Iron Chef America (Part 1)

[chefzadi]

If they add an Iron Pastry Chef, Jaques Torres for sure.

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Have you heard rumors of this? Apparently there is a pastry guy who also posts on eGullet who is going to be a challenger on one of the battles, but this in and of itself sounds bizarre to me. While it would be interesting to see some baking going on during one of the battles (no one ever seems to bake their own breads or etc for any of their dishes, it could be pulled off if it was timed just right), I can't imagine the need for an Iron Chef Pastry. The current Iron Chefs are more than competent at desserts, and can incorporate them into a full meal. A complete dessert battle, or even a series of them, would simply be dull and tedious.

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I haven't heard rumours to this. I just put it Jacques Torres because he's so good. If they did do a pastry battle he'd be pretty tough to beat.

[Afterburner]

Apparently there is a pastry guy who also posts on eGullet who is going to be a challenger on one of the battles

That would be Michael Laiskonis.

[chopjwu12]

i think your list of people will change as the show goes on. I think there are some talented people coming like lee.

I know he may not be liked everywhere but bouley, the way he works would be a perfect and i mean perfect canditate for this show. There isn't anyone that could fit more into a role like this.

Edited dor clarity.

Edited February 2, 2005 by chopjwu12 (log)

[chefzadi]

i think your list of people will change as the show goes on. I think there are some talented people coming like lee. I know he may not be liked everywhere but bouley the way he works would be a perfect and i mean perfect canditate for this show. There isn't anyone that could fit more into a role like this.

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After doing a quick glance of the bio's on Food TV's website Chef Lee did stand out to me. But more than reading stats or press kits, I'll have to wait to see the man in action. Which I am looking forward to doing.

[chefzadi]

i think your list of people will change as the show goes on. I think there are some talented people coming like lee. I know he may not be liked everywhere but bouley the way he works would be a perfect and i mean perfect canditate for this show. There isn't anyone that could fit more into a role like this.

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I want to add that Lee mentioned his favorite food destination is "Paris for its artisanal products and rustic and refined food"

For this type of food in France the city is Lyon, not Paris.

[Phatlouie07]

why don't they allow to have a live audience to watch the battles?? the original iron chef show had its own audiences and even the challenger's family got to watch from some royal box or something.

[Kevin72]

Apparently there is a pastry guy who also posts on eGullet who is going to be a challenger on one of the battles

That would be Michael Laiskonis.

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Oddly, the Babbo website calendar has the Iron Chef schedule posted:

http://babbonyc.com/calendar.html, including who Laiskonis is going up against (Batali).

[NulloModo]

Although neither of them are iron chefs, nor slated to be challengers, I think it would be lots of fun to see George Stella face off against Juan Carlos

[Mabelline]

OK. I have sat back and kept my mouth shut for awhile about the muddy catfish remarks, just waiting for Mayhaw Man or Fist Fulla Roux to say something in the defense of catfish. I guess it's not happening, so I will be voluntary whipping boy and let you youall know that's crap. I have run a trotline on the Brazos River, caught 100's of pounds of cats, and by god, that meat is as white and flavorful----NOT MUDDY. It all comes down to how you finish the meat. Hang the cat, skin the cat, part out the cat, put it in SALTY water, and freeze the cat. Done right, I defy you to tell me it tastes muddy.

[silentryan]

If they add an Iron Pastry Chef, Jaques Torres for sure.

←

Have you heard rumors of this? Apparently there is a pastry guy who also posts on eGullet who is going to be a challenger on one of the battles, but this in and of itself sounds bizarre to me. While it would be interesting to see some baking going on during one of the battles (no one ever seems to bake their own breads or etc for any of their dishes, it could be pulled off if it was timed just right), I can't imagine the need for an Iron Chef Pastry. The current Iron Chefs are more than competent at desserts, and can incorporate them into a full meal. A complete dessert battle, or even a series of them, would simply be dull and tedious.

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I haven't watched the episode myself, but I'm pretty sure there was at least one episode of the orignal that was a dessert battle. It was a special Christmas episode or something, with strawberries as the secret ingredient. It was one of the rare IC episodes w/ a female competitor.

[fiftydollars]

I haven't watched the episode myself, but I'm pretty sure there was at least one episode of the orignal that was a dessert battle.  It was a special Christmas episode or something, with strawberries as the secret ingredient.  It was one of the rare IC episodes w/ a female competitor.

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Yes, the infamous Valentine's Day strawberry battle wherein Sakai lost to a rare female competitor.

Edited February 2, 2005 by fiftydollars (log)

[Mabelline]

And as a last shot--- I would not eat any freshwater fish in a raw state--do you value your life? Have you seen those parasites? Are you losin' your mind?

[mjs]

In terms of the editing of the show.. do people think that the show is being shown in the order of the actual challenges?

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They are definitely not being shown in order they were taped.

[Chris Cognac]

Although neither of them are iron chefs, nor slated to be challengers, I think it would be lots of fun to see George Stella face off against Juan Carlos

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Actually Juan wants to do Iron Chef, he said he would be throwing the healthy cooking out the window and go full on butter and fat....

[Jinmyo]

All right, I settled down. Silly to be offended by your post.

Shalmanese, I assume by your post that you speak Japanese and have watched the show without English dubbing. Can you tell us anything more specific about the difference between  the Japanese judges' descriptions of the food and those of the American judges?

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The dubbing was done by Canadian expats. Much of it bore little relationship to anything that was said, some none, some was pretty spot on.

[NulloModo]

All right, I settled down. Silly to be offended by your post.

Shalmanese, I assume by your post that you speak Japanese and have watched the show without English dubbing. Can you tell us anything more specific about the difference between  the Japanese judges' descriptions of the food and those of the American judges?

