IRON CHEF

"Tell me what you eat and I'll tell you what you are." -- Brillat-Savarin

"Allez Cuisine!!" ("Start Cooking!") Says Chairman Takeshi Kaga -- Head of the Gourmet Academy at Kitchen Stadium

The Shows Introduction by the Announcer Explaining Chairman Kaga's Concept for the Show:

Years ago a mans fantasy became reality, in a form never seen before Kitchen Stadium, a giant cooking arena.  The motivation for spending his fortune was to encounter new original cuisines, which could be called true artistic creations.

  To realize his dream he secretly started choosing the top chefs of various styles of cooking and he named his men The IRON CHEFS, the invincible men of culinary skills.

Kitchen Stadium is the arena where IRON CHEFS await the challenges of Master Chefs from around the world, both the IRON CHEF and the Challenger have one hour to tackle the theme ingredient of the day, using their senses, skills, creativity they're to prepare artistic dishes never tasted before.

And if ever a Challenger wins over the IRON CHEF he or she will gain the people's ovation and fame forever.

Every battle reputations on the line in Kitchen Stadium, where Master Chefs pit their artistic creations against each other.

What inspiration does today's Challenger bring and how will the IRON CHEF fight back?

THE HEAT WILL BE ON!

Basic Premise of Iron Chef:

The show's premise is that the eccentric Takeshi Kaga has secretly collected the best chefs in the world, each from a certain style of cooking. Kaga welcomes challengers from around the globe to try to beat his Iron Chefs. Currently there are four Iron Chefs. Iron chef French is Hiroyuki Sakai who is the charmer of the group. Iron Chef Chinese is Chen Kenichi who has the longest active tenure as an Iron Chef. Iron Chef Italian is Masahiko Kobe who is billed as the master of pasta. Finally, the Iron Chef Japanese is Masaharu Morimoto. Morimoto is the intimidator. He comes across as the butt-kicker of the group. 

At the very beginning of the show A quote from Brillat-Savarin, who wrote "The Art of Cuisine" at the end of the 18th century, is used: "Tell me what you eat and I'll tell you who you are". He was one of the first food critics. Sort of a spiritual godfather for Kishi-San.

At the beginning of the show Chairman Kaga unveils the theme ingredient. Each dish that the chefs make must contain this ingredient. The challenger and the Iron Chef have one hour to complete at least four dishes. Prior to the unveiling, and not shown on television, the challenger and the Iron Chef are given a list of ingredients. Together, they narrow the list to between five and seven categories, from which the producers will choose the theme ingredient. Based on the categories, the chefs can decide what food and equipment they want at their disposal for use when show time arrives.

After the time has expired, the judges will taste each dish. The challenger's dishes are judged first, followed by the Iron Chef's dishes. The dishes are to be judged on presentation and taste. The judges come from a variety of fields ranging from actors/actresses, baseball players, food critics, members of the state, and fortunetellers. Each judge will rate the chefs on a scale from 0 to 20. At the end the votes are counted and we find out "Who's cuisine will reign supreme!" In the event of a tie, there is a sudden death, 30-minute overtime battle with a new theme ingredient (shown at a later date).

About the Show:

The show itself follows a distinctive format: there is the dramatic opening where Fukui tells of Kaga's adventures in searching for the best gourmet dishes to be had around the world and that Kaga built the Kitchen Stadium and gathered the top chefs in order to pursue this dream.

Introducing the show, Kaga steps out onto the stage, surveys the arena, and picks up a perfect yellow pepper, which he bites into with gusto. After the opening, Kaga tells his tale of his search for the Challenger Chef of the week. He explains in detail the background of the Challenger Chef in a very robust fashion much like a featurette or documentary.  After Kaga greets the Challenger Chef, he announces, "I now call upon the Iron Chefs!" Upon a high pedestal there are large photos of each Iron Chef placed in archways, and from below the three Iron Chefs rise to meet their competition. Kaga asks the Challenger who he would like to choose to battle against him. Usually, it is the Iron Chef that matches the cuisine the Challenger is best at (Japanese vs. Japanese, Chinese vs. Chinese etc.), but sometimes the Challenger surprises Kaga and chooses another Iron Chef from a different cuisine entirely, which makes things more interesting. The Iron Chef descends into the Kitchen Stadium Arena and Kaga stands on a platform above them to introduce the theme ingredient.

