The Next Iron Chef premiered last night, Food Network’s stab at attracting the crowd that froths at the mouth over Top Chef. Suffice it to say that I am already convinced that “Next” will easily surpass “Top” on virtually every level possible for those that enjoy food and cooking.
Iron Chef America is one of my favorite food programs, not because of the competition and race against the clock, but because in one hour viewers can see myriad techniques and ingredients that are not used on most “stand and stir” cooking programs. I find that I learn more watching one episode of Iron Chef than I can in ten of any other program. The addition of watching chefs from all over the world, all with different styles and preferences, makes it even more stimulating. Though I must admit that I’m a little burnt out on the venerable Batali and his often sneering cohort Flay, I still tune in to episodes both new and old. And, before we move on, lest I forget, let’s all take a moment of silence to pay homage to the slightly cheesy but fantastic original version of Iron Chef.
Anyway, for the next few weeks I’ll be offering a little forum on Monday mornings here on YUM for those that wish to discuss the previous night’s episode. For the finale, we’ll be hosting a small get together of BR readers. Although the incorporation of national television programming steps a little outside of YUM’s territory, The Next Iron Chef is actually a pretty big deal in the world of food as entertainment and the restaurant industry, though some would never admit to that.
Many of the contestants are heavy hitters in the food world, chefs that are well-known for their own distinct styles and palate of flavors. Most have been showered with prestigious awards, all work at highly rated restaurants. For chefs in the trade that read professional food periodicals and spend time blogging on nationally recognized food sites, these chefs are household names. For the rest of America, at least one of them will soon become one.
These competition-reality programs have become a little formulaic, echoing a standard format in which one quick individual challenge takes place in the first half of the program, resulting in one winner that will carry an advantage in some form or another to the second half of the show where the second test occurs, ultimately ending in the dismissal of one contestant. I had hoped for a fresher approach than this, but I’m glad to say that the actual competitions were in line with the skill level of the contestants and a refreshing change from the friendly and appealing but far less experienced chefs we’ve watched on “Top”. I think we can safely bet on more cooking and less faux interpersonal drama with “Next”. I also feel that Alton Brown, the brainy and quirky foodie that America has surprisingly accepted with open arms, in the role of host/commentator also reflects the quality of the cooking and chefs on the program. Someone like Padma Lakshmi, who plays a similar role on “Top Chef”, would be way over her head in this competition.
The judges include the rather cute but often grumpy Andrew Knowlton, Restaurant Editor of Bon Appetit, Donatella Arpella, a restaurateur with five New York restaurants under her belt, and one of my personal heroes, author and member of the food blogging-elite, Michael Ruhlman.
The first challenge required contestants to display speed by prepping out a variety of items. Fifteen minutes is not much time to debone a chicken, shuck six oysters and six clams, french a rack of lamb, crack enough coconuts to obtain 2 cups of milk, and slice a daikon so that you could read through it. I thought for sure that this challenge would present difficulty for some of the dare I say, “older chefs” that have probably been away from the prep table longer than their fellow contestants. I was wrong, as John Besh was the winner of the first heat. In the second part of the speed challenge, Morou’s performance was astonishing, dare I say superhuman, finishing in record time. But ultimately, he (and Besh) lost to Sanchez who had a slower time (slightly) but was awarded the highest score. His execution was spot on, as opposed to some of the chefs that left behind fins and pin bones, shabby oyster shells and lazily frenched racks of lamb. (thanks to BR reader NorPark who caught my error in the original version of this post).
The second challenge was about artistry. Chefs were given 90 minutes to prepare two desserts. The first was to be a classic, world class dessert prepared without the use of basics like cream, flour and butter. The second dish required chefs to develop a dessert using such savory ingredients as beef shoulder, tripe, foie gras and salmon eggs. The fact that it appeared to be at least 100˚ in the kitchen at CIA made it difficult for many of the chefs to achieve the results they were looking for, an environment which causes you to wonder whether or not the producers of “Next” concocted to add to the drama.
Some of the dishes were triumphs, others were horrifying. Besh won the round with his White Chocolate Challah Bread Pudding served with Buttermilk Panna Cotta and Bananas Foster. His second dish, using catfish as a base, was a trio consisting of a Grape and Catfish Truffle, a Catfish and White Chocolate Parfait served on a biscuit and Catfish Beignets.
Most surprising of all was the dismissal of Traci Des Jardins, who, aside from Besh, is perhaps one of the most recognizable, experienced and respected chefs of the lot. Michael Symon came rather close to losing his ability to move forward. Though I wasn’t impressed with his performance, he is one of my favorites as I am a fan of his involvement in the slow but certain evolution of Cleveland’s culinary world, a place not unlike Buffalo when it comes to both potential and challenges.
Anyway, we’ll talk more about the other chefs as we move forward, this piece is probably a little long winded at this point. I’m sure that next Sunday’s show will provide us with ample fodder to explore the temper of nose-to-tail proponent Chris Cosentino and Aaron Sanchez, who according to next week’s previews appears to think that the rules are negotiable.
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