I like this show. All the other cooking shows are carefully planned and edited so that what airs is perfect. I mean by that, what airs are dishes that work, the cake never flops and the rice never sticks. Not exactly the way it works in real life. The Iron Chef is a contest show. Each week a challenger comes on the show and picks the Iron Chef he wants to compete against. The Iron Chefs, four of them, each have their own style of cooking; Chinese, Japanese, French and Italian. After the choice is made the Iron Chef and the challenger take their places in Kitchen Stadium, which is two identical kitchens set side by side. Then they are told the secret ingredient that they must use in each dish they prepare. Sometimes it is a fruit or vegetable, sometimes a meat, and sometimes it is alive. Then they have one hour to prepare as many dishes based on the theme ingredient. At the end of the hour the food is tasted and judged by a panel of experts, and a winner is chosen. These guys cook under a great deal of pressure. Their skills and abilities are amazing. Sometimes the dishes work, and sometimes the judges say it tastes terible. Either way, we see the results.