Then, with the "Gong of Fate" resounding and Kaga's announcement of "Allez Cuisine!" the battle is on and the show shifts gears to give the viewer a unique perspective on preparing meals in under an hour. The Kitchen Stadium Arena is made up of an array of large ovens, multiple stovetops, and other appliances, including an industrial ice cream maker, which the chefs use to prepare their culinary masterpieces. Each of the chefs has his turn at the tasting and then comes the moment of truth, the Judgment. The Judgment is when Kaga and the judges come back out onto the main stage of the Kitchen Stadium Arena to give their verdict. "Who will win this battle?" comments Fukui as the stage is brought to an uncomfortable pause of silence.

According to a twenty point scale, Kaga announces the winner from the scores tallied up by each of the judges. Much fanfare and celebration surrounds the victor and to him go the spoils of recognition and accomplishment. 

Chairman Takeski Kaga Brief Bio

Chairman Kaga Takeshi: The premise behind Iron Chef is that a wealthy and eccentric gourmet (portrayed by Kaga Takeshi) lives in his castle with a battalion of fine chefs. He delights in staging food battles between his honored Iron Chefs and premiere chefs of the culinary world. It's that eccentric nature of Kaga's character that accounts for the sequined and Liberace-esque wardrobe that he sports. He was born October 12, 1950 in Ishikawa, Japan.  He sings baritone, is about 5'8" (178cm) tall. 

Ron Siegel

"If ever a challenger wins over the Iron Chef, he or she will win the people's ovation and fame forever" Chairman Kaga."

On October 9, 1998 Ron Siegel of Charles Nob Hill Restraunt in San Francisco defeats Sakai in Battle Lobster, becoming the ONLY victorious American. 

Ron is the first and only American Chef to beat the Iron Chef, Ron defeated Hiroyuki Saki for the Battle Lobster. His five course meal was a culinary masterpiece and left Kitchen stadium triumphant and with the honorary title of IRON CHEF.

Iron-clad legacy

Ron Siegel seems destined to forever
carry the title of Iron Chef champ

As further evidence that you can never outrun your past, consider Ron Siegel.

The chef has spent kitchen time at Aqua with Michael Mina, Daniel with Daniel Boulud, the French Laundry with Thomas Keller -- then became chef at Charles Nob Hill, Masa's and now the prestigious Dining Room at the Ritz-Carlton, San Francisco.

And yet, what is the notation in every item ever written about him? He was the first American to reign supreme on Japan's "Iron Chef."

That was in 1998, a moment that still lives -- in reruns.

"The show will come on and somebody'll come in and they'll say, 'I just saw you!' -- and they'll freak out. It's kind of awkward when you think about it."

Siegel has been in town for just a few days, to cook for last Friday night's Lupus Foundation benefit dinner. As if to put an exclamation point on the visit, his "Battle Lobster" episode airs once again on "Iron Chef" at 8 p.m. Wednesday on the Food Network.

You can never outrun your past.

Siegel says he was picked for the show when the producers were looking for a San Francisco champion. After eating at his restaurant, they offered him the slot. "I'm like, 'Thanks, but no thanks,' and it really upset them."

He'd never heard of "Iron Chef," which at that time aired only on Japanese-language stations in the United States. So they gave him some tapes.

"I watched it and I said, 'I'm definitely not going. But then I thought, 'Who's going to see it? It's in Japan.' "

Inside Kitchen Stadium, his assistants spoke no English, so he yelled at his interpreter, who yelled at them, and it was made all the more intimidating because cooking against him was the formidable Hiroyuki Sakai, the Iron Chef French, who hardly ever loses.

