The Next Iron Chef: Super Chefs

OK, when it first started, I was not a fan of Iron Chef America. I have since come over to the dark side and watch it every chance I get (except for the ones with Bobby Flay, sorry dude). When I first heard about The Next Iron Chef, I knew it was a show I would like as I love other cooking competition shows such as The Next FoodNetwork Star and Top Chef. And now we have the Super Chefs.

The Next Iron Chef: Super Chefs has some of my favorite cooking celebs going against each other, and I'm loving every minute of it. The first episode did not disappoint. The 10 competing chefs are taken out in the middle of nowhere, split into five teams, and told to cook dishes using a suckling pig and open fire. (Pretty cool that one of them even found stuff growing around the lake to use.) Two of my favorites, Chef Anne Burrell and Chef Robert Irvine, were teamed up and I really like them together. (It helps that they are 'rivals' on another FoodNetwork show, The Worst Cook in America).

This episode saw Chef Spike Mendelsohn being sent home after a head-to-head elimination battle with his teammate Chef Marcus Samuelsson. (Sad part is, he's the one who picked Samuelsson for his team.) But, there is no shame in being beaten by someone with that man's reputation and standing in the culinary world. The secret ingredient in this battle was fresh diver scallops, something all chefs seem to love to cook with. Chef Samuelsson took a risk by making 2 dishes on the plate instead of just the required one; risky because you are basically judged against yourself and not just your opponent. But, the risk paid off....this time.

The second episode took the remaining 9 chefs to a ballpark where they had to reimagine ballpark fare. Let me tell you, there were some pretty good things cooked up on this one. And I have to admit, Chef Alex Guarnaschelli deserved the win she got on this one. (Not a big fan of hers, but even I know good creative food when I see it.)

Chef Robert Irvine made what he called a Hotburg, a combination of ground up hot dogs and ground beef. It looked so good, and the judges loved it. (I so wish they would put the recipes for this show online. I love this stuff they come up with.) He probably would have been OK, but he put some pickled radishes on the dish that did not go over well and put him in the elimination challenge with Chef Michael Chiarello whose runny, poorly separated egg did not go over well at all. (Chef Samuelsson, who made 4 dishes this time, was again told about taking such a risk and that next time, it would not bode well for him.)

The secret ingredient for the elimination challenge was peanuts, something I would think they would love to see. I've seen so many dishes made with peanuts on various FoodNetwork shows, that it seems like everyone would find it to be a simple and versatile ingredient. Well, maybe I was wrong. The chefs did not seem happy.

Chef Chiarello made a homemade pasta with a peanut pesto and a tomato salad. The only use of the peanuts was in the pesto and sprinkled on top of the pasta; the salad was completely devoid of peanuts. Chef Irvine made a peanut crusted halibut with a peanut hummus and a peanut sauce (something else in that sauce as well, but it escapes me). The judges loved both but were a bit miffed at the lack of peanuts in the pasta dish (come on, only in the pesto???) and the thickness of the hummus.

In the end, they opted to send Chef Irvine home due to the thickness of that hummus, a decision that I think was totally unfair. They had no complaints about the taste of anything on his plate, no complaints about the presentation or use of the secret ingredient. It was just that they (well, two of them anyway) felt the hummus was too thick. If you ask me, that is less of a problem than the lack of use of the secret ingredient, but then, nobody's asking me are they?

So, that's the first two episodes. I'm still miffed about Chef Irvine going home on the hummus. Just not fair. But, who am I to question the Iron Chef Judges (especially Michael Symon, whom I adore)? Can't wait to see what next week's episode brings. Chef Irvine was my original pick as the next Iron Chef, but who knows now. I like Anne Burrell, and she has the experience being the sous chef for Mario Batali on the show, but Geoffrey Zakarian isn't one to count out either. Guess we'll see.