657029 Sun Oct 04 18:29:37 -0700 2009 73 33 Food Media and News 0 5078959 No spoilers yet but i'm sure there will be eventually. dude, this group is ultra-competitive and almost mean to each other. i miss the last crew and how cool they were when trying each other's food. Sun Oct 04 18:29:37 -0700 2009 99136 AMFM 1 5079000 Seriously. It looks like Chef Appleman is getting the villain edit. Last night they aired (at least) the last two episodes from last year. It was fun to see them again. Sun Oct 04 18:51:02 -0700 2009 5078959 61135 Boudleaux 1 5079054 i think that all these ingredients were awful (just about). my husband was laughing at the discussing faces i was making. i mean unlaid eggs. ugh. gross. Sun Oct 04 19:16:37 -0700 2009 5078959 99136 AMFM 2 5079059 they almost lost a viewer with this stuff. I can take gross stuff, but that was horrible. One thing you never want to read on a menu: fallopian. Sun Oct 04 19:18:40 -0700 2009 5079054 51422 Jeserf 1 5079241 I'm watching it right now- wonder why five out of the ten are from New York? Seems like they could have done a better job of representing other areas of the country. Sun Oct 04 21:25:46 -0700 2009 5078959 96658 Clarkafella 2 5079514 Since I consider all "reality shows" fixed, I assume that Nate Appleman relocated to New York to San Francisco BECAUSE he is going to win the competition and doesn't want to commute when they film. Mon Oct 05 06:06:25 -0700 2009 5079241 10814 sbp 3 5080669 There is no reason whatsoever to relocate to NY to be on Iron Chef. The FN films Iron Chef in blocks a few times a year, filming two episodes a day over a period of 1-2 weeks. They try to schedule the competitions so that each of the Iron Chef's challenges are grouped together so an Iron Chef does not need to be present for the entire 1-2 weeks. An Iron Chef only has to available for a few days at a time and few times throughout the year. This is not considering promotional appearances but I don't think those are a huge time commitment either Mon Oct 05 13:29:45 -0700 2009 5079514 161386 kmcarr 1 5079352 Not impressed with their attitudes towards each other. And shouldn't the next Iron Chef be someone who's pretty established...you'd think they'd try to get Top Chef Masters-quality chefs. I miss the chefs being respectful of each other. Sun Oct 04 23:52:37 -0700 2009 5078959 142682 attran99 1 5079375 I thought the judges were having a pissing contest. Really? it's opinion. Personally I thought Jeffrey Steingarten came off like an ass. I'm rich eat lots of food at top restaurants so I know more than you. Mon Oct 05 01:18:57 -0700 2009 5078959 143892 chris2269 2 5080277 Normally I like Steingarten on Iron Chef America even when he is taking snarky shots at people as they don't seem mean spirited but I agree that last night he really came off like a jerk. Hopefully the judge's build some rapport and their discussions become more about the food as things progress. Mon Oct 05 11:25:29 -0700 2009 5079375 1102716 driggity 1 5079493 I didn't know people actually ate some of that stuff. sea slugs... really? looked like ballistic gel! Mon Oct 05 05:48:41 -0700 2009 5078959 65780 jujuthomas 2 5081079 Dominique got the worst draw of all, with sea slugs - they're impossible to cook other than in some water and Chinese sauce. Mon Oct 05 16:25:09 -0700 2009 5079493 17220 Claudette 1 5079511 Yeah, not digging this yeas Next Iron Chef...The Chef's seem to have very bad attitudes, the ingredients were not good, who eats that stuff??? What happen to respect not ot mention Jeffery just put a sour note in my mouth last night, how does he thinks he is? They all seem to be on their high horses…Would much rather watch Top Scallop ;) Mon Oct 05 06:04:31 -0700 2009 5078959 237148 bermudagourmetgoddess 2 5081622 Who eats this stuff? I do. I've had everything other than durian and the unlaid eggs. Dissing cultures that eat this stuff makes you respectful? Mon Oct 05 20:32:10 -0700 2009 5079511 180506 Ericandblueboy 3 5083709 i'd actually love to try the durian. and i do think they played up most of it. but the unlaid eggs were really gross to me. Tue Oct 06 14:54:52 -0700 2009 5081622 99136 AMFM 1 5079902 i agree about the appleman moving bit. did you notice on his introduction they had the name of his new restaurant but he is still wearing an a16 apron. i bet he is pissed about that now. oh well. and how is making carbonara fearless? i'm surprised he didn't make meatballs out of the fallopian tubes. and do you remember that