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Iron Chef Showdown episode 3 recap Iron Chef Izard debut

By Cristine Struble

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Iron Chef Izard debuted on Iron Chef Showdown. In this Iron Chef Showdown recap episode 3, did the new Iron Chef reign supreme?

After winning the position of the newest Iron Chef, Chef Izard heads into her first culinary competition in the Iron Chef Showdown. While the talented chef has proven herself in previous competitions, as well as in her restaurant empire, this new culinary competition show isn’t a walk in the park. The formidable challengers are ready to take down the newly crowned Iron Chef. Will this Iron Chef Showdown recap episode 3 bring victory or agonizing defeat?

In every episode of Iron Chef Showdown, the culinary show starts with the Chairman’s Challenge. This preliminary challenge determines which chef will battle the Iron Chef in the Secret Ingredient Showdown. The two challenger chefs, Chef Lean Cohen takes on Chef Marcellus Coleman.
In the Chairman’s Challenge, the challenger chefs must make one amazing dish using squash. The food altar was filled with a myriad of squash. The biggest challenge is taking what is typical a side dish and making it the star of the plate.

Iron Chef Showdown recap, photo from Food Network

Chef Cohen’s dish had big, bold flavors from the Asian inspired sauce. While her sauce flavors were impressive, she only used two of the many squashes available. Her flavor was impressive, but her creativity was a little safe. Safe doesn’t win points in Kitchen Stadium.

Chef Coleman’s dish was inventive. The squash granola was a creative twist. His dish used many types of squash in several ways. A few of the flavors competed with each other. Even though he earned points for creativity, his dish didn’t come together completely.

Heading into the Secret Ingredient Challenge, Chef Cohen won the chance to take on Iron Chef Izard. This battle is quite smart. Iron Chef Izard and Chef Cohen both have broad experience with Asian flavors. But, the secret ingredient could bring failure or success starting with the first dish.

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With two women chefs going into battle, the secret ingredient was a little playful. The secret ingredient was sausage. Kitchen Stadium was a sausage fest, literally. From Italian sausage to brats, sausage was everywhere. But, which chef will conqueror the encased meat?

Usually the first dishes can set a tone for the entire battle. In this Iron Chef Showdown recap episode 3, that scenario planed out again. The two first dishes were quite different, yet left a lasting impression on the judges. Creativity and flavor were key to success.

Iron Chef Showdown recap, Iron Chef Izard debut, photo from Food Network

Iron Chef Izard’s stuffed octopus was big on flavor. Her dish was very creative and had bold flavors. Chef Cohen’s corn dog was a more classic interpretation on the sausage challenge. Because of the creativity, Chef Izard easily won the first challenge.

When it comes to Iron Chef challenges, creativity is key. Everyone expects these chefs to deliver great dishes. These chefs wouldn’t be in Kitchen Stadium is they can’t cook a delicious dish. Chefs win and lose on creativity.

In addition to creativity, the chefs need to be confident. If the chef doesn’t feel inspired about her dish, the dish isn’t going to be as successful as it could be. Everyone, not just professional chefs, need to feel good about their food. If the cook doesn’t feel confident about the dish, the people eating that food might be less willing to praise it.

The challenger, Chef Cohen, seemed to be lacking in confidence. Her dishes sounded quite appealing. But, something seemed to be lacking in each presentation. From a flavor balance issue to a presentation style, she needed a little boost somewhere. Nothing was terribly wrong, but the dishes weren’t necessarily Iron Chef worthy.

Iron Chef Showdown recap, photo from Food Network

Her two most successful dishes were a bahn mi and a stuffed squid. The bahn mi was most successful because it had good sandwich architecture. No one wants to bite into a sandwich only to have it fall apart. This bahn mi was a delightful bite.

Her other dish, the stuffed squid, did well on taste and presentation. The downfall was that Iron Chef Izard had presented a similar dish earlier in the competition. The judges inevitably would compare the two dishes.

Iron Chef Izard pushed the creativity envelope with her dishes. Her opening dish of an Asian inspired breakfast meat pie was amazing. Who wouldn’t want to have a flaky, meaty breakfast dish with a chorizo maple syrup? Too bad the local breakfast diner doesn’t sell one of these yummy breakfasts.

Iron Chef Showdown recap, photo from Food Network

The other creative dish was her final course, the chorizo milkshake. While the judges seemed quite impressed with the creativity here, I didn’t think that the dessert was too out of the box. Many people include bacon in ice cream. It make sense that chorizo would work, too. The addition of the corn cereals was a smart choice.

After the judging, the winner was pretty clear. Iron Chef Izard won her first Iron Chef battle. Based on this first episode, she should be a formidable force in Kitchen Stadium. Overall, she understands the concept to the show. Creativity is king. With her vast culinary knowledge, she should do quite well in these cooking competitions.

Next: Holiday Baking Championship, holiday dessert redux

What’s next for Iron Chef Showdown? Who knows what the next episode will bring? Hopefully some more unique ingredients will start showing up on the altar.

Would you like to see an unusual Iron Chef Showdown ingredient? What would your choice be for a secret ingredient challenge?

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