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03 November 2007

I'm a fan of Iron Chef America for all the usual reasons. But I have an idea. The 'secret ingredient' is almost always some prized foodstuff like Kobe beef or heirloom tomatoes or truffles. Anybody can make a great meal out of stuff like that. I think that for a block of episodes they should have secret ingredients like Spam or Bologna or Marshmallow Fluff. It would be funny and it would provide the chefs with a real challenge. I'd definitely watch.

post by: jonmc at: 18:34 | 31 comments

Or spaghetti in a can.

posted by essexjan 03 November | 18:40

That's coming, jan.

posted by jonmc 03 November | 18:41

I've seen this on the intertubes before, and it was called "Iron Chef White Trash" (Ryori no testujin howaito torashii), and let me tell you that I would kill for a t-shirt that had the Kanji/Katakana on the front and "Iron Chef White Trash" on the back.

posted by plinth 03 November | 18:43

I emailed the Iron Chef people with the idea. We'll see.

plinth: I never heard of that, but it kind of figures that somebody would've done it as a parody. But doing it for real we get the bonus of seeing what Batali of Morimoto would manage to concoct from Spam.

posted by jonmc 03 November | 18:51

A couple of years back, the SO was having a Xmas/Ravioli party. While she was trying to decide which stuffings to use for the ravs, I told her she should make White Trash ravs, with hotdogs and cheez-whiz as the filling. It didn't happen, but we had a good laugh over it.

That said, I'm anxiously waiting for Secret Ingredient: Ice.

Anyone else watching Next Iron Chef? Thoughts? I probably won't be able to catch tomorrow's episode, but I'll hopefully catch the re-run.

posted by ufez 03 November | 18:52

I've been watching. I'm rooting for Symon. His food always looks good and I think his personal style would be kind of refreshing on the show.

(and I'm not so much going for the white trash angle as I am hoping that they'd create something delectas\ble from this stuff. That would be like Food Alchemy.)

posted by jonmc 03 November | 18:55

It's gonna come down to Besh and Symon. I think Symon will take it, he's been the strongest throughout. Besh has had too many falters. Constentino is just happy to be in the top three. So Symon will go from being on iron chef and losing (I think he went against Flay but I can't remember) to being the next iron chef.

posted by puke & cry 03 November | 19:09

Yeah, Symon and Besh were pretty obviously the class of the group, but I was rooting for Sanchez at the start. I love me some Mexican cuisine.

I'm pulling for Symon, but I wouldn't be disheartened if either Cosentino (doubtful) or Besh (likely the odds-on favorite, if I had to guess) won. All three would bring something new to the program.

(and I'm not so much going for the white trash angle as I am hoping that they'd create something delectas\ble from this stuff. That would be like Food Alchemy.)

Oh, I knew where you were coming from, it just reminded me of the story. I'm still hoping she makes them one day (frankly, I think it sounds good).

posted by ufez 03 November | 19:12

Yeah, Besh's food looks delicious but he comes across kind of smug and they already have Bobby Flay for that. Plus he leans too hard on the southern cuisine; he needs more range. Symon also hangs out with Anthony Bourdain which makes him cooler.

ufez: I love Mexican, too, but he seemed stuck in a box on that and I found him vaguely irksome for some reason. I like Marou and I kind of like Cosentino, too.

posted by jonmc 03 November | 19:14

Heh, I know Bourdain's a big pissant when it comes to the Food Network, but I'm dying to see him on Iron Chef. I know the odds are long, but that would be must see TV.

posted by ufez 03 November | 19:16

I think Besh was the obvious front-runner coming into the competition but Symon has been more consistent throughout. I think he's nailed more dishes than Besh.

posted by puke & cry 03 November | 19:17

I have a theory (ok, a fantasy) that him and Rachel Ray are actually secret lovers.

posted by jonmc 03 November | 19:17

I was pretty shocked when Marou got sent home. I think it was his plating.

posted by puke & cry 03 November | 19:18

Yeah. He was kind of rigid on that, but his food was always terrific looking.

(also, does anybody besides me find those 'Two Dudes' guys incredibly fucking annoying?)

posted by jonmc 03 November | 19:26

I think they should just eat right out of the pots and pans.

posted by chewatadistance 03 November | 19:27

I have a theory (ok, a fantasy) that him and Rachel Ray are actually secret lovers.