cosentino made sabayon on the first episode last year? it was the same 'ew food' challenge. i find it funny just because they swam in the same very little pond for many years. and what's up with the crap equipment? Mon Oct 05 08:49:00 -0700 2009 5078959 19408 potatoe 1 5079956 I thought it was super weird that all the equipment kept breaking -- and super surprising that they showed it. I would have thought the sponsor would have nixed any footage showing how crappy the equipment was. Nate Appleman came off like a jerk. And they were inconsistent in listing his credentials. In the first shot they said he was from NY and the chef at Pulino, but it seems that the restaurant isn't even opening until December, so that's kinda BS. Then later in the episode they said he was from San Francisco. If he's not there anymore then fine, but they should have decided how they were going to characterize him and stuck with it. I agree the ingredients were gross. And I agree with Jeffrey: maybe cooking with fallopian tubes is "fearless" but it's also not necessarily good to eat. And being good to eat should trump everything else in a cooking competition, IMO. Mon Oct 05 09:21:25 -0700 2009 5078959 23389 charmedgirl 2 5080046 At least Amanda Freitag seems to be a genuine sweetheart. Hope she wins. Mon Oct 05 09:53:30 -0700 2009 5079956 150096 jackbauer 3 5080231 FN does it again. I'm watching the first episode of the new "Next Iron Chef" last night, and, sure enough, there's a commercial showing the heavy-set chef (sorry, his name escpaes me) and it says "Next Iron Chef Finalist" in small print. This is the 2nd time I've watched FN competition shows and their commercials give away the ending (or at least give an indication). Why do I even bother? Oh yeah, because I love Iron Chef. -cb- Mon Oct 05 11:04:51 -0700 2009 5080046 113190 CucumberBoy 4 5080476 they're all finalists at this stage. there are 10 finalists. Mon Oct 05 12:29:51 -0700 2009 5080231 10401 soniabegonia 5 5082712 In guess I missed the shows where they narrowed down the 10 finalists, huh? You watch -- the heavyset chef is going to be in the finals. The true finals. -cb- Tue Oct 06 09:45:20 -0700 2009 5080476 113190 CucumberBoy 6 5084020 There were no shows to narrow down the finalists. Those are the ten finalists they chose from all the applicants. Just like on The Next Food Network Star...they referred to them as the finalists as well. Tue Oct 06 17:11:04 -0700 2009 5082712 142362 sibeats 7 5089443 Aw heck....NOW what am I gonna complain about? Oh yeah, Amanda Freitag... -cb- Thu Oct 08 15:31:20 -0700 2009 5084020 113190 CucumberBoy 8 5089592 what's with the scowl? she always looks PO'ed. Thu Oct 08 16:41:31 -0700 2009 5089443 10401 soniabegonia 9 5089734 totally agree. Thu Oct 08 17:35:39 -0700 2009 5089592 99136 AMFM 8 5096880 I'm with you on that one! My favorite is when her one eyebrow goes up while she's scowling. I wonder if being in this competition will change the way she judges Chopped contestants. Mon Oct 12 08:54:20 -0700 2009 5089443 142362 sibeats 6 5101936 On the info from comcast, it refers to them as finalists. It said something like "the ten finalists arrive in LA" Wed Oct 14 06:17:53 -0700 2009 5082712 111910 jgg13 3 5080894 I like her too. Question: wasn't she a *judge* on Iron Chef or Chopped or something one time? Mon Oct 05 15:08:30 -0700 2009 5080046 96658 Clarkafella 4 5083547 Yes, she has been one of the judges on Chopped several times. I get her mixed up w/ Michelle Bernstein, I think they look a lot alike. Tue Oct 06 14:02:06 -0700 2009 5080894 140805 mdepsmom 5 5087061 Except Michelle Bernstein is much more talented, thoughtful, and accomplished. Amanda Freitag always seems so dull. Wed Oct 07 18:19:28 -0700 2009 5083547 142682 attran99 3 5096656 As soon as I saw Amanda Freitag in the lineup I realized that this was going to be her year. She's been an Iron Chef competitor, appears regularly on FTV, and, in general, is a darling of the producers there. In addition, there is only one female Iron chef, Cat Cora, who in July gave birth to her fourth child with her spouse. So while I am not a big Freitag fan, I believe that they this "competition" just another FN sham to increase interest, and they will softball her through the process to eventually crown her the next Iron Chef. Is she another Batali? I don't think so. Mon Oct 12 07:24:00 -0700 2009 5080046 35154 junescook 4 5098297 i would agree with that. Mon Oct 12 17:45:46 -0700 2009 5096656 99136 AMFM 1 5080227 I liked