A friend of mine tried for six months to convince me to watch some of his Iron Chef tapes, when it first hit the U.S. The way he described it, I just couldn't see how I would enjoy it. I finally relented and watched his tapes, and I don't think I've missed an episode in the three years since then.That a chef could make up recipes or cook from memory isn't so amazing, but a chef who can do BOTH, under the spotlight in a timed competition and STILL produce dazzling food is amazing. If you would ask me how to cook bell peppers, I might be able to tell you three things to do with them. I've seen close to twenty, from the chefs and challengers on this show.Of course, the campy dubbing adds to the charm, as well as the celebrity guests. Some of them seem to actually know their cooking, but the majority kind of fade from the commentary, offering an occasional, 'Oh,' or 'That looks good'.I don't know how much this show has taught me about Japanese culture, but I have learned something about gourmet culture: if it's edible, but nobody should eat it, that's gourmet food. How else do you explain anglerfish, potato starch, sea cucumber and sea urchin used as theme ingredients? The very DESIGN of the sea urchin screams out 'DO NOT EAT!'All jokes aside, I have learned quite a few things from this show. Not really useful things...I know what miso and tianmanjon are, how to recognize a daikon radish, and I can tell the difference between crab brains and lobster liver by the color.Great fun; a show to watch with friends. The only warning I'd give is to watch out for live theme ingredients, if you're squeamish. You might not appreciate the cleaning/butchering techniques.

I am surprised that more people haven't written about this show. It has caused a cultural revolution, and has made such an impact that SNL even bothered to mimic the show. It is supposed to be melodramatic, and I love the dubbed voices. Almost every one I know who knows of this show loves it, and is addicted. Even though I would not want to eat some of the dishes at times, watching them put those dishes being put together is always interesting. Every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday night I tape The Iron Chef. Its one of the best shows on television.

There is no other show like this anywhere on television. Shown in the USA on cable TV's Food Network (complete with awkward English dubbing). this show is part Frugal Gourmet, part Worldwide Wrestling Federation, and part Japanese monster movie. There are so many small touches that make the show a surrealistic trip - the fact that everyone's voice is (badly dubbed) except the master of ceremonies, who speaks Japanese while English subtitles are flashed on the screen; this same man's mysterious smile as he bites into a yellow pepper during the show's opening sequence; the breathless commentary from the reporter on the floor, who shouts "Fukui-san!" every fifty seconds or so; the seemingly bottomless knowledge on the finer points of gourmet cooking displayed by various actors, pop singers, news anchors, and other celebrities who sit on the panel of judges every week; the mixture of bravado and faux humility shown by both Iron Chefs and challengers, seen in the United States only in professional athletes; etc.There is simply no way to encapsulate the atmosphere of this show in a few lines of commentary. It has to be seen to be experienced. and once you buy into the premise of the show, you will find it very entertaining.

This show is a bit on the melodramatic side, but still is one of the best cooking shows I've ever seen. It is dubbed, and aired on the Food Network Channel on Friday and Saturday nights at 8 pm. It also airs on the Japanese Channel, but I don't know what time.There are four chefs (sometimes there are three, the other one just doesn't have a platform) called "Iron Chefs." There is the Iron Chef of Japan, Iron Chef of Italy, Iron Chef of China, and I forgot what country was the other Iron Chef who wasn't usually there. Anyway, a challenger chooses who he (I've never seen a female yet) wants to "battle" with, and then Chairman Kaga, the boss, selects an ingredient, ranging from sea animals to herbs, as the theme of what the chefs have to cook up in one hour. Usually, four to six dishes are made. After the hour is up, four judges (two being guest judges, who, usually, are celebrities) give their scores to determine the winner. The best part is hearing the judges' comments (there was once an actress who commented on the Iron Chef of Japan and just said, "I hate it!" I was LOL!)The one thing that is not so hot is the dubbed English on the Food Network. It's just the floor reporters' voice. He is running out there and yells the host's name "Fukui-san!" It gets irritating after a while. Avoid the dubbed voice of the floor reporter, and you'll enjoy a whole hour of cooking. By the way, you may be tempted to get something to eat afterwards.