Iron Chef Fans - A Look Back at a Classic Show

[FredGarvin]

Here-Here! Every show is so original, plus he knows his stuff (or at least does the research). His brined turkey recipe is awesome; curried cauliflower pickles, mighty duck, pot o' greens, city ham-all great dishes. Although I have to disagree with his over-use of the electric knife, those things are horrible.

I love my electric knife!

Alton also went to film school (so I have read). Some of his takeoffs are pretty funny. His "American Beauty" parody in the intro to the pickling episode was pretty funny. He has my sense of humor and he does indeed do his research. Plus he doesn't have a gimmick like some annoying, over-hyped types (BAM!).

 

[Evo]

That was a fun show, Gordon was very entertaining with the people who's homes he invaded. Did you see the one when they featured the Iron Chef's Sakai and Morimoto?

Yes, I did! Didn't Sakai make somethin out of frozen fish sticks?

Here-Here! Every show is so original, plus he knows his stuff (or at least does the research). His brined turkey recipe is awesome; curried cauliflower pickles, mighty duck, pot o' greens, city ham-all great dishes. Although I have to disagree with his over-use of the electric knife, those things are horrible.

I used his brined Turkey trick last Thanksgiving, and his turkey roasting method and it was the best turkey ever!

 

[DocToxyn]

I love my electric knife!

Granted this is based off of old models that were in use in my parents/grandparents household so things may have changed but... Things I don't like about electric knives: it's basically a small chain saw and you get the same effects on the product you are cutting as you would on...well wood. The texture of the cut is ragged and there are pieces of "meatdust" which accumulate. Plus there was a distinct odor and grating sound of an electric appliance (ozone?) that never meshed well with the other pleasurable odors and sounds of Thanksgiving. Give me a good chunk of finely honed german steel any day.

Alton also went to film school (so I have read). Some of his takeoffs are pretty funny. His "American Beauty" parody in the intro to the pickling episode was pretty funny. He has my sense of humor and he does indeed do his research. Plus he doesn't have a gimmick like some annoying, over-hyped types (BAM!).

His supporting cast of characters (family) are also very amusing, as well as Alton's ability to "enter" a character, re. Bowl of Red and his Southern Boy. While I too share a professed dislike of the big "E" along with many other food snobs, he has done a lot of work to bring real cuisine to the average American and I have to commend him for that.

 

[DocToxyn]

I used his brined Turkey trick last Thanksgiving, and his turkey roasting method and it was the best turkey ever!

That one is a winner. Although recently I have been boning out the entire turkey with a dorsal approach (down through the backbone), stuffing it with a mixture of sourdough bread (toasted), herbs, sausage, dried fruit, eggs and heavy cream, stitching it back up like some kind of Franken'turkey and roasting it off. Man its good and no bones to carve around! This is in preparation for my eventual attempt at the Turducken, which is a chicken, boned and stuffed into a boned duck, which is then stuffed into a boned turkey . A few layers of different stuffing in between the layers and it's got to be good, its big in the south.

 

[Gokul43201]

Plus he doesn't have a gimmick like some annoying, over-hyped types (BAM!).

Bravo ! Bravo !

 

[Danger]

Give me a good chunk of finely honed german steel any day.

I can tell you for sure, as well, that an electric knife is just about useless in a fight.

This is in preparation for my eventual attempt at the Turducken

Yet another good reason that we pretty much ignore Thanksgiving up here. Who would go through all that when you can just have burgers and beer?

 

[Moonbear]

This is in preparation for my eventual attempt at the Turducken, which is a chicken, boned and stuffed into a boned duck, which is then stuffed into a boned turkey . A few layers of different stuffing in between the layers and it's got to be good, its big in the south.

Someone I know makes that every year (though I haven't been invited to his place for Thanksgiving yet...probably because he lives in a different state ). It sounds good until they get to the layer of oyster stuffing. I really don't like oysters, so I'd have to find a different substitute for that layer.

 

[DocToxyn]

Someone I know makes that every year (though I haven't been invited to his place for Thanksgiving yet...probably because he lives in a different state ). It sounds good until they get to the layer of oyster stuffing. I really don't like oysters, so I'd have to find a different substitute for that layer.