the big guy -- I've lost his name in my head momentarily. When he was trying the one dish: "Dude. This is awesome." Mon Oct 05 11:03:16 -0700 2009 5078959 113176 jmckee 2 5182074 Are you watching the some show I am??? Chef Mehta would stab you in the back, as would Chef Applebaum, if he had the chance. Did you perchance miss the episode where he took all of the grape leaves when he knew very well that another chef would definitely need them. Food Network would be making yet another mistake if Mehta won. When Michael Symon beat John Besh (who was so obviously a better chef and had a much more extensive reprertoire)in the last Iron Chef competition, all of my foodie friends vowed to never watch an Iron Chef when Symon was competing. And we hated "Dinner: Impossible" when Symon replaced Robert Irvine. Thank goodness that was only temporary. I know that the Food Network strives to put good, if not great chefs/cooks on the network, but they should also be heavily focused on ratings. Mehta is not a likeable person. He has an arrogance about him that leaves me with a bad taste in my mouth, no matter how good his food might look. Sat Nov 14 16:53:16 -0800 2009 5080227 195274 Loodles 3 5183949 however you may have felt about Besh winning (and i get that he was popular and a great chef) it has to be noted that symon in NO way was sneaky or mean or backstabbing in that competition. you may have liked the other guy... but symon wasn't/isn't a bad guy. Sun Nov 15 16:20:51 -0800 2009 5182074 99136 AMFM 4 5185161 I like Symon and am glad he won. I found Besh dull and thought Symon was a lot more fun to watch (though I could do without the laugh). But it's unfortunate that the win was tainted by having Michael Ruhlman as one of the judges; I don't care how objective he tried to be, he shouldn't have agreed to judge the competition when Symon was a contestant. (Please note that I'm not accusing Ruhlman of *deliberately* favoring Symon.) And if you read Ruhlman's description of the final battle (it's on his blog somewhere; should be easy to find), it sure looks like the FN networks stacked the deck in Symon's favor in the final battle. I'm a little surprised Donatella agreed to be a judge again. Mon Nov 16 07:31:28 -0800 2009 5183949 138816 jlafler 5 5185737 i get that too. just think that was food network's doing. not symon's. and watching the thanksgiving episode last night on iron chef america, it's not like donatella hates his food. Mon Nov 16 10:27:05 -0800 2009 5185161 99136 AMFM 1 5080252 I found it lame that Appleman was using a mixer to make pasta dough. . .and lamer that he had so little respect for the equipment. Sure, he is definitely getting the villain edit and I think that when you make a dish, you should stand by it but when he told chef Smith that his dish was not salty I thought it was outrageous. . .it's all about someone ELSE'S tastes when you put food out and I always found his food too salty at A16 & SPQR. He's mister salt bomb and if you think that grinding up country ham and then rendering it down and then putting that much into a dish isn't going to be salty, that's absolutely nuts. He's really young, he got lots of praise for stepping into someone else's shoes and he's full of himself. .. I guess it makes for interesting TV but it worked my nerve. I enjoyed Chef Mehta's attitude. . he's very respectful of everyone but in shows like this nice guys seem to finish last. I am rooting for Chef Garces as his soup with queso fresco set my palate into overdrive. . in fact, I am making that for dinner tonight! :) Mr. Steingarten has become quite crotchety lately, more so than usual. I am not a fan of Donatella but thought it was good for her to stand up for herself. I'll keep watching though. . . all the while missing Chefs Besh & Symon from two years ago who took this seriously but managed to be civil and actually have fun. Mon Oct 05 11:14:52 -0700 2009 5078959 169526 pastryqueen 2 5080460 I thought this show was terrible. I doubt I'll watch any more. Mon Oct 05 12:25:05 -0700 2009 5080252 163246 tofuburrito 3 5080485 I agree - I won't watch it again. Mon Oct 05 12:32:16 -0700 2009 5080460 124908 jeanmarieok 2 5081025 all the while missing Chefs Besh & Symon from two years ago who took this seriously but managed to be civil and actually have fun. Yeh Besh comes across as one of the nicest guys, both on next Iron Chef and Top Chef Masters. I have not had the opportunity to eat any of his food but its on my bucket list.l Mon Oct 05 15:58:01 -0700 