White House to host ‘Iron Chef America’

[Faygo Kid]

Source: Associated Press

NEW YORK - Michelle Obama’s vegetable garden is about to become a culinary battlefield.

The Food Network announced Wednesday that an episode of “Iron Chef America” will be taped at the White House featuring Mario Batali, Bobby Flay and Emeril Lagasse.

The three chefs, joined by White House chef Cristeta Comerford, will be welcomed by the first lady and allowed to use anything found in the garden to help create their meals.

The competition will then move back to the network’s Kitchen Stadium in New York, where Flay and Comerford will face-off against Batali and Lagasse to produce five dishes showcasing the ingredients. . .

Read more: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/33625671/ns/entertainment-reality_tv/

---

Cool. It will air Jan. 3. Love The Food Network, and this show. Batali is my favorite Iron Chef in the U.S. OK, it's not health care, or jobs, or elections, but it's just announced, and what a great time will be had by all.

[paulsby]

1. that's awesome

i love iron chef america (and the original iron chef from japan).

i don't like it as much as top chef, though.

[babylonsister]

2. How much fun is that?! Sounds great! nt

[calimary]

3. That would be so cool! I love the Food Network!

Just about everything on there except for that obnoxious Melissa who won the last "Next Food Network Star" competition.

[TwilightGardener]

17. I heard that she wasn't even a chef--just a stay at home mom (like me). WTF?

Never seen her show, don't want to.

edit to add: I know some stars on Food Network aren't chefs either (Rachael Ray), but come on...

[calimary]

48. She went on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on...

Just ad nauseam talking about "I'm the underdog." "I'm just a mom." I'm a mommy who's a mom." "Let's talk about my breastfeeding." DAMMIT!!!

Made me hurl. I liked that Jeffrey Saad guy so much better than Miss Cutesie-Poo. We already have that with Paula Deen, a woman who can pack more syllables into the word "can" than anyone else in Christendom. Her extreme drawl makes me want to run screaming into the night. But I do like her jewelry. And last time, I liked that kid who came in second who now hosts the "Will Work for Food" show.

I LOVE Ina Garten - the Barefoot Contessa - so quiet and elegant and NORMAL!!! I also like The Neelys because they're such an adorable couple together and I love how he just seems to be crazy about her. My husband and I both like "Chopped," I like "Iron Chef," and "Iron Chef America," although the exotic gent who presides over Kitchen Stadium now can't hold a yellow pepper to his uncle, the delicious and highly-edible-looking Chairman Kaga, the original host.

[maseman]

68. What's wrong with a drawl?

[No Elephants]

52. Do you mean that she is not a graduate of culinary school? Chef means only

"chief," meaning the chief, or to person in charge, of a particular kitchen. So, if you are the boss of the kitchen in your home, you are "chef" there, whether you ever took cooking lessons or not. Another way to become a chef is to apprentice under a chef. That's how Jacques Pepin began his career.

[pipoman]

70. Correct

In fact, in France where 'chef' comes from, any boss is a chef in nearly any profession. Chef in English has been twisted to only define a culinary school graduate...to the point that even an entry level cook who just graduated a culinary program is often described as a chef.

[Le Taz Hot]

29. Agreed.

That "little Miss Mary Sunshine" routine is enough to make me hurl. Also, the second some chef/cook opens up a can of broth or instant this or instant that (with the exception of Paula Deen who is next to perfect) I turn the channel. If you can't figure out that making things from scratch is cheaper/more healthy (you control the ingredients) then you have no legitimacy with me.

Re: The OP. Cool! Nothing like produce coming fresh from the garden directly into a recipe.

[Myrina]

55. I KNOW! She drives me NUTS!!!

I haven't agreed with any of the 'Next Food Network Star' winners yet, though.
They're all irritating in one way or another.

Next Iron Chef - I really really hope Chef Mehta wins. He's creative, talented, uses lots of natural foods, and is adorable! :-)

[calimary]

60. He really does seem to know his stuff. Don't know why, but I like Chef Mullen, too.

[Myrina]

62. ... as long as its not Chef Freitag ..

