Unforgettable Moments from Iron Chef Showdown
Go behind the scenes of all the action and drama in Kitchen Stadium.
Photo By: Anders Krusberg
Photo By: Anders Krusberg
Photo By: Anders Krusberg
Photo By: Anders Krusberg
Photo By: Anders Krusberg
Photo By: Anders Krusberg
Photo By: Anders Krusberg
Photo By: Anders Krusberg
Photo By: Anders Krusberg
Photo By: Anders Krusberg
Photo By: Anders Krusberg
Photo By: Anders Krusberg
Photo By: Anders Krusberg
Photo By: Anders Krusberg
Photo By: Anders Krusberg
Photo By: Anders Krusberg
Photo By: Anders Krusberg
Photo By: Anders Krusberg
Photo By: Anders Krusberg
Photo By: Anders Krusberg
Photo By: Anders Krusberg
Photo By: Anders Krusberg
Photo By: Anders Krusberg
Photo By: Anders Krusberg
Photo By: Anders Krusberg
Photo By: Anders Krusberg
Photo By: Anders Krusberg
Photo By: Anders Krusberg
Photo By: Anders Krusberg
Photo By: Anders Krusberg
Photo By: Anders Krusberg
Photo By: Anders Krusberg
Photo By: Anders Krusberg
Photo By: Anders Krusberg
Photo By: Anders Krusberg
Photo By: Anders Krusberg
Photo By: Anders Krusberg
Photo By: Anders Krusberg
Photo By: Anders Krusberg
Photo By: Anders Krusberg
Photo By: Anders Krusberg
Photo By: Anders Krusberg
Photo By: Anders Krusberg
Photo By: Anders Krusberg
Photo By: Anders Krusberg
Photo By: Anders Krusberg
Photo By: Anders Krusberg
Photo By: Anders Krusberg
Photo By: Anders Krusberg
Photo By: Anders Krusberg
Photo By: Anders Krusberg
Photo By: Anders Krusberg
Battle Potato Is On
Whether you call it a po-ta-toh or a po-tah-toh, the humble spud was the focus of the Chairman's Challenge this week, with Chefs Miller and Tomasko facing off for the chance to battle an Iron Chef.
Spud Success
Though Chef Tomasko's decision to pair potatoes and rhubarb was a success for Alton, the host wasn't keen on his use of green apple, and ultimately Chef Miller earned the Round 1 win following a winning hash brown presentation.
Battle Bison Begins
Iron Chef Bobby Flay is back for another Kitchen Stadium battle, this time with a meaty Secret Ingredient: bison. Cuts of all kinds lined the altar, and both he and Chef Miller got to work on their 20-minute dishes quickly.
Tied to Start
Though they differed in approaches to their first dishes, both Iron Chef Flay and Chef Miller scored eight points, essentially evening the field as they proceeded on the rest of their menus.
Flay Falls
This just wasn't Iron Chef Flay's day. Chef Miller bested his opponet this week, beating him in both the taste and originality categories for a final three-point lead.
Battle Grapes
The tiny fruit you know and love became the big focus on the Chairman's Challenge, and both challengers opted for a savory feature. While Alton appreciated the green-grape granita that Chef Gourdet, Chef Gourdet earned the win with a salad that wowed Alton with its flavor.
Seeing Duck
Chef Gourdet and Iron Chef Symon, a decidedly bold meat man, found ducks waiting for them on the altar in the Secret Ingredient Showdown, and right away both competitors got to work on all parts of the bird.
An Early Tie
After a doozy of a 20-minute challenge, both Iron Chef Symon and Chef Gourdet earned seven points with their first dishes, essentially keeping them equal as they head into the rest of the battle.
Sweet Ending
Though duck is a savory ingredient, Iron Chef Symon and Chef Gourdet offered desserts this week. This pretty plate from the Iron Chef features duck fat ice cream alongside a lemon-scented pound cake. "This is a very fun dish," judge Judy Joo tells Iron Chef Symon.
Iron Chef Glory
With a six-point victory over his competitor, Iron Chef Symon claimed the win this week. He bested Chef Gourdet in all three categories — taste, plating and originality — following his tie in the 20-minute dish.
Battle Wing
Both Chef Elmi and Chef Balloo elevated the humble wing beyond Buffalo sauce-soaked bar food when they presented their Kitchen Stadium-worthy offerings to Alton. However, the host found fault with both dishes, though he ultimately found Chef Balloo's to be worthy of the win. "You're very skilled with flavor combinations," Alton told him.
A Slow Start
Come the Secret Ingredient Showdown, Iron Chef Guarnaschelli joined the battle, and she and Chef Balloo faced off with shrimp in the spotlight. After the judges found her 20-minute offering to be too simplistic, she was trailing her challenger by three points.
Slacking on Shrimp
Chef Balloo's offerings were indeed full of flavor — though it wasn't the flavor he was going for necessarily. The judges found some of his plates to be lacking in the requisite shrimp taste that's needed in Battle Shrimp.