2009 5080252 143892 chris2269 2 5090776 Appleman was probably not showing respect for the equipment but it’s not like everything there was in functional order to begin with. I’m sure being an Iron Chef does not include having to deal with the failures of technology. Chef Crenn’s sea cucumbers got over baked in the second test and Chef Jehangir Mehta’s sorbet machine failed in the midst of the first test. Chef’s should get extra points for having to use their creativity to overcome the problems they face with their appliances. It doesn’t seem fair. I liked Chef Mehta’s attitude too. He’s like an artist with his preparations and that sensitivity reveals itself in his behavior towards the other contestants as well. I liked Chef Garces’ preparations too. Like Chef Mehta, I got the feeling that cooking was more of an art for him as well. I wonder why all the women are not getting talked about all that much? Is it because their screen personas are not that interesting? Fri Oct 09 07:42:44 -0700 2009 5080252 1115040 angelac 3 5097279 From what I saw when I re-watched it Saturday, Appleman didn't 'break' the mixer at all. His problem was he didn't appear to to use the head lock down switch, so when the dough tightened up, the head of the mixer jumped up & out. In his defense, commercial kitchens typically use bowl lift mixers, not tilt head ones, so he may not have even realized his mistake. Its one I've seen a lot on Food Network- even Barefoot Contessa has done it, and she is using her own tilt head KitchenAid mixer. I think he also had the flat paddle on the mixer and for the stiffness of his dough, he needed to switch to a kneading hook. If he would have taken half a second to look at what was happening, he could have realized what was happening & corrected his problems. What Applemen did was really no different then what another chef did, when he was blending too thick of ingredients in the VitaMix blender, triggering its safety shutoff if it overheats (and keeping it shutoff for 15-20 minutes). 'Equipment failure' is not very likely in their setting; 'User failure' however, is much more likely. Why give them extra points when they screwed up? Should they get extra points or time if they cut their finger or burn themselves too? And yes, their are both equipment failures & user failures on the Iron Chef. I remember one episode where the challenger had to use Mario's oven because his wouldn't light. That was a definite equipment failure, but he found a way to work around it, which is what any top level chef should be able to do without losing their cool. BTW- you can see the Viking mixer, like they use, at this link: http://ep.yimg.com/ca/I/zaccardis_2075_88965901 with its head tilted back. That little lever with round knob on the end should have been in the locked position for mixing, particularly for heavy doughs. Mon Oct 12 11:07:37 -0700 2009 5090776 117958 anniemax 2 5097905 Chef Ahta's attitude in week 2 was terrible, a complete ass, taking all grape leaves for a garnish when some else needed them for their dish. Mon Oct 12 15:12:36 -0700 2009 5080252 10807 beteez 3 5097923 I love that the judges specifically dinged him for using the grape leaves. The smell of them was distracting! Mon Oct 12 15:19:44 -0700 2009 5097905 76025 mojoeater 3 5099347 The second weeks show was a complete surprise! I didn’t expect that at all. But I wouldn’t have liked it any other way either. The political atmosphere makes the show more interesting. I disagree with your comment about him being mean on purpose. Greek cuisine uses a lot of grape leaves. Chef Mehta took what he needed. While in a battle where the aim is to win, you cannot expect Chef Mehta to realize that Chef Trevino might have needed the grape leaves too. As you saw in the first half too, each chef makes a grab for what he/she needs. When Mehta realized that Trevino did need the leaves he shared them with him. Did you miss that? Leaving attitudes aside, Chef Jehangir Mehta is fast emerging amongst the top three in the competition. He is competitive, but shouldn't all the contestants be that way? Besides, it’s not like he’s just competitive without any talent to back it up. His preparations are regarded by all his peers to be above par with Mullen and Trevino admitting to being wary of him (he went on to win the first challenge). I am glad the women are also making their mark on the competition this week. Not because they are women (some of you seem to think that the Next Iron Chef has to be a