... although with Cat Cora and her partner expecting twins, I suspect she wants an out from the show and the 'token female' will need to be replaced with another 'token female' chef.

Freitag bugs the crap out of me when she judges on Chopped. She's such a witch. And I know its probably in the editing but they always show her looking down her nose and scowling at the dishes the cheftestants are presenting. I'd love nothing more than to eat at both her and Alex Guarnaschelli's restaurants just to return the food and say it's inedible crap -- so they'd know how it feels!!

[calimary]

63. HA! You just named one of the other Food Network people I have no taste for:

That Alex Guarnaschelli. Oh MAN she's distasteful on "Chopped"! Sitting there all smug and negative and arrogant and off-putting. I'd like to see her get chopped. And yet she's getting her own show, too. Don't like her at all.

And this is probably sacrilege but I also do not like Guy Fietti. Ooops - I mean Guy Fieri. How many affectations is one guy entitled to get, anyway? I find him obnoxious and overbearing and he tries too hard to be just so damn hip. And Guy - lose the platinum hair dye, PLEEEEEEZE!!!!!!!!! I know there are clearly many hoards who adore him to little pieces. I'd just as soon change the channel!

[NYC_SKP]

4. Go Bobby!!!

:applause:

[Bonobo]

7. I think Mr. Flay is overrated.

How much chipotle flavored shrimp can someone eat anyway?

[NYC_SKP]

8. But I find him more entertaining.

The other two may be more skillful, but I enjoy watching Flay work with others, in his Throw Downs, for example.

[Bonobo]

9. You may be right about that one.

I love ALL the cooking shows...

New Top Chef tonight!

[NYC_SKP]

45. I love Fabio. I take it you saw the reunion show?

Nice to see them working together, it got a little tense there with Marcel, but it was fun.

I must say I like the actual competitions more.

Other great shows, next Iron Chef and I like Hell's Kitchen, too, on Fox.

:toast:

[KatyMan]

38. I think Throw Down is awful

And ambush show that makes Flay look like a major league asshole.

[Ratty]

41. Not so much overrated as overexposed

I often skip the Bobby Flay contests just because the guy's everywhere on TV. You can't get away from him. I'm just tired of watching him all the time.

[No Elephants]

53. Yes, but he is the only one of the three who is not "fluffy." Michelle is trying to teach healthy

eating.

(I wish the First Lady had included a relatively slender woman among the chefs she chose, but I applaud this effort overall.)

[bbinacan]

5. Cool. n/t

[FarPoint]

6. OMG YES!

This is so very, very AMERICAN PIE! I'm so glad the Obama's and the White House Team recognized the value of this portal into the everyday life of "We the People". Excellent! :woohoo:

[onehandle]

10. I prefer the original. nt

[Mari333]

12. me too!

I loved the Japanese original version. It cracked me up. and some of the ingredients they used. Man oh man! UGH.

[CatWoman]

18. I love the original too

and really do prefer it over the current series.

Hat tip: you can still watch the original on the Fine Living Network :)

It comes on week nights at 11. :)

I'm soooooooooo into Chairman Kaga :rofl:

[Faygo Kid]

20. Me, too, but I enjoy "Iron Chef America." Waiting for my favorite ingredient though. Possum innards

They's jes as good the next day.

Ummmm - umm.

[CatWoman]

21. you fucking nut

:)

[lumpy]

58. Omigod, those orange slippers !

nt

[CakeGrrl]

64. Crocs. Some think they're ugly, but they're very comfortable

I own about 10 pair myself in different colors. They look better without ankle socks. :D

[calimary]

61. Oh yes, give me a side of Chairman Kaga ANY TIME! "Squeez-ah!!!"

[CakeGrrl]

65. Chef Sakai was my favorite

and he had a female fan contingent on one of the episodes!

[On the Road]

59. Yeah, Even Though I Like the Contestants

I can't get into the American show.