Flavor Forward
Despite her stumbles in the early-round, Iron Chef Guarnaschelli found her stride with her four final dishes, as she ultimately out-cooked her challenger and bested him by 5 points total. She particularly dominated the taste category, earning 7 more points there than Chef Balloo did.
Battle Apples
Apples are ideal in both savory and sweet dishes, and that dual approach is just how the Chairman's Challenge unfolded in Kitchen Stadium. While Chef Bancroft opted for a seabass offering with apple-flavored pot liquor, Chef Spruance went for a dessert dish of caramelized chipotle-spiked apples with from-scratch sherbet. Chef Bancroft Southern-inspired presentation was under seasoned, according to Alton, but he nevertheless won the first round and earned the chance to battle Iron Chef Jose Garces.
Racks, Ribs, Ready to Roll
It turns out that Iron Chef Jose Garces has competed — and won — with this meaty Secret Ingredient before, but that doesn't mean he takes it easy. In fact, after falling one point behind his challenger after presenting the first dish, the Iron Chef was forced to only work harder.
Cheers to the Host
After Iron Chef Garces served a glass of Prosecco with his first dish, Alton enjoyed a glass of bubbly himself. Cheers to that.
The Challenger's Victory
After creating a Southern-inspired menu complete with a in-bone pudding dessert, Chef Bancroft bested the Iron Chef by two points, claiming victory in Kitchen Stadium.
Battle Pork Belly
The name of the game is pork belly in the Chairman's Challenge this week, and, luckily for the challenges, Alton has given them an extra 15 minutes to prep this hearty hunk of meat.
Moving Forward
While Chef McCaskey's pork belly is notably smoky in flavor, Alton explains that the fat could have been rendered out more. Ultimately it's Chef Landry who goes on to battle Iron Chef Izard in the Secret Ingredient Showdown, as his belly receives an "8 out of 10 on doneness," Alton says.
Talking Tuna
Come Battle Yellowfin Tuna, the challenger, Chef Landry, gets to work immediately. He's familiar with this ingredient as he serves it often as his restaurant. But he's all too aware that despite his mastery of seafood, he is facing an Iron Chef, after all, so his work isn't done.
Focus on Fun
Iron Chef Izard explains to the judges that she wants to explore the fun, whimsical ways to showcase yellowfin tuna, which includes from-scratch tuna noodles and char siu-style tuna ribs. Simply put, the judges are wowed by the effort and left salivating over her offerings.
A Wow-Worthy Dessert
True to her style of making ice cream with wildly unexpected flavors, Iron Chef Izard presented a tuna-infused ice cream — and the judges loved it. Once again, her creativity shined here, as it did throughout her presentation, and she was rewarded for the risks in the overall points.
Battle Gingerbread
The holidays are in full swing in Kitchen Stadium after Alton reveals the Chairman's Challenge altar to be gingerbread. Both Chef Williams and Chef Hopson go the savory route for their dishes, making lamb meatballs and halibut, respectively.
A Fishy Start
Ultimately Chef Hopson's halibut dish earns him the chance to battle Iron Chef Guarnaschelli, someone he deems to be "one of the fiercest competitors on Iron Chef." The seafood continues in the Secret Ingredient Showdown when the Chairman announces Battle Feast of the Seven Fishes, including an altar of octopus, clams, mussels, lobster, scallops and more.
Italian 2.0
Though Iron Chef Guarnaschelli is indeed Italian, she admits that she's never cooked a proper Feast of the Seven Fishes, so she's using the battle to showcase her interpretation of the theme. Her homemade pasta and lobster-focused meatball presentation is particularly impressive to the judges.
When Dessert Meets Seafood
In a decidedly gutsy move, Chef Hopson offered the judges individual uni-topped crème brulees, a one-of-a-kind mash-up of savory and sweet flavors. Believe it or not, the judges were into it.
An Iron Chef Victory
Following a perfect score on her first dish, Iron Chef continued her winning streak through the end, ultimately besting Chef Hopson in the remaining categories to take home a seven-point victory over her opponent.
Battle Squash Showdown
Though fall is in full swing these days, both autumn and summer squash graced the altar in the Chairman's Challenge, offering the challengers plenty of opportunity to demonstrate their creativity.
Safe Approach
Though Alton faulted Chef Cohen for her seemingly conservative approach to the altar, opting to use only two kinds of squash in somewhat straightforward dish, he couldn't deny that her dumplings had flavor. Her competitor, Chef Coleman, struggled to find cohesion in his dish, and ultimately she claimed the first-round win and the chance to compete against an Iron Chef.
Battle Sausage Is On
For Iron Chef Izard, this battle held special significance; it was her first time competing in Kitchen Stadium as an Iron Chef. In keeping with her point of view, she offered a bold menu of Asian-inspired dishes including sausage-stuffed calamari.
