# Which ingredient would you surprise the Iron Chefs with? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 19, 2005, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-ingredient-would-you-surprise-the-iron-chefs-with/300100 "2005-04-19T18:34:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Interrobang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/interrobang/32/17463_2.png) [@Interrobang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Interrobang)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2005, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-ingredient-would-you-surprise-the-iron-chefs-with/300100/1 "2005-04-19T18:34:11Z")
Pretend Chairman Kaga has asked you to pick the ingredient for his next Iron Chef battle. (Also pretend that Kaga is still hosting Iron Chef battles.) He doesn’t want to duplicate anything that’s been done before. Which ingredient do you pick? My choice: Battle Popcorn. Bushels of pre-popped and unpopped kernels. I’d love to see what the chefs could do with that. ---
**Author:** ![Homebrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@Homebrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Homebrew)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2005, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-ingredient-would-you-surprise-the-iron-chefs-with/300100/2 "2005-04-19T18:42:13Z")
Have they done 'gator before? Or rattlesnake? How about jerky? ---
**Author:** ![Kythereia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e8c25b/32.png) [@Kythereia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kythereia)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2005, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-ingredient-would-you-surprise-the-iron-chefs-with/300100/3 "2005-04-19T18:42:54Z")
Fugu. Definitely fugu. Porcupine will do in a pinch. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Hal\_Briston](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a9a28c/32.png) [@Hal\_Briston](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hal_Briston)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2005, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-ingredient-would-you-surprise-the-iron-chefs-with/300100/4 "2005-04-19T18:49:54Z")
Play-Doh. What? It’s non-toxic, and I ate a ton of it as a kid… ---
**Author:** ![ultrafilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3d9bf3/32.png) [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2005, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-ingredient-would-you-surprise-the-iron-chefs-with/300100/5 "2005-04-19T18:55:19Z")
Circus peanuts. ---
**Author:** ![h.sapiens](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e0b2c6/32.png) [@h.sapiens](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/h.sapiens)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2005, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-ingredient-would-you-surprise-the-iron-chefs-with/300100/6 "2005-04-19T18:59:32Z")
Battle Vegemite! ---
**Author:** ![kingpengvin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9dc877/32.png) [@kingpengvin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kingpengvin)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2005, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-ingredient-would-you-surprise-the-iron-chefs-with/300100/7 "2005-04-19T19:05:33Z")
Soylent GREEEENNU! ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2005, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-ingredient-would-you-surprise-the-iron-chefs-with/300100/8 "2005-04-19T19:06:16Z")
Pan-fried semen ---
**Author:** ![MacTech](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c0e974/32.png) [@MacTech](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacTech)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2005, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-ingredient-would-you-surprise-the-iron-chefs-with/300100/9 "2005-04-19T19:10:01Z")
Lobster Tomalley (lobster liver, sickly green, salty, and _revolting_) Spam (surprised no one suggested this yet) Soylent Green (actually, Futurama’s parody “Iron Cook” tackled this one) Human 😉 ---
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2005, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-ingredient-would-you-surprise-the-iron-chefs-with/300100/10 "2005-04-19T19:23:31Z")
Iceberg lettuce. That’d stop them dead in their tracks. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2005, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-ingredient-would-you-surprise-the-iron-chefs-with/300100/11 "2005-04-19T19:26:53Z")
[Scrapple](http://www.vermontcountrystore.com/shopping/product/detailmain.jsp?itemID=29365&itemType=PRODUCT&RS=1&keyword=scrapple&searchid=inceptor) ---
**Author:** ![DeVena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/dec6dc/32.png) [@DeVena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DeVena)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2005, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-ingredient-would-you-surprise-the-iron-chefs-with/300100/12 "2005-04-19T19:28:04Z")
Possum!! ---
**Author:** ![fessie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c37758/32.png) [@fessie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fessie)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2005, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-ingredient-would-you-surprise-the-iron-chefs-with/300100/13 "2005-04-19T19:29:33Z")
Ketchup! ---
**Author:** ![Kaspar\_Hauser](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b3f665/32.png) [@Kaspar\_Hauser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kaspar_Hauser)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2005, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-ingredient-would-you-surprise-the-iron-chefs-with/300100/14 "2005-04-19T19:41:36Z")
Water ---
**Author:** ![lightingtool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/57b2e6/32.png) [@lightingtool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lightingtool)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2005, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-ingredient-would-you-surprise-the-iron-chefs-with/300100/15 "2005-04-19T19:45:28Z")
Corn chips Actually, just corn (not the popping variety). Beer Vodka or any other hard liquor. ---
**Author:** ![gonzoron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a6a055/32.png) [@gonzoron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzoron)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2005, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-ingredient-would-you-surprise-the-iron-chefs-with/300100/16 "2005-04-19T19:45:39Z")
An choice I’ve always wanted to see, especially timely right now: Today’s secret ingredient is… MATZAH!!! ---
**Author:** ![wonderwench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/35a633/32.png) [@wonderwench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonderwench)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2005, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-ingredient-would-you-surprise-the-iron-chefs-with/300100/17 "2005-04-19T19:46:28Z")
Spam Lime Jello Velveeta ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2005, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-ingredient-would-you-surprise-the-iron-chefs-with/300100/18 "2005-04-19T20:18:52Z")
Various pieces of “fortune teller” Kazuko Hosoki. Coin flip determines who gets the head. ---
**Author:** ![Rodd\_Hill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/3ab097/32.png) [@Rodd\_Hill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rodd_Hill)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2005, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-ingredient-would-you-surprise-the-iron-chefs-with/300100/19 "2005-04-19T20:24:37Z")
Either **haggis** , or **maple syrup**. “Fukui-san!” “Go, Ota?” “The challenger is mixing the haggis with heavy cream, and putting it into the ice-cream maker! Looks like we have a dessert!” “Heart, lung, liver and lights! Sonsie, is it not?” ---
**Author:** ![Tentacle\_Monster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ba9def/32.png) [@Tentacle\_Monster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tentacle_Monster)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2005, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-ingredient-would-you-surprise-the-iron-chefs-with/300100/20 "2005-04-19T20:25:18Z")
Rocky Mountain Oysters. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-ingredient-would-you-surprise-the-iron-chefs-with/300100.md?page=2)