At judgment time, his dishes were well-received, he recalls, save one: a lobster dish with ravioli, abalone and sweetbreads. "When I was being judged, they're talking to me in Japanese and I had no idea what they're saying. My interpreter is telling me what they're saying and they're ripping this dish, and I'm like, 'Wow, this is my best dish.' ...

"And yet it all worked out, because every dog has its day."

The victory was great for business at Charles Nob Hill, but affected him in many other ways. Before visiting Japan, "I was very one-way. I wasn't as open to different techniques and ingredients."

Fresh wasabe, yuzu and masutake mushrooms all have a place on his current menu, but more important is the matter of philosophy picked up in Japan. "What really opened me up to them is that their theory is investing in the best product as possible and being as simple as possible with it."

Not that you should ever consider a Ron Siegel dish to be simplistic.

For his dinner Friday at Hiroshi Eurasion Tapas, he prepared a specialty, Slow-Cooked Pork Belly, with grilled Asian pear, young ginger, scallions and sweet-sour sauce.

The pork must cook for 24 hours, using the French technique of sous vide -- under vacuum -- at very low heat, about 136 degrees.

As he arrived in Honolulu just a day before the dinner, Siegel did most of his pre-cooking in his San Francisco kitchen.

This was necessary, Siegel says, not only because of time constraints, but because his personal organizational skills are a bit lacking.

"I'm never one that was good at writing or taking notes or packing, so usually I forget six or seven major things," he says. "I'd be the worst caterer. If I catered your wedding, I'd forget the cake or something.

"I guess I must really like to be stressed out."

This little organizational thing has always been a problem -- "I was not very good at school" -- but he found refuge in the world of food, beginning with a job in a butcher shop in high school.

In the kitchen, he has no problems focusing, Siegel says, and the chance to cook and create is ever stimulating.

"I enjoy being around food. I really love it.

"It's weird."

My Comments:

Iron Chef is one of my favorite TV shows that I watch all the time. I find it a very different show which lots of great camera shots. The whole concept is fantastic and the Iron Chefs themselves (I like Hiroyuki Saki best) makes this a well done cooking show, which is what it really is. Unfortunately, The Food Network is going to be doing their own American Version of Iron Chef starting in January 2005 which to me will be a cheap imitation.  Stick with the original it is the best. My favorite episode is the Ron Siegel show where he was the only American to win.

Iron Chef Wins/Losses

There have been a total of 297 battles at the time of publication for the book above (in 2000). These stats are printed in the book.

First French IC Yutaka Ishinabe (green outfit) won 88% of his battles. He had a total of 8 battles, won 7 and lost 1. No ties. He lost 1 battle to Jacques Borie in Battle Chicken.

First Japanese IC Rokusaburo Michiba (blue outfit) won 84% of the time. He had a total of 38 battles, winning 32, losing 5, 1 tie.

Chinese IC Chen Kenichi (yellow outfit) won 73% of his battles. He had a total of 92 battles, won 67, lost 22, and tied 3 times.

Second French IC Hiroyuki Sakai (red outfit) won 81% of the time. He had 86 total battles, won 70, lost 15, and tied once.

Second Japanese IC Koumei Nakamura (purple outfit) won 67% of his battles. He had a total of 37 battles, 24 wins, 11 losses and 1 tie.

Italian IC Katsuhiro Kobe (red/green outfit) won 65% of his battles. He had 23 total battles, 15 wins, 7 losses and 1 tie. He is the only IC to have lost his debut battle. But he is 1 of 3 IC to never lose in consecutive battles (Ishinabe and Michiba were the other 2).

Third Japanese IC Masaharu Morimoto (silver outfit) won 67% of all his battles. He had 24 battles total, 16 wins, 7 losses and 1 tie.