Playing Catchup
After presenting their first dishes to the judges within 20 quick minutes, Iron Chef Izard and Chef Cohen learned of the early-round points that separated them. While the Iron Chef scored a nearly perfect 9, her challenger earned only 6.
Chorizo. Ice. Cream.
Nope, your eyes aren't deceiving you. That really does say "chorizo ice cream" up there. Iron Chef Izard turned that ice cream into a milkshake, topped with whipped cream, of course, and served it as her dessert. It turns out that the judges — and floor reporter Jaymee Sire — were into it.
Early Victory
In an impressive Kitchen Stadium performance, Iron Chef Izard earned her first-ever win as an Iron Chef in her first-ever battle as an Iron Chef.
Welcome to Battle Prosciutto
Salty, fatty and downright decadent, prosciutto was the name of the game in the Chairman's Challenge, which saw two Boston chefs face off for the chance to advance to the second round against an Iron Chef.
Hamming It Up
While Alton appreciated Chef Jennings' multi-layered use of prosciutto, the host found his gnocchi to be lacking in seasoning, and ultimately that led Chef Kish, who prepared an ingenious display of deviled ham, to claim the Chairman's Challenge win.
The Cheesiest Battle Yet
Parmesan, a cheese you surely know and love, took center stage on the altar when the Chairman dished out the Secret Ingredient for the battle between Chef Kish and Iron Chef Jose Garces. Whole wheels and wedges of three different ages were up for grabs.
Going Strong
After presenting their first dishes, both Chef Kish and Iron Chef Garces scored a nearly perfect 9 points, which meant that as they looked ahead to the rest of the battle, they were forced to look for any ways to break the die in the final judging.
Creativity Reigns Supreme
In true Kitchen Stadium fashion, both the challenger and the Iron Chef opted for not-so-classical presentations of Parmesan. For his third dish, Iron Chef Garces and his sous chefs turned a hunk of Parmesan into a plate, creating a divot in the middle and lacquering it with liqueur so they could feature ravioli.
Iron Chef Glory
Earning perfect scores in the fields of plating and originality, Iron Chef Garces claimed victory this week, out-scoring Chef Kish in Battle Parmesan 47-41.
Battle Mushrooms
There's fungus among us here at Kitchen Stadium, and that's a good thing. Battle Mushrooms unfolds with a key task: highlighting an ingredient that's typically a supporting player in a way that makes it feel like the starring role.
Toast 2.0
Chef David Schlosser delivered not only a mushroom-forward presentation, but he did so with genuine creativity. Instead of featuring them atop typical toast, he used thick-cut pieces of white sweet potatoes as the vehicle, which impressed Alton. Ultimately, Chef Schlosser earned the right to continue, advancing to the second round to face off against Iron Chef Michael Symon.
Battle Holstein Beef
Full of hearty and fatty, flavorful marbling, Holstein beef allowed both competitors the chance to showcase a deeply savory ingredient.
Meat Man
No stranger to hunks of meat, Iron Chef Symon was in his element with this Secret ingredient. He offered several preparations, including a massive prime rib, which he presented atop flaming hay.
Bone-In Cake
Despite the deeply savory element of Holstein beef, both competitors offered sweet dessert-style dishes. Iron Chef Symon's chocolate cake was laced with beef fat and served in hollowed-out marrow bones, and it earned rave reviews from the judges.
Victorious Again
With one of the winningest records in Kitchen Stadium, Iron Chef Symon proved his top-notch chops yet again this week when he ousted his rival by a whopping 11 points.
Battle Corn: Lobster Intuition
Alton told Chef Kerney that he had a hunch the competitor's lobster would be overcooked. And sure enough, it was. But lucky for the Round 1 hopeful, it didn't stop him from advancing to the Round 2 battle versus Iron Chef Bobby Flay.
Battle Thanksgiving Leftovers: It's Time to Feast
We haven't witnessed a Thanksgiving-themed battle in Kitchen Stadium in five yearsl, and let's just say that the bounty of turkey-day eats made. us. hungry.
Battle Thanksgiving Leftovers: A Legend Returns
With the grace and speed of a longtime Iron Chef, Bobby Flay settled right into the familiar rhythm of the battle, wasting no time in doling out tasks to his sous chefs and taking on a pile of prep work for himself.
Battle Thanksgiving Leftovers: Healthy Holiday Competition
No matter the spirit of the season, both Iron Chef Flay and Chef Kerney were set on giving this Thanksgiving battle their all.
Battle Thanksgiving Leftovers: Thankful for Brains
Nothing says Thanksgiving feast quite like deep-fried veal brains, right?! This, um, unusual offering was part of Chef Kerney's menu — and the judges were mostly pleased with it.
Battle Thanksgiving Leftovers: Victorious Again
With a five-point victory over Chef Kerney, Iron Chef Flay proved that his cuisine reigned supreme tonight after presenting a five-course American menu with Thanksgiving leftovers at the helm.
