Iron Chef: The Official Book

Rating:
Summary: Worthwhile, but could've been better
Review: (In the spirit of full disclosure, I should confess that I've become something of an Iron Chef fanatic. Somewhere along the line, the kitsch factor disappeared and the show began to represent all things good about humanity to me. And so, my inclination is to affirm all things related to Iron Chef.)

The book's introduction states that it will be "at times informative, at times even bizarre." While the book is indeed fairly informative, it hardly ever gets bizarre. The book largely lacks the pizzazz that makes the television show initially captivating.

On the other hand, Iron Chef: The Official Book is well put together, looks good, and has fairly interesting features. (I especially liked the listings of Iron Chef and challenger-operated restaurants. If only I had the money...) I also enjoyed the so-called interviews with the Iron Chefs (they're more like mini-testimonials); in fact, the book led to me the conclusion that my favorite Iron Chef is Rokusaburo Michiba.

Like many of the other reviewers have indicated, this book will be appreciated by Iron Chef fans despite its shortcomings.

Rating:
Summary: Good
Review: Good small glossy table book. Too bad there were only a few recipes from the challengers. I really wanted some of the Iron Chef concoctions.

Looked through this once and never again. Nice package though.

Rating:
Summary: About what you'd expect.
Review: Haoru Kotetsu, Iron Chef: The Official Book (Food Network, 2001)

When Iron Chef ended its six-year run in Japan in 1999, it was the undisputed king of cooking shows. Already nominated for a number of Emmy awards in this country before it had even found a distributor, it was ready-made for the American market. Things were sluggish, though, until Iron Chef Morimoto battled American challenger Bobby Flay in a special battle in New York in 2000. After that, the show caught fire here just as it did in Japan. Capitalizing on this, the Food Network took the then-recently published Japanese book on Iron Chef, expanded it, and released it to the American market.

The book serves as a teaser more than anything else. (For example, two Iron Chefs battled in Kitchen Stadium whom, as I write this, American audiences have never seen in a show, despite us having been seeing it now for four years of endless reruns.) For the obsessed, it might also serve as an episode-checkoff list, as each episode is listed. Not in the detail of, say, the must-have show-by-show Twilight Zone guide serialized in the magazine that shared the show's name, but as a roster, it'll do.

The book also contains interviews with the chefs themselves and various cast and crew members, a number of recipes, profiles of winning challengers, etc. Your basic compendium of trivia.

I must say, however, it never did clear up a question I've had since the beginning of the show's run in America: what if it's all a big joke? If so, it's a massively expensive one (just running down Kaga's list of ingredients in the preface made my wallet beg for mercy), lavishly produced and with enough Europeans and Americans in on the act to fool millions of daily Food Network viewers. But somehow, I've never been able to shake the idea that Kaga and co. are all sitting in Asakawa sharing a carafe of sake and having a good laugh at our expense.

The book shares this general tone of over-the-top theater, which will probably endear existing fans of the show and make those who already find it slightly distasteful stronger in their views. But then, only those who like the show in the first place are going to go seeking it out, so no problem. ***

Rating:
Summary: Kind of disappointed; could've been a lot more
Review: I am a huge fan of the Iron Chef TV show. I've only had the Food Network since March, but I immediately became hooked on this show. The incredible (and frequently very expensive) theme ingredients. The amazing dishes prepared by the Iron Chefs and the challengers. Chairman Kaga's outrageous wardrobe and his taste for things like yellow bell peppers.

So when I heard that the official book came out, I ordered it right away. Once I had a chance to read it, I was...well...let me put it this way: the book is like a meal that's good but not filling enough, and you were expecting much more.

The book did have interesting information like the previous Iron Chefs that I had not been aware of, some interviews, and a list of all the battles that took place from the very beginning. However, it would have been nice if they had listed the winner of the battles for starters. Also, many of the names were misspelled compared to how they were spelled on the actual episodes. Whoever edited the book (if there actually was an editor) did a very poor job. I also felt they could've interviewed more people, like some of the more regular guests on the tasting panel.

I'll still keep the book because it's Iron Chef-related and it's nice to browse on occassion, but they could've done a better job with it and it could've been so much more.

Rating:
Summary: Guide To The Coolest Cooking Show Out There
Review: I first discovered Iron Chef about four years ago, of course that was right after Iron Chef Morimoto battled Bobby Flay in New York and it came to the Food Network. I fell in love immediately. As is expected with a exported product that needs to be translated, there are some times where it gets difficult to understand, as the Japanese basic knowledge of food is much different than ours as far as basic names go. But none-the-less, if you want to see cooking at its extreme and its finest, this is the show to watch. True some dishes seem rather digusting to us Americans, but to them, so does the oddity of "American" cheese. In my opinion, cuisine is an art, a true art form. Here are three (and sometimes four) chefs who excel in their art form and do it with gusto and power. For those who have seen the new Iron Chef: America, there is no place to start like the beginning. Watch this show at all costs. With that said, this book offers a nice insight into the show itself, with some dishes displayed and bios, also with a complete show listing and outcome. For those who are obssessed over this melodramatic show like me, this is a good book.