The Japanese version was an over-the-top cultural experience that was very addictive.

[slackmaster]

11. This may be the coolest thing a FLOTUS has done in a long time

I miss Lady Bird Johnson's anti-litter campaign. I think it really made a difference.

[justgamma]

13. The Biggest Loser was there last night.

Way cool. I expected Michelle to pop in, but she didn't.

[TwilightGardener]

14. I wonder if Michelle will meet The Chairman--and will he do his backflips?

[lanlady]

15. did anyone else notice--

--the show will be on Jan 3 and the chefs can use "anything" they find in the First Lady's garden.

Uh, what the hell does anyone find in a garden in January?

[MrBadExample]

28. It won't be January.

The show will air in January, which means it'll be filmed at least several weeks beforehand to allow time for editing and postproduction work. They'll probably be filming pretty soon, in fact, allowing for time off for Christmas and New Year's.

[Le Taz Hot]

30. Raising hand,

well, from my own garden I'll have lettuce, Swiss chard, turnips, broccoli, leeks, spinach, carrots, collard greens, oranges and lemons. OK, I'm in California and the First Lady is in D.C. but I would imagine they'll tape WAY before January 3.

[CatWoman]

16. hot damn

The Clash of the Titans!!!!

:)

[Canuckistanian]

19. Mom always said I shouldn't play with my food

But these guys play in the big leagues.

I love watching pros having fun.

[WriteDown]

22. I used to love this show until.......

I found out that they know the "secret" ingredient weeks beforehand.

[TwilightGardener]

32. They would have to know it--because if you watch them, they jump right

in to cooking 5 dishes without pausing to think about it.

[WriteDown]

33. Yeah...

I wish they actually had to work on the fly though.

[Myrina]

57. ... not to mention, the Iron Chef chosen ...

... always has his preferred staff there, ready to roll?

Do all 4 Chefs teams wait on standby? Doubt it. They have to know ahead of time.

[Ratty]

40. Not exactly

They're given a list of 3 to 5 possible secret ingredients sometime before the battle. The chefs then provide different shopping lists based on each ingredient. They don't know which ingredient will be the one until it is revealed on the show. Then they have 15 minutes - untaped - to plan.

I don't mind this so much. How else could you do it? I do think it's a little disingenuous when sometimes the chef will act shocked when the ingredient is revealed. If you want to see a truly impromptu timed cooking challenge, watch the Next Iron Chef show sometime. It's a lot more chaotic and messier, and the dishes don't turn out anywhere near as nice as they do on Iron Chef.

[TwilightGardener]

66. I've been watching "Next Iron Chef"--it's more interesting, to see the

struggles and thought processes, and failures.

[babythunder]

69. Do you realize

how ridiculous that would be? Preparing a menu even one comprised of 4 or 5 dishes needs some pre-planning regardless of how talented the chef is.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

23. Perfect!

[Frank Booth]

24. Bobby Flay should not be allowed to disgrace the White House with his presence.

I can't believe the gall of this piece of shit. After embarrassing this country for years, now he feels he's entitled to take his whiny, spoiled prick act to the nation's symbolic home?

This is disgusting.

[merwin]

26. I used to not like him, then I saw him on Law & Order in the most hilarious role.

He's grown on me a bit since then.

Out of curiosity, what is your beef with him? If it's arrogance, that's an annoying trait, but not worthy of a "piece of shit label".

I'm wondering because I don't know a whole lot about his personal life, but I see a lot of the same kinds of comments regarding people like Jesse James and Gordon Ramsay... both of which are far different than the characters they put forth on TV (arrogant in Jesse's case, screaming asshole in Ramsay's case). But if you ever see anything with them outside of their reality shows they are mellow, friendly, kind, generous, easy going, etc.

You're free to vehemently hate whoever you want, I personally try to reserve judgement on TV personalities until I've seen/read a fair amount about them outside of thier shows. Reality shows are not reality.

