Iron Chef Puts Cut-Throat Thrill into Cooking

Millions of people across the globe enjoy watching their favorite cooking competitions. The more inclined viewers even find themselves donning aprons and attempting to recreate recipes right alongside their favorite culinary heroes. Some succeed, while others fail miserably. It’s not about winning or losing, it’s about having fun!

This isn’t always the case in Iron Chef. The cream of the crop among their culinary peers, Iron Chefs are chosen because they are innovative, competitive, and can whip up a tasty treat out of anything even remotely edible. Specially selected chefs from all over the world are pitted against one of a handful of Iron Chefs for a weekly hour-long cook-off that leaves everyone hot, panting, and sweaty at the end.

The Iron Chef and his or her competitor are presented with a secret ingredient that is revealed only seconds before the battle begins. This secret ingredient must be the focus of the dishes created by the chefs. Once the battle commences, viewers see nothing except flailing arms grabbing the battle’s secret ingredient and sous chefs furiously chopping away at their accoutrements. Food Network HD, available from Directtv, portrays this frenzy in stunning detail. As the clock continues to count down the hour, the chefs must prepare five courses to present to a panel of three judges. Tempers flare, ingredients fly, and sous chefs are even asked to leave the set for botching important parts of dishes. The judges, ranging from food critics to movie stars, rate the dishes on taste, originality, and plating. Although there are no tangible prizes awarded, Iron Chefs fight diligently to retain their powerful status. When an Iron Chef wins a battle, they win entitlement and respect from their peers. When a competitor wins the battle, they win the pleasure of having beaten one of the world’s finest chefs.

Iron Chef is like a sport to its fans. While some people spend Sundays cheering for their favorite football teams, Iron Chef fans cheer for their favorite chef. There is no doubt that viewers will continue to watch Iron Chefs and their competitors offer up their succulent variations for many years to come.