Rating:
Summary: Behind the scenes is nice but WHERES THE FOOD?
Review: I looked at this book at the brick and mortar B&N and expecting to find a cookbook for this fun and amusing show; I found a history of the show and thoughts from the chefs.

I WANT RECIPIES!

This is a big disappointment! 294 pages and only 10 recipes equals a big miss for a popular show. Just like ?Iron Chef USA? missed the point of the original show, this book also missed the point of the show. IT?S ABOUT THE FOOD not the showmanship!

Yes, some of the comments about the thoughts of the chefs and behind the scenes crew were interesting. But, the bulk of the book comes from Kaga, played by Takeshi Kaga (?If you think you've seen Kaga before, it may have been in a PBS special with the international cast of Les Misérables; Kaga was Jean Valjean in Japan's 1994 production. He was also the first Japanese Tony in West Side Story (1977) as well as the first Japanese Jesus in Jesus Christ Superstar (1976)?? coped from www.foodtv.com ). Who wants to hear from a factious ?chairman.? I prefer an honest opinion, not those thought up by a staff writer of a network.

The few recipes in this book are lackluster at best. The book tries to make them sound challenging, but read them a second time and anyone with rudimentary skills will be able to do everything with ease. Bottom line: Not worth the bucks!

Rating:
Summary: A must for Iron Chef fans - all others can pass...
Review: The "Official Book" of "The Iron Chef" attempts to explain the attraction of fans to the show. However, while properly capturing the thrill of the cooking battle, the authors omit the amusing cross-cultural aspects of the program. Apart from the occasional GODZILLA film, I'm not a fan of dubbed dialogue but the corny English commentary of "The Iron Chef" adds the proper amount of distance from the original material while highlighting the oddity of such an ornate competition.

This tome feels like it was written around the time of Iron Chef
Morimoto's initial battle with whiny baby Bobby Flay whose kitchen antics sully the culinary arts. There is little looking forward (most due to the tenuous existence of "The Iron Chef" as both a viable show as well as its foothold in the zeitgeist) and even the retrospective chapters feel rather thin.

It's a pleasure to read the reminiscences of Iron Chef's past such as Koumei Nakamura and Yutaka Ishinabe. Yet, there needs to be more of all of the Iron Chef as well as frequent judges and guests of the show. The fact that the editors can't decide to treat Chairman Kaga as a genuine character or as Takeshi Kaga, the actor who plays him, helps to undermine the overall tone.

A must for every "Iron Chef" fan, the Official Book gives a Gordon Elliot eye's view to this show that must be seen and not necessarily read about. (ISBN: 0425180883)

Rating:
Summary: A visual competition translated into book form
Review: This 'official book' of the celebrated Japanese chef's marathon cooking show Iron Chef will be best appreciated by prior fans of the lively and creative television production. For newcomers the Iron Chef show presents weekly 'cook-off battles' between famous chefs who are given nearly impossible 'must use' ingredients at last minute with which to drum up a creative innovation for a panel of judges. So how can such a visual competition translate into book form? Iron Chef: The Official Book chooses the visual approach itself, with a healthy and liberal dose of color photos from the show supplementing a blend of show history, documentation of 'battles' airing in both Japan and the U.S., and a selection of recipes.

Rating:
Summary: Allez Cuisine...?
Review: This book is really, a very good book. It is translated straight from the Japanese version, and includes a lot of important things in it, but as a die-hard Iron Chef fan, I'd like to see more.
The interviews (one on each chef) and statistics are good, but I'd like to see more of those. I'd like information on a lot of the battles besides just who competes and what the theme is. I'd like to know who won each as well as highlights and commentary on a lot of the important battles. I'd also like more of an in-depth timeline as well as details on a lot of the intricate rules for basic and special matches.
Overall though, this book is very good. It gives a lot about the background of the show, but not as much on the events that took place.
Finally, I'd like an index in this. It'd make finding a challenge or theme ingredient a lot easier.

Rating:
Summary: For fanatics only!
Review: This is the definitive work on the Iron Chef television program. It is deep in detail for those fanatics looking for those extra insider tidbits on the program. The book brings out the trials and tribulations of the Chefs as they fought to stay on top. It also contains a deep mathematical analysis of the Iron Chefs that can only be appreciated by the true believers. The camp seriousness that pervades the show appears in the book as well.

If you care about knowing why Chairman Kaga's voice was subtitled, while everyone else was dubbed, this is the book for you.

If you want to know which Iron Chef talked Chen Kinichi out of walking away from the show, this book is for you.

If you're an Iron Chef fanatic, this book is for you.

If you're an aspiring chef or casual viewer, this probably isn't the right book for you.