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Kitchen Stadium Facts:

The Kitchen Stadium in which the battles take place is a luxurious set which cost nearly 40 million yen (approx. $400,000) to build. Before each show, it takes 4 hours to set up the set in the largest studio (Studio 4) at Fuji Television. However, the kitchen itself is not the only grandiose expenditure. One million yen ($10,000) is paid to utility companies each time for the installation of the set, and the supply of water and gas used in the show. Another 700,000 to 1 million ($7,000 to 10,000) is spent on the materials used in preparing the dishes. With a supporting budget of this size, it is difficult to imagine a more desirable stage for these top chefs from Japan and around the world to lock horns in their once-in-a-lifetime battles.

The recording is done under the supervision of the Fire Station staff. There is no script used during the actual cooking scene.

The menus are based on the theme ingredient of the day, and are written only in the minds of the chefs. They do not even begin to take shape until the theme ingredient is announced. Before the show, when the ingredient for the day is brought into the studio, the Iron Chefs, the challenger, and the studio staff are asked to leave the studio. The theme ingredient is treated as a top secret by everyone connected with the show and the studio.

The time allotted for the battle is exactly 60 minutes. There are no exceptions no matter what kind of accidents or unexpected events might happen.

Each judge can award up to 20 points for each evaluation: 10 points for taste, 5 points for appearance/design, and 5 points for originality. The judges make their evaluations strictly but fairly.

Kitchen Stadium Data

Size: 957 square meters (9,187 sq. ft.), almost fully occupying Fuji TV's largest studio V4.

List of Main Equipment:

Fujimac Products:

New Type Gas Table FGTR-75A (28,500 kilo calories) x 2 units
(One of the best performing among professional use gas tables)

Chinese Cooking Table FGC5-75A (25,000 kilo calories) x 2 units
(For high flames needed for Chinese cooking)

Electromagnetic Cookers x 2 units
(Hot water prepared at the beginning of the battle)

Salamander Oven x 1 unit
(A must-have for fine grilling, with a powerful top flame)

Stainless Steel Sink x 2 units

Professional Use Freezers x 2 units
(Huge freezers with the ability to be set in fine increments starting from -5 degrees Celsius)

Grand Dukes Product:

Water Purifier "Seagull IV" x 6 units
(A top grade water purifier also widely used in the Vietnam war)

Nichifutsu Shoji Products:

Convection Oven x 2 units
(Allows for shortening cooking time, with far-infrared effects)

Carvijourney Products:

Ice Cream Machine x 2 units
(Capable of producing 10 liters of ice cream in just 10 minutes)

Nakazawa Nyugyo Products:

Ice Stocker x 2 units
(Capable of going down to ﾐ15 degrees celcius)


Cooking Utensils:

Cooking Tools:
Chefs bring in their own knives. But the Kitchen Stadium is equipped with most all equipment: over 100.

Other utensils:
During a one-hour battle, there is no time to wash bowls and baskets. The Kitchen Stadium is equipped with more than 300 Duran glass bowls of various sizes for use by the Iron Chef and the challenger of the day. That figure doesn't include 100 stainless steel bowls, 50 baskets, 120 containers The Kitchen Stadium has 30 frying pans (Teflon, iron, etc.), 15 Chinese woks, 20 brass pans for French cooking, and 8 giant pots, 6 30-inch. cutting boards, and 2 special-ordered Chinese cutting platform.

Plates:
For all Japanese, French and Chinese dishes, the Kitchen Stadium has over 1,500 plates, bowls and dishes of various sizes and purposes.

Ingredients:

Ingredients:
To respond to any request from the Iron Chef or Challenger of the day, Kitchen Stadium is always equipped with over 400 different ingredients including the following: over 30 types of meat, 75 fish, 90 Japanese vegetables, 70 western vegetables, 30 fruit, 45 dairy products, 25 grain products, and 30 processed food products.

Seasonings:
In addition to all the basic seasonings, Kitchen Stadium has virtually all miso/soy sauce brands, over 50 wines and liqueurs vital in French cuisine, and over 40 Chinese seasoning pastes/powder. Including everything, the number reaches well over 250.