[Frank Booth]

42. Back probably about 10 years ago, he was on Iron Chef (the original Japanese version)

He was matched up against Morimoto. Anyway, he was complaining the entire time, about how the set sucked, about how he couldn't work with their crappy cooking equipment. Non-stop complaining. When he wasn't gloating, that is. Then, near the end of the show, after they finished their meals, he got up on the counter, stood on his chopping board and "raised the roof." More gloating about what an awesome chef he is. Meanwhile he was totally dismissive of Morimoto and the hosts of the show. In short, he was very, very rude.

Morimoto won, and Bobby Flay was visibly PISSED. More complaining. So much complaining that Iron Chef Japan felt compelled to offer him another shot. And when he came back, they let him win, of course. So he gloated some more.

If you ever want to see the textbook example of "ugly American," try finding that Flay-Morimoto competition. It's enough in itself to develop a vehement hatred of Bobby Flay. My reaction to that episode and lingering hatred of Bobby Flay is actually somewhat common. If you google "Bobby Flay sucks", for example, you'll find similar comments.

[SemiCharmedQuark]

44. Man, I saw that episode. Morimoto was pissed.

Flay acted like a total asshole.

[miyazaki]

27. +10

fuck that prick.

[MattSh]

25. Sounds like another circus to me...

but at least this one will have the bread too.

.

[hootinholler]

31. They better make pie!

:rofl:

Emeril and Batelli? That should be an awesome meal.

-Hoot

[JaneQPublic]

34. Cajun/Italian! I hope Michelle grew plenty of garlic! (nt)

She grew plenty of sweet potatoes for pie... although the Prez says no one makes a better sweet potato pie than his mother-in-law does.

[Ian David]

35. Today's secret ingredient is...

KITTENS!!!!

[pfitz59]

43. They fry up nicely!

Yum!

[jmm]

36. I might actually give Iron Chef America another chance, ok just for one episode.

The original version had more cheesy moments but everybody on the show knew what they were talking about.

[Brickbat]

37. Meh.

I find this squicky.

[Sabriel]

39. GOP spin: "Tune in for Battle Elitist Food!"

"Watch as the nation's top chefs work with the secret ingredient: Grey Poupon."

[Cha]

46. The Organic White House Garden that

just keeps Giving!

[Rhiannon12866]

47. That is so cool! Thanks for the heads-up!

And how much of a food geek am I? I can name everyone in that pic... :blush:

[EndersDame]

49. A back yard Garden is revolutionary

In terms of sustainability and health. I love Michelle for promoting them.

[No Elephants]

51. Revolutionary, maybe, but nothing new. But I agree that the First Lady is doing a great job on

promoting health eating.

[EndersDame]

54. i think they are finding popularity again

lawns are the biggest resource wasters out there. To me it makes no sense to have British style lawns in Texas!

[No Elephants]

50. IMO, Michelle Obama has been doing a great job of sending a message about

healthy eating, Obesity and other results of poor nutrition are even bigger enemies of American health than the teabaggers. And she has been doing it in a way that all people can grasp and put into their own lives, and that of their children. A victory garden, filling lunch boxes with healthy foods, and now this, showing you don't need to eat boring in order to eat healthy. And all in a hamish (homey) way to which everyone can relate.

Excellent, important work, First Lady!

[AngryAmish]

56. At least it's not "The Biggest Loser"

That would look awful.

[smalll]

67. Let them eat arugula, ceviche and risotto is not exactly the right message to be sending out there

in today's economy. :shrug:

[Le Taz Hot]

71. Huh?

Why? Arugula is a very healthy veggie, ceviche is just sushi-grade fish that has been prepared in something acidic, usually lime juice and risotto is just arborial (sp?) rice with a few very regular and easy-to-obtain, cheap ingredients. All three of these are inexpensive and easy to make. (OK, risotto requires a little extra care but it's no big deal once you get the hang of it -- just keep stirring!)

I truly don't understand your post.

[Vinca]

72. Can't wait! I never miss Iron Chef.