This is the second edition of our Iron Chef Collection Exclusives Episodes of the Month. Of course, this is where we present to you Iron Chef episodes that did not air on Food Network. Today, we present our Episodes of the Month for August. Thank you to everyone who voted in the poll.
- The only two Iron Chefs whose debuts we saw on Food Network were Morimoto and Nakamura. Now, we get to see the debut battle of Iron Chef Italian Masahiko Kobe. The first thing you’ll notice once the gong of fate sounds is that deliberate pace with which Kobe approaches the theme. This may be the only time I have ever seen him not running to the podium to get his ingredients. He is moving as slowly as I’ve ever seen him move. Every now and then, Kobe gets a look of confusion, but that’s somewhat understandable as it is his first battle. (And does Otah talk fast or what? I try to listen for words I know, but geez is he fast.) They keep mentioning the fact that Kobe is 27 years old. Will the youngest Iron Chef also be the only one who loses his debut battle?
- The second addition to the collection this month is a two part episode. Masaharu Morimoto has been an Iron Chef for one year. In order to give him some guidance, Chairman Kaga sends retired Iron Chef Rokusaburo Michiba to New York. Go Here to read an excellent description of this episode. The second part is a battle between Iron Chef Japanese II Komei Nakamura and Iron Chef Japanese III Masaharu Morimoto.
Of course, these episodes were recorded directly from the original Japanese Fuji TV broadcast and include all breaks and commercials. We hope you enjoy this opportunity to experience Iron Chef the way it was originally presented in Japan.
The following episodes may be found by search the Iron Chef Collection video database:
522OA (Kobe Debut),
709a (Michiba and Morimoto in New York),
709b (Egg Battle)