How about Giant Red Clams!

 

[Moonbear]

How about Giant Red Clams!

I think those are best avoided entirely. But maybe something with some other, less deadly variety of clam, or crabmeat might work. It seems like an expensive and time-consuming undertaking to start experimenting with stuffings without some idea of how the rest of it tastes first. As much as I don't like oysters, I think I'm going to have to taste it once with the oysters in it just to find out what the flavor combination is to determine if clams or crabmeat would be too "fishy" of a substitute (or go all out and use some lobster meat), unless I can find something devoid of seafood that would complement it well.

Have you ever had turducken, or just know what it is? I'm wondering if you really need to get all three layers to complement each other, or if nobody really has a mouth big enough to stuff in a bite that contains all the layers at the same time anyway. Would a sweet stuffing be bad? I'm thinking that a stuffing I used to make (if I can locate the recipe again) that has mandarin oranges in it might go well, and use the stronger sausage stuffing layer with the turkey (give that turkey some flavor), and the traditional cornbread stuffing with the chicken. The duck is the innermost layer of meat, right? That would make the layers: turkey, sausage stuffing, chicken, cornbread stuffing, duck, mandarin orange stuffing. I'll be you can just feel your arteries clogging after that meal (but that's why you only do it once a year). Maybe I'll start playing with boning chickens and see how I do on that.

What do you do with the legs and wings? Do you debone them too and tuck them inside each other, or do you just remove them from the duck and chicken and keep the turkey drumsticks only? I guess you could always just toss them into a pot and make a stock or soup out of them.

 

[FredGarvin]

Wow! Alton is listed in Wikipedia. A dubious honor to say the least.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alton_Brown

I had no idea he worked on "The One I Love."

 

[DocToxyn]

Have you ever had turducken, or just know what it is? I'm wondering if you really need to get all three layers to complement each other, or if nobody really has a mouth big enough to stuff in a bite that contains all the layers at the same time anyway. Would a sweet stuffing be bad? I'm thinking that a stuffing I used to make (if I can locate the recipe again) that has mandarin oranges in it might go well, and use the stronger sausage stuffing layer with the turkey (give that turkey some flavor), and the traditional cornbread stuffing with the chicken. The duck is the innermost layer of meat, right? That would make the layers: turkey, sausage stuffing, chicken, cornbread stuffing, duck, mandarin orange stuffing. I'll be you can just feel your arteries clogging after that meal (but that's why you only do it once a year). Maybe I'll start playing with boning chickens and see how I do on that.

I haven't had it, it's just one of those "challenges" I have placed upon myself and I think it's chicken as the inner-most layer. A sweet stuffing should go well, especially with the duck and orange is a classic companion to duck (although I can't stand mandarin oranges). Typically the stuffings used in the recipe include a cornbread variant, a duxelles (mushroom-based stuffing) and a wild rice mix. I do like the sausage stuffing though, it does bring a lot of flavor and fat the party and makes for a great gravy. Although with its high fat content, the duck should play a similar role...mmmmmm duck fat! :!)

What do you do with the legs and wings? Do you debone them too and tuck them inside each other, or do you just remove them from the duck and chicken and keep the turkey drumsticks only? I guess you could always just toss them into a pot and make a stock or soup out of them.

For the turkey, I have always left the most distal bones on the appendages in situ, but would remove them from the inner birds. If you have large holes in the skin from removing those bones, you need to stitch them back up or you lose too much juice/stuffing. I have seen recipes where all bones were removed and after trussing the whole thing just looked like one big turkey loaf. It's more appealing to me to leave some semblance of turkey shape to the finished product. And yes, I do keep all the bones for stock, turkey soup is great made with rice and sweet potatoes.

 

[Jimmy Snyder]

I can tell you for sure, as well, that an electric knife is just about useless in a fight.

I was living in Japan when the show first appeared there. I am convinced that the contest is as fake as a professional wrestling match with the contest winner decided before the show is even taped. My wife, on the other hand, is of the mistaken opinion that the contest is real. Danger has it right.