After “Iron Chef America” dominated Food Channel for more than a dozen seasons, the famous cooking competition is back on Netflix.
“Iron Chef: The Quest for Iron Legends” is now airing its 8-episode first season, filmed at the new Los Angeles Kitchen Stadium, Familiar Basics – The show’s elite Iron Chefs take on deadline cooking challenges to compete with rival chefs Dining Together involves a secret chairman-announced ingredient (actor Mark Dacascos reprises the role).
But returning host Alton Brown said the apparent change in “Steel Legend” was “very important and vital”. “But the show’s DNA is still intact. This is evolution, not mutation.”
Here are the top five differences.
Meet the new Iron Chef: Who will take on the Challengers at Kitchen Stadium
Freshman Kristen Kish brings game pedigree
‘Top Chef’ Season 10 Champion Kristen Kish joins Brown as ‘Legend of Steel’ co-host, showing off the game’s fighting experience during frantic preparations and interviewing the chef on camera. “Kristen can ask great questions on the floor and really get into people’s minds,” Brown said. “Then she comes back and we can talk.”
In another host twist, Brown and Kish joined the show’s judges — Nilou Motamed, Andrew Zimmern and a celebrity — at the judging table. “Where we can continue the conversation and even guide it,” Brown said.
The hosts still have no match tickets.
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Iron Chefs are the international Avengers who protect trophies
Iron Chef’s culinary standards are high, with global stars including Dominique Crenn, the first female American chef to be awarded three Michelin stars. The five-person team is also very international, including Mexico-born Gabriela Kamara (one of Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People of 2020), Ethiopian-born Marcus Samuel Sen and Australian-born “Top Chef” franchise chef Curtis Stone.
“East Meets West” star chef Ming Cai is the only American-born Iron Chef.
“It represents a global style and approach,” Brown said. “It was fresh. I saw something I’d never seen before. That was saying something.”
Iron Chefs are selected to battle challenging chefs in individual competitions. But a new wrinkle puts the series’ top-scoring challenger into a battle royale with all five chefs — and they’re in Avengers style. If the United Iron Chefs are defeated in the finals, the chairman hands the new gold trophy to the winning challenger.
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“It’s the ultimate trophy. It’s something only extremely wealthy people can create,” said Dacascos, who called the first-ever Iron Chef team fight “immortal.”
“If a lone challenger beats them, shame, shame!” Dacascos said. “But if the challenger can make it, respect it. It won’t take hold until the challenger chef wins the trophy.”
Brown said the Iron Chefs team cooked its own apparent nervousness.
“Even though they wanted to act like a team, they were extremely competitive individuals,” Brown said. “It’s a messy, big bowl of self.”
Los Angeles Kitchen Stadium is huge
The move from cramped former New York City dormitory to Los Angeles has started the battle and is now big enough to hold an audience. The size provides room for new cameras, more angles, and the need for more room for chefs to run in the kitchen stadium.
After the chairman introduces the secret ingredient, as the clock starts, the chefs can also enjoy more food – now with their own secret room.
“We have more ingredients on the altar, and it’s like a stockpile now,” Brown said. “It allows for bigger themed events and we can bring more food.”
No ads, more “Iron Chef”
Netflix streaming means more “steel chefs” without ads. The 46-minute show is all about cooking action and more discussion.
“We don’t have to sign up, go to the ad and recap,” Brown said. “We keep going.”
There was even time to fill in the story of the mysterious chairman, who broke down in tears over the spice in one episode. “The show is broader and deeper, like a tree, with deeper roots,” Dacascos said.
the bald chairman turned it into 11
The chairman of martial arts star Das Cascos was originally as harsh and exaggerated as the chairman of Japan’s “Iron Chef” (from 1993 to 2002), Calga (Kaga Samurai).
“In the past, Mark was very serious,” Brown said. “But he managed to give the chairman an absolutely endearing comical feel. Someone at Netflix told him to make it 11 now.”
His eyes got bigger, his martial arts moves were more pronounced, and his voice was weirder. Das Cascos has been bald since he played the assassin Zero who fought Keanu Reeves in “John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum.”
“I shaved for ‘John Wick’ and didn’t regrow like Yul Brenner or Telly Savalas for ‘Iron Chef,'” Dacascos said. “It’s grown back now. If we have another season, we’ll see what the chairman was like.”