woman to replace Cat Cora), but because they have talent. I don’t believe the contest is fixed. All the chefs seem to be roughing it out and the judges don’t spare anyone. Their decisions are pretty fair. Tue Oct 13 07:59:43 -0700 2009 5097905 1115040 angelac 4 5100155 It appeared to me he did not share until Alton shamed him into it. Tue Oct 13 12:10:01 -0700 2009 5099347 10807 beteez 4 5100236 OH no. He SOOO meant to take all those grape leaves. He knew chef Trevino needed them - he had this wicked little grin on his face when Alton mentioned it and I believe said it was part of his strategy. I did not think that was very cool of him, I think he's a better chef than that. Tue Oct 13 12:32:17 -0700 2009 5099347 65780 jujuthomas 5 5103081 He absolutely did that on purpose. He totally knew Trevino needed grape leaves, and he needed them not at all, except for plating or garnishing or whatever! Before that tacky behavior, he was one of my favorites, which isn't saying a whole lot; I'm pretty underwhelmed by the whole bunch. He's smack on the bottom of my list now. Yes, it's a competition. I get that obviously. But if you can't win on your own merit without sabotaging someone else, maybe you don't belong there, and you definitely don't deserve the distinction of Iron Chef. If he ends up winning, I will so NOT be watching. (Yes, I'm sure they'll be all broken up about it, but I'm just saying). Iron Chef indeed! These are supposedly professionals, top in their field, and that was elementary school behavior .... in my opinion. Wed Oct 14 13:04:20 -0700 2009 5100236 1116328 deedeefar 6 5110371 I think you are over reacting to the whole situation. At the end of the day it’s a competition and if you watched the show carefully even Chef Triveno understood that. I feel each chef did what they had to do to stay in the race. As I understand there is a limited quantity of all ingredients and produce. So, each chef makes a grab for what he/she has planned on making. Also, the whole idea is to be creative. Take for example the first round. In the first round Holly Smith and Farmerie made the grab for the same utensil (the Thai curry pot) but Holly could not make it because Farmerie wrestled it out of her hand and she said she could have been bruised (Though later Farmerie confessed that it was not one of the most chivalrous moment) so she had to do with whatever she got and plan her dish accordingly. I feel all this happened in the heat of the moment and as soon as chef Mehta realized that Chef Trevino was really stuck, he immediately shared the grape leaves with him. How else do you think Triveno finished his dish without a change of plan? Sat Oct 17 10:47:14 -0700 2009 5103081 1115040 angelac 7 5112893 You may well have a point, but I still found it "distasteful." That's just my opinion and my reaction. Sun Oct 18 15:44:31 -0700 2009 5110371 1116328 deedeefar 4 5105158 No, I had picked Amanda Freitag to be the "winner" as soon as they had announced the contestants not only because Cat and her spouse had just had their third and fourth children and might like a break, but also that Amanda has always been somewhat of a darling of FN and is already there shooting another show. And no, I don't believe that she or any of the candidates this year bring the caliber and prestige that the original and current Iron Chefs do. Those things, coupled now with the fact that the contestants on this program are NOT TESTED WITH THE SAME INGREDIENTS, raise questions as to the fairness of the process. In the first episode they made it clear that Amanda got the easiest ingredient. In the second, she got what to me would have been the easiest choice -- coq au vin, though I can't speak for others' opinion of that dish. I can't think of any other straight away fair cooking competition in which each each chef is given a different set of ingredients or conditions, unless it is predetermined who is supposed ot be cut. Just imagine an episode of Iron Chef America in which one chef does get jelly fish and the other gets chicken. Then a judge says "interesting but rather tasteless," or worse "eewwww!" Thu Oct 15 08:48:53 -0700 2009 5099347 35154 junescook 5 5108371 I don't think there's any intention for a straight and fair cooking competition. The winner is going to be the one with the personality the producers are looking for. Cooking skills is a low priority (since all of them are reasonably proficient). Fri Oct 16 11:14:19 -0700 2009 5105158 10814 sbp 6 5108399 Though personality