it would obviously not be necessary to explain to the Japanese audience. > [@](#): > > As an aside, I’ve noticed that, more often than not, the seafood theme-ingredients are brought out live. The chefs frequently start cutting them up before they kill them, too. I wonder if they’ll ever do other kinds of live theme-ingredients – like, say, a “live pork” battle. I used to be really freaked out by the way they’d throw lobsters into the pot still twitching, but now I’m kind of inurred to it. Live pork battle would definitely be a sight to see, though! ---
**Author:** ![ShelliBean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f9ae1b/32.png) [@ShelliBean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShelliBean)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2004, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iron-chef-how-do-they-know-what-ingredients-the-competitors-will-need/246862/17 "2004-05-25T18:15:17Z")
[QUOTE=tracer] What’s amazing about the dubbing – particularly of the “sportscasters” who do the narration and speculation during the cooking – is how many **Americanisms** it’s laced with! “He _was_ going to use duck meat, but it looks like he ducked the duck!” “There’s about a buck forty-five left on the clock.” etc. I can’t believe the original Japanese contained any of these euphemisms or puns. [QUOTE] At my house it’s a game to pick out the porn phrases. “It feels so good in my mouth” or “I really like this one. It’s so slick.” And the female actress is always referred to as either Fuk Mi or Fuk Yoo. Yes, it’s juvenile. We don’t care. ---
**Author:** ![ShelliBean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f9ae1b/32.png) [@ShelliBean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShelliBean)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2004, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iron-chef-how-do-they-know-what-ingredients-the-competitors-will-need/246862/18 "2004-05-25T18:23:17Z")
Well, damn. ---
**Author:** ![FilmGeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@FilmGeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FilmGeek)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2004, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iron-chef-how-do-they-know-what-ingredients-the-competitors-will-need/246862/19 "2004-05-25T18:46:50Z")
I remember one where the challenger brought balsamic vinegar that had been aged something like 65 years. The Iron Chef said that he was guaranteed to lose against that. The stuff was thick like tar. It made me salivate like a hungry pup. ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2004, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iron-chef-how-do-they-know-what-ingredients-the-competitors-will-need/246862/20 "2004-05-25T23:53:52Z")
> [@Lamia](#): > > Probably to the same place one goes when one needs horseflesh of any kind. As I was somewhat surprised to learn, horsemeat dishes are a regional specialty in Kumamoto. You can even get horse “sashimi” and sushi rolls there. I can’t remember ever hearing of anyone _outside_ Kumamoto sitting down to a big ol’ plate o’ horse, but for a trained Japanese chef horse fat probably doesn’t seem that obscure or exotic an ingredient. I can see it now: instead of sitting at a sushi bar with the circling boats, you have one designed like a racetrack. “I’ll have an Appaloosa, a Klydesdale, and a pair of Highland ponies, please.” [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iron-chef-how-do-they-know-what-ingredients-the-competitors-will-need/246862.md?page=2)