Iron Chef Gauntlet Competitors' Dream Secret Ingredients

There's no telling what the challengers will find on the altar each week. But that doesn't stop them from hoping for these craved ingredients.

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Chef Dady: Fennel

I am a big fan of fennel. I think it's extremely versatile. You can do a lot with it and a lot of different techniques. It can be sweet or savory, so to me it's the underlying flavor — onion and fennel go in every dish I do almost, so I think that Battle Fennel would be pretty interesting.

Chef Sawyer: Artichokes or Offal

I feel like those two things I have an extreme advantage on. No. 1, I just understand offal meat probably better than anybody else — definitely better than anybody else in this competition but mostly better than anyone else in the country. Spleens and livers and gonads and lungs and everything. It's those offcuts that we really embrace, because they're affordable. Artichokes, that's just kind of therapy for me. I can turn artichokes like a b-----.

Chef Gulotta: Lime Leaf

If they took the altar up and it was lime leaf, then I think I could have a lot of fun with that, because I use lime leaf in everything that I do in my restaurants. Could be something different tomorrow, but today we'll say lime leaf.

Chef Arrington: Bone-In Rib Eye

You can do so many things with it. Take the bones off and make a killer broth or stock or sauce. Take the eye, do something with that. I think that'd be a fun ingredient.

Chef Gruenberg: Eggs

I feel like eggs would be really challenging but also so versatile that you could really do a lot of things with them.

Chef Nakajima: Some Kind of Dry Fish

Seafood's my strength.

Chef Izard: Goat

Although that would be really hard in an hour depending on what parts they give us.

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