plays a less significant a role on Iron Chef than on any other of the FN shows-- case in point Morimoto. Fri Oct 16 11:26:42 -0700 2009 5108371 35154 junescook 7 5122477 That's funny. I've always thought of him as the show's Great Stone Face. Thu Oct 22 07:57:38 -0700 2009 5108399 113176 jmckee 3 5100485 How about starting a new thread for the second episode instead of revealing spoilers to those of us who think we are merely reading posts from the first episode. Thanks. Tue Oct 13 13:45:38 -0700 2009 5097905 189144 dmjordan 1 5080741 These chefs are vying to be part of the the culinary pantheon? They don't seem worthy to be considered Iron Chefs with their squabbling, backstabbing and gaming. I guess in makes for great drama... Where's Blythe Beck? So far I like Roberto Trevino, he seems to get the job done with minimal whining and drama. Mon Oct 05 13:49:06 -0700 2009 5078959 56054 dave_c 1 5080865 agreed. cosentino, besh, other guy from horrible chef vs city show - ANY would be better iron chefs than most of these. none are pleasant to watch at all. it appears they used up all the good folks last time. freitag always looks like she just ate a lemon. appleman i thought i might like but seems arrogant. so far mehta and garces and trevino i like. will give it one more watch but... Mon Oct 05 14:48:01 -0700 2009 5078959 99136 AMFM 1 5083555 I enjoyed seeing Alton walk around asking the chefs "whatcha making?" during the memory phase of the competition. Now if I could just get past his awful hair style . . . Tue Oct 06 14:04:36 -0700 2009 5078959 140805 mdepsmom 1 5087034 One word for most of the food - ugh! Though I would have tried the eel.... Wed Oct 07 18:07:40 -0700 2009 5078959 85738 libgirl2 1 5087253 The judges weren't very impressive. They did a horrible job of introducing the sustainable food female judge, she doesn't seem qualified at all from that bio! I guess Steingarten is ok. Overall this season seems totally sub par compared to two years ago. The contestants are more like Top Chef contestants, rather than TC Masters like they should be. Wed Oct 07 19:34:53 -0700 2009 5078959 95577 yamalam 1 5099912 Why are they all over the culinary map this season? I did not see the prior season(s). AFAIK, each Iron Chef is only called upon to represent one cuisine. So why make every contestant do all the different foods and use different utensils? Tue Oct 13 10:54:06 -0700 2009 5078959 180506 Ericandblueboy 2 5100240 well it wouldn't be very challenging if they just asked them to cook their normal cuisine with equipment that was familiar, now would it? ;-) Tue Oct 13 12:33:10 -0700 2009 5099912 65780 jujuthomas 2 5105094 Somehow I find that on the show, chefs who are forced to work with something new do much better than chefs who stick to familiar preparations and tools. Like Chef Nate Appleman in the previous episode. Everyone thought he was going to lose but his daring preparation of unlaid chicken eggs made him win. In this episode, Chef Jehangir Mehta wanted the bamboo steamer but ended up with the Tunisian couscousierre. He won and he didn’t even make couscous! Thu Oct 15 08:27:45 -0700 2009 5099912 1114284 seanmcgill 1 5131738 With every new episode of the Next Iron Chef it’s becoming increasingly apparent who the exceptionally talented chefs of the lot are. Handling the pressure of working under extreme time constraints and thinking on their feet, these chefs have to be a lot more than just good cooks. Some chefs have bad days, but the chefs who can make their disadvantages work for them are the ones who are going to survive on the show. That is why of all the contestants on the show I am the most intrigued by Chef Jehangir Mehta. He dishes out delicately crafted preparations with ease, is an amazing showman and he has a wild imagination. He seems to have this knack of getting noticed that none of the others have. That’s why I’m not surprised that he won this round. I also believe that the talent he’s showing us is just the tip of the iceberg. I’m sure he’s capable of much more, like winning the title of Iron Chef. I like Chef Mullen as well. His preparations are very well thought out and he has won two crucial rounds of the show already but even he thinks Jehangir Mehta is a threat or as he put it a 'Silent Killer' Mon Oct 26 09:54:26 -0700 2009 5078959 1119348 nnancyhelen 1 5134656 Just saw the 4th episode of the NIC and I think this time the judges did a good job in evaluating the dishes. They discussed about flavors, presentation, the