There’s nothing more exciting to watch on TV than chefs going head-to-head-to-clock. Although its not unique to “Iron Chef America,” this show is the purest form of food television at its best. The chefs are some of the best, most versatile cooks on the face of the planet, Chairman Mark Dacascos excites with acrobatics and marshal arts, host Alton Brown and floor reporter Kevin Brauch give enticing descriptions, and esteemed food critics and celebrities alike pass judgments on the tasty treats that the chefs cook up. What’s not to love?
Central to the amazingness of this ingenious program (originally cooked up by the Japanese, but now, thankfully, brought to America) are the Iron Chefs themselves. In “Iron Chef America,” the chefs represent diverse styles of cooking, from Cat Cora’s Mediterranean Cuisine to Bobby Flay’s Southwestern cooking, from Mario Batali’s Italian stylings to the Japanese roots of Masaharu Morimoto, there’s not a bad chef in the bunch. The challengers, too, come from an array of backgrounds. From head chefs at small start-up restaurants to established veteran masters, there seems to be a plethora of cooks willing to try to take down an Iron Chef. Although these efforts may be futile (the Iron Chefs have won about 66 percent of their battles), one thing is sure to happen every time you tune into “Iron Chef America”: art will be created in its original form, an edible one.
Now, when comparing “Iron Chef America” to Bravo’s “Top Chef,” there is little competition. There’s a reason “Iron Chef” is run by the premier cooking TV network, while “Top Chef” makes its home on the all-purpose Bravo. The Iron Chefs are superior to anyone “Top Chef” has to offer. The judges are more interesting (you’ll NEVER see Keyshawn Johnson on “Top Chef”). The dishes are more ingenious, and less forced. On “Top Chef,” they overcomplicate challenges with gimmicks to make the show interesting, while “Iron Chef” keeps its challenge simple, allowing the chefs to create whatever their artistic vision mandates with whatever the special ingredient of the day is. And thus, the dishes cooked on “Iron Chef” come out superior to those on “Top Chef.” While Bravo’s show may claim to be “top,” at the end of the day, when all of the superfluous gimmicks are stripped away and style-only shows fall, one’s weighty substance allows it to remain standing: “Iron Chef America.”
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