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The dubbing was done by Canadian expats. Much of it bore little relationship to anything that was said, some none, some was pretty spot on.

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In general I've found translators to have much more wit and sense of humor than original commentators ;). Perhaps ICA would be served well to be redubbed by aforementioned Canadians.

[Mnehrling]

Although neither of them are iron chefs, nor slated to be challengers, I think it would be lots of fun to see George Stella face off against Juan Carlos

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Actually Juan wants to do Iron Chef, he said he would be throwing the healthy cooking out the window and go full on butter and fat....

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Man, I can just imagine what he can do with a sugar and lard buzz going. When you get as excited as it seems he is about low-cal/healthy, I would like to see him 'gloves off'.

[chopjwu12]

i know this might be a stupid question and i did look but couldn't find the answer. The last battle is cora vs lee. Who is cora exactly im going to look now again to try to find it. But if someone gets to it first that would be cool.

I did clarify a statement i made earlier. What i meant to say although he may not be loved by everyone, Bouley would be a great person to have on this show. The way that mind of his works is exactly how this show would work. Trust me he wouldn't have any problem not knowing the ingredient untill the show started either.

[chopjwu12]

I just found something is that a woman named cat cora? If thats who it is well we will see when the show airs.

[fiftydollars]

Although neither of them are iron chefs, nor slated to be challengers, I think it would be lots of fun to see George Stella face off against Juan Carlos

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Actually Juan wants to do Iron Chef, he said he would be throwing the healthy cooking out the window and go full on butter and fat....

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Man, I can just imagine what he can do with a sugar and lard buzz going. When you get as excited as it seems he is about low-cal/healthy, I would like to see him 'gloves off'.

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I think it would be much more interesting to watch him compete in the style that he is known for.

I think that would be a definite first. No one has ever tried going healthy like that before...

Although there was that one guy that competed on the original series who was known for cooking medicinal chinese food. I seem to recall that one of his medicinal ingredients was a black chicken.

But no one has "gone Juan" before... that would be cool to watch. If he cooks just like everybody else, he misses out on a good opportunity to share his noble, albeit annoying, food philosophies (cardio-friendly yet just like the "real deal").

[Mnehrling]

Although neither of them are iron chefs, nor slated to be challengers, I think it would be lots of fun to see George Stella face off against Juan Carlos

←

Actually Juan wants to do Iron Chef, he said he would be throwing the healthy cooking out the window and go full on butter and fat....

←

Man, I can just imagine what he can do with a sugar and lard buzz going. When you get as excited as it seems he is about low-cal/healthy, I would like to see him 'gloves off'.

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I think it would be much more interesting to watch him compete in the style that he is known for.

I think that would be a definite first. No one has ever tried going healthy like that before...

Although there was that one guy that competed on the original series who was known for cooking medicinal chinese food. I seem to recall that one of his medicinal ingredients was a black chicken.

But no one has "gone Juan" before... that would be cool to watch. If he cooks just like everybody else, he misses out on a good opportunity to share his noble, albeit annoying, food philosophies (cardio-friendly yet just like the "real deal").

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You have a point as it would be marketing his product. On the other hand, he may consider himself typecast and feels he has a lot more to offer than low-cal. I am sure people will watch for what he is known for, but he should have the freedom to choose what face of cooking he shows. Of course, this is TV and nothing is real!

[NulloModo]

I think it would be much more interesting to watch him compete in the style that he is known for.

I think that would be a definite first. No one has ever tried going healthy like that before...

Although there was that one guy that competed on the original series who was known for cooking medicinal chinese food. I seem to recall that one of his medicinal ingredients was a black chicken.

But no one has "gone Juan" before... that would be cool to watch. If he cooks just like everybody else, he misses out on a good opportunity to share his noble, albeit annoying, food philosophies (cardio-friendly yet just like the "real deal").

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True, Juan may be a great chef in traditional cuisine for all I know, it just wasn't what I was thinking. I was imagining he vs. Stella in a weight-loss battle extraordinarie, Low-Call vs. Low-Carb and let the judger's taste-buds proclaim a victor.

[Chef Shogun]

All right, I settled down. Silly to be offended by your post.

Shalmanese, I assume by your post that you speak Japanese and have watched the show without English dubbing. Can you tell us anything more specific about the difference between  the Japanese judges' descriptions of the food and those of the American judges?

←

The dubbing was done by Canadian expats. Much of it bore little relationship to anything that was said, some none, some was pretty spot on.

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The puns! Save me from the puns! Epecially the ones that have, If My Memory Serves Me Correctly, zero cultural or linguisitic context in Japanese. Those translators make me cringe at least once an episode, though in general, they do an entertaining job.

Now if you'll excuse me, there's about a 'Buck Fifty' left on the clock, so I've gotta run.

[Chris Cognac]

I have had a bunch of Iron Chef talks with Juan, I think he would like to break the mold of being a healthy chef and really go for it. He did work as a "full fat" chef for years in the industry before he lost weight and went healthy...I keep telling him I am going to get a show where I take him out to eat and make him fat again...he can bring George along too! I do agree it would be interesting to see if he could pull it off....can you imagine if he did?

If any of you care, my wife is on his "french onion dip and pigs in a blanket" episode. She said it was fun to film but a lot of work.

Edited February 2, 2005 by Chris Cognac (log)

[Bux]

I just found something is that a woman named cat cora? If thats who it is well we will see when the show airs.

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Food Network: Cat Cora "Her culinary education continued in Europe with apprenticeships with two of France's three-star Michelin chefs: George Blanc and Roger Verge." Unfortunately few details are given in terms of dates or how long her apprenticeships might have been. She's cooked at the James Beard House, as did Alex Lee. She's published a cook book and seems to be actively pursuing a TV career.