ingredients and I really liked all the feedback they gave each participant. I feel this was possible due to their familiarization with each of the Chefs’ style. Also, now that there are only 7 of them, the judges have enough time to evaluate everyone. Chef Mehta did a great job in bringing out the flavors of the tamarind through his savory, sweet and cocktail preparation. I think I really loved the idea of the tamarind apple pork and I am sure Chef Mehta knew exactly how to leverage the flavor of the apple to bring out all the other flavors. Just the other day I read a great recipe of spiced apple Braised Pork with Apple Chutney on his Facebook profile. Chef Mullen had all the flavors on his plate, which represented the Mexico experience and Chef Garces brought out all the traditional Mexican flavors in his preparations although I was surprised that he offered such a lame excuse for his flan which was slightly curdled. Mexican Chef Trevino went shopping himself this time, so he could not blame anyone for his stale tortillas! I would have really liked to taste some of those mouth watering dishes. Each of them had to make one cocktail besides their 2 dishes and I think that even there, Jehangir came out as a winner for trying tamarind chocolate cocktail shots! Tue Oct 27 10:16:58 -0700 2009 5078959 1119348 nnancyhelen 2 5136089 At least Chef Garces was honest as opposed to Chef Appleman who just makes stuff up as he pleases. Tue Oct 27 18:50:24 -0700 2009 5134656 10753 Philly Ray 2 5136617 OK, this is my second request on this thread, which is entitled Next Iron Chef EPISODE 1. PLEASE STOP WITH THE SPOILERS ON OTHER EPISODES AND START ANOTHER THREAD. Yes, I am aware that I am screaming. Wed Oct 28 03:09:43 -0700 2009 5134656 189144 dmjordan 3 5139589 There is a thread for NIC Mexican. Thu Oct 29 05:04:56 -0700 2009 5136617 35154 junescook 4 5141715 Yes, I know that. I was trying to tell nnancyhelen that. Thu Oct 29 18:13:59 -0700 2009 5139589 189144 dmjordan 1 5137122 The judges on the Next Iron Chef are so confusing. They seem to make their decisions based on their changing moods. I feel their dismissal of Chef Dominique Crenn was unfair. Chef Freitag's presentation was poor, her ingredients were poor (on an episode where the chef's had to choose their own ingredients) and her saving grace was a dessert that was French in origin. That doesn't sound focused to me. And they keep saying Chef Crenn's food isn't focused enough. The only decision of theirs that I thought was spot on was their decision to award Chef Jehangir Mehta. They finally recognized his talent for bringing out the versatility of an ingredient. I found just the description of what he made absolutely mouthwatering. Pork cooked in a tamarind sauce, and tamarind ice-cream. The sourness of tamarind blended so well with the sweetness of the ice-cream. Yet Anya Fernald managed to say something to Chef Jehangir Mehta about not wanting to have to swirl her drink. I think the judges feel obligated to say something negative. Wed Oct 28 08:11:59 -0700 2009 5078959 1114501 jseavey 2 5139597 I agree with you re: Crenn, but I also believe that this is the Amanda Freitag Show, just set up to crown Amanda the Next Iron Chef. FN just doesn't show a disclaimer at the end like Top Chef does that says that chefs eliminated are determined by the judges (Colicchio, Lkishimi, et al), and by the producers of the show and by the Bravo network. At least I haven't been able to find the disclaimer but I don't think that FN has ever been all that up front about its competition shows anyway. Thu Oct 29 05:14:23 -0700 2009 5137122 35154 junescook 3 5140026 I'm with you there. I think Amanda would have to do something egregious to get kicked off. I feel like they never had any intent to keep any of the women very long other than Amanda, even though it seems like Crenn's meals never seem to be the worst. Thu Oct 29 08:18:38 -0700 2009 5139597 107671 queencru 2 5140977 The French occupied Mexico during the early 1860s (Emporer Maximillian and EmporessCarlotta) and there was a strong fascination and identification with all things French and European. French bread and the ubiquitous Mexican bolillo are pretty closely related, for instance. During the 20th century when Mexicans ate out it often meant French or Continental food, not Mexican. Had AF remember her history she could have said the eclair was a reflection of French influences on Mexican cooking ;-). Thu Oct 29 13:18:17 -0700 2009 5137122 10506 DiningDiva