And so it begins.
The Next Iron Chef has started. I'll try to keep this post updated.
Episode one.
We meet the contestants. Most of the chefs we have seen as challengers from previous episodes. I think most of them were winners in the past.
The first elimination challenge was to be fearless. I must say most of the ingredients were consider delicacies in Chinese cuisine. I for one pretty much have tried most of those ingredients. Some I love, some not so much. The chicken feet, ducks tongue, jelly fish, sea cucumber, stinky tofu, and cockscomb can be found in some of the more popular Dim Sum restaurants. Goes to show that Chinese will get anything, and I mean anything.
The Durian fruit is one thing I probably would not be able to eat. I have tried it, and I just cannot get past the smell. It actually has a creamy texture once you bite into it. But the smell is like rotten onions or garbage. My mother and some of my friends love the smell and taste. But it is just not for me.
I thought most of the chefs did a great job of working with unfamiliar ingredients.
Unfortunately chef Eric Greenspan was given the axe for his lackluster performance with grasshoppers. I kinda agree with the judges that he did not use the ingredient to it's full potential.
So if the next episodes have challenges as interesting as the first one, we'll have an interesting season. Early favorites to win, my opinion only, chef Jose Graces and Seamus Mullen. Dark horse to win may be Amanda Freitag, she could surprise us.
Episode 2:
In this episode, the chefs had to re-interpret a classical dish. We have seen this challenge before in countless cooking shows, most recently in Top Chef Masters. Most of the chefs did deconstructions of dishes. Only chef Mullen actually re-invented the dish. I thought he did a brilliant job of making a classic Italian Puttanesca, a hearty noodle dish, into a salad with zucchini.
Chef Smith had to redo seafood bouillabaisse. She cook the seafood separately and make the soup base as a sauce. I thought the idea of deconstruction was sound, but unfortunately, her execution was not up to par as the others. So she was shown the early exit.
Episode 3: In this episode, the last remaining eight chefs, had to go try out Asian cuisine. They then had to re-invent the flavors they try into an american package. I thought that most of the chefs were just making the same dishes they knew and just through in some asian ingredients. Not that really wowed me.
While chef Mullen won again, chef Farmerie take on Asian Dumplings fell flat. I thought he really didn't do that bad, but we'll never know since we can't taste any of the dishes. I thought the judging were consistent, though judge Jeffrey Steingarten is a bit erratic. Some times they would say a dish taste great yet not conform to the task.
Episode 4:
For some reason this episode gave all the chefs problems. In this challenge, the chefs not only have to cook the food but also shop for its ingredients. They were given 90 minutes and and also have to make the dish to bring out the best flavor out of tamarind. The dish has to also have a Mexican flare. Chef Metah once again tried his luck with the ice cream machine. This time it worked and he won the challenge.
Chef Crenn was the loser of this challenge, though everyone probably wasn't surprise as she was on the bottom of the challenges for most of this season. You can tell that as each show progress the chefs has become more and more competitive. In the coming episodes, looks like they will travel to another country like last season. Next episode will have a double elimination.
After watching this for a while, I must say, I'm a bit disappointed with this season. Most of the challenges were not exiciting, and I never really connected with any of the contestants. The last two chefs standing are Chef Metah, and Chef Graces. We'll have to wait and see if any of them are up to stuff.
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