Bourdain? Good luck with all that, but I find it more likely she'd be boning in the boneyard with Batali. I recently started Bill Buford's Heat and my impression of Mario has been blown. I'm not surprised he smokes or cusses, but the hittin' the hot spots at 4 AM in Brooklyn thing kind of won me over. Good on him.

I was pretty shocked when Marou got sent home. I think it was his plating.

Yeah, and he knew it. The judges had been hounding him on that for a few weeks. I like the guy though. I'd love to share a meal and hookah with him.

(on preview): also, does anybody besides me find those 'Two Dudes' guys incredibly fucking annoying?

I haven't seen the show yet, but I remember their stint on Iron Chef. They had some chops, IIRC. I'll give it a shot when the occasion rolls around. Hell, I hated Ace of Cakes when it first started, but if there's not a local Mavs/Stars game on, I'll still watch periodically.

posted by ufez 03 November | 19:30

His food was good, yeah. But you can't very well have an iron chef that plates every dish exactly the same, hmm?

posted by puke & cry 03 November | 19:37

I have a theory (ok, a fantasy) that him and Rachel Ray are actually secret lovers.
You mean "...that plinth and Rachel Ray..." HTH

She wants me.
Seriously.

posted by plinth 03 November | 19:44

I think that for a block of episodes they should have secret ingredients like Spam or Bologna or Marshmallow Fluff. It would be funny and it would provide the chefs with a real challenge. I'd definitely watch.

Jon, why don't you do those episodes yourself?

YouTube is wiiiiide open, man. And it would be a lot easier for you to set this up than to convince a TV network bureaucracy to do this.

posted by jason's_planet 03 November | 20:30

Vegas has a huge Hawaiian population, and Spam plays a major part in modern everyday Hawaiian cooking. I've even had Spam pineapple grits here.

posted by mischief 03 November | 21:17

I've recently had the ultimate white trash hawt kissin cousine - They're called Atomic Buffalo Turds. Jalapenos (topped, split down the middle, and cored) filled with cream cheese and a cocktail smokie sausage wrapped in a strip of bacon and smoked with hickory chunks in a smoker for 2 hours. It doesn't get any better than that.

posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson 03 November | 21:28

I saw Bourdain read a while ago...not likely he and Rachael Ray will appear together after what she said about saving money by eating at the bar..."give the guy his tip, bitch."

posted by brujita 03 November | 23:46

A quick check of wiki reveals they've had some pretty sedate ingredients: hamburger, pizza dough, duck, asparagus, pork, apples, peanuts, chicken eggs, turkey, bacon, tofu, and garlic to pick out a few.

posted by Mitheral 04 November | 02:41

Mitheral: those ingredients may be mundane, but they are still quality ingredients and staples of a lot of gourmet recipies. The stuff I mentioned, not so much.

posted by jonmc 04 November | 09:38

An article on John Besh from the New York Times this past week --

From Disaster, a Chef Forges an Empire

"Before Katrina, John Besh was simply a good chef with a fancy restaurant that had a habit of making top 10 lists around the country.

After Katrina, he became known as the ex-Marine who rode into the flooded city with a gun, a boat and a bag of beans and fed New Orleans until it could feed itself.

...behind that telegenic Southern humility and unquestioned generosity lies a man who approached life after Katrina with a kind of military focus that has made him one of only a few chefs in New Orleans who are much better off than before the storm."

posted by ericb 04 November | 09:40

ericb: I'm sure he's a good guy. I'm just talking about the way he comes across on camera is all.

posted by jonmc 04 November | 09:41

...they should have secret ingredients like Spam or Bologna or Marshmallow Fluff.

During past seasons of Top Chef there have been "quickfire" challenges during which the competitors had to shop in a gas station convenience store; were limited to using ingredients from vedning machines; had a budget of $10, etc. Fascinating to see what they all cooked up.

posted by ericb 04 November | 09:44

Top Chef Season One: Episode 4: Convenience

Some of the ingredients chosen by the contestants were: Spam, Krispy Creme donuts, etc.

posted by ericb 04 November | 09:52

Heh, I once split a plain Dunkin' Donut like a bagel, buttered the cut sides and fried it and some Spam. Then I made a sandwich. Yummy!

posted by mischief 04 November | 11:01

On one of the Iron Chef Japan specials, Morimoto and Michiba walked into somebody's house in New York and made fabulous food from whatever was in the fridge and pantry. Michiba especially rocked it.

posted by JanetLand 04 November | 16:38

mischief, you are so a man after my own heart

posted by Pips 04 November | 17:53

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