The Return of Iron Chef Fury: Kitchen Stadium Showdown
[Cool Thing Alert: This is a simul-post with Secret Agent Mama. Visit her site for concurrent play-by-play commentary of her two culinary dynamos as our teams do battle today in Kitchen Stadium.]
If memory serves me right, my mother always said to me, “little chairman, the kitchen is no place for children.” I would then look at her inquisitively and ask “why mama-san, why is that?” and she would say, “because you come in here with your dirty little hands, grab my produce, gaze at it admiringly, take a bite and smile. It creeps me out, little chairman.”
While she was correct about my produce fetish, it seems she misjudged the influence of children on the culinary landscape. Just a few months ago, my newest Iron Chef, Iron Chef Fury, impressed the judges with his schoolyard interpretation of classic fare. Since his debut in Kitchen Stadium, kid chefs from all over the country have been clamoring to do culinary battle with this phenom. I searched far and wide for a worthy team to take on Iron Chef Fury, and my journey led me to Atlanta, where “Secret Agent” chefs Mikey and Livey have been dazzling critics with bold dishes inspired by a fusion of Macedonian culture, southern roots and peanut butter. I’m honored to welcome them to Kitchen Stadium today.
To mark this momentous occasion, I have chosen a theme ingredient truly worthy of our young chefs’ talents. Something that is as much at home in a Blues Clues lunchbox as it is on a prix fixe menu...
CHEESE!
Allez Cuisine!
Today's Challengers
The Iron Chefs
Fukui: Oh! Cheese. What a smart move by the Chairman! Who doesn’t love cheese? Let’s go to the floor.
Ohta: Iron Chef Fury just flashed a “rock on” to the audience and is headed for the pantry. No! Wait, he’s going into the audience and getting something from his mom. It looks like... could it be?
Fukui: Ohhh, from here it looks like... Bada??
Ohta: Yes! Yes, Fukui-san. Iron Chef Fury tells me that his friend and mentor Bada came out of retirement just for today to lend him some much needed moral support.
Fukui: Well it looks like this put Iron Chef Fury in good spirits for today’s throwdown.
Ohta: And a-throwin’ he is, Fukui-san! Taking a page from his last battle, he’s hand tossing some pizza dough. He says to me that he knows he did this last time, but the chicks dig it. Can’t argue with success!
Japanese female star of stage and screen: hee hee hee throw Fury throw! I used to throw things when I was young hee hee hee. It was soo fun.
Fukui: *sigh* Hey - let’s listen in on Iron Chef Fury as he discusses strategy with his coach Iron Chef BusyDad.
IC BusyDad: Ok Fury, what do you like that’s made with cheese?
IC Fury: Pizza!
IC BusyDad: Ok, but for this battle, you need to make something that’s different. Like you don’t eat it everyday. Can you think of something else that’s made with cheese?
IC Fury: Mac ‘n Cheese!
IC BusyDad: Can you do something different with Mac ‘n Cheese?
IC Fury: I can put it on pizza!
IC BusyDad: You will go far, my son.
Fukui: Ohta, did I hear that correctly? Is he making a Mac ‘n Cheese Pizza?
Ohta: Oh yes. And not only that, Iron Chef Fury just informed me that he’s putting two of his favorite things on this pizza: bacon and mushrooms.
Fukui: It doesn’t look like anything’s actually making it onto the pizza itself.
Ohta: You would be right on that too, Fukui-san.
Fukui: Ok, it looks like that one’s ready for the oven. I wonder what they have in store for us next! Let’s listen...
IC BusyDad: Ok Fury, what other fun stuff can we make with cheese?
IC Fury: A grilled cheese!
IC BusyDad: I love grilled cheese... but that’s not too different.
IC Fury: What about a backwards grilled cheese!
IC BusyDad: Um... what?
IC Fury: A grilled cheese with cheese on the outside!
IC BusyDad: That’s a great idea, but that will make the pan really messy because the cheese would melt on the pan and then it would stick and then... OH. Wait one minute. I will be right back.
Ohta: Fukui-san?
Fukui: Yes Ohta, go ahead.
Ohta: It seems as if Iron Chef BusyDad ran off the stage and is now running back with... safety goggles? And what’s this? A brulee torch??
Fukui: I hope the Department of Children and Family Services is not watching this broadcast.
Japanese female star of stage and screen: hee hee hee social workers took my kids away hee hee hee. It was sooo funny!
Ohta: Where did we get her? Oh – Iron Chef BusyDad informs me that they intend to attempt Iron Chef Fury’s "Backwards Grilled Cheese" by wrapping baguette slices in provolone and then torching them to melt the cheese on the outside.
Fukui: I see Iron Chef is testing ingredients again. What dedication to his craft!
Fukui: I think this is the part where we’re supposed to say “kids, don’t try this at home. These are trained professionals.”
Ohta: Indeed they are. Fukui-San?
Fukui: Yes Ohta, go ahead.
Ohta: Iron Chef BusyDad informs me that they need time to regroup.
Fukui: Whatever could that mean?
Ohta: Well it looks like they have time for one more dish. I hear Iron Chef Fury discussing it right now. Let’s listen in.
IC BusyDad: Ok, we have time for one more dish. Maybe a dessert? What dessert can you make with cheese? Let’s see, you have cheesecake, you have danishes, you have cannolis...
IC Fury: Cannolis! I want to make Cannolis!
IC BusyDad: Ohhh that’s a tough one, son. The shells are hard to come by here, and we don’t have time to make them by hand...
IC Fury: Make it a smoothie!
IC BusyDad: A WHAT??
IC Fury: A cannoli smoothie!
IC BusyDad: Oh boy, this is the wild card item for sure.
Ohta: It seems like the Iron Chefs are going to attempt to make a cannoli smoothie... whatever that means. I see some vanilla ice cream, mascarpone cheese, ice, milk, cinnamon and cookies.
Fukui: Now that looks different. And good! And just in time too. Because in 5-4-3-2-1... the cheese battle iiiis ooooovvvvvaaaaa!!
Ohta: So, Iron Chef Busy Dad, how do you feel about your showing in today’s cheese battle?
IC BusyDad: Yes, yes. I did my best. Yes, yes. It was tough, yes, yes. I hope for the best, yes, yes. The judges, yes yes... I hope they see it the same, yes, yes.
IC Fury: Dad, why are you talking like that?
IC BusyDad: I have no idea. I thought that’s how all Iron Chefs were supposed to talk.
Plated and ready-to-go
BusyDad
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Reader Comments (40)
ok, you have got to be the coolest dad evah! You guys are too cute lol. Go Team Fury! haha
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[BusyDad] :) I have fun with it.
When it was still airing, I scheduled my whole night around watching Iron Chef. You got the Japanese star of stage and screen PERFECT!
Too bad you couldn't come up with some audio for the eccentric Chairman. He's an interesting cat.
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[BusyDad] Heee heeee heeee Sonia likes my Japanese star! heee heee heee...
The chairman is a character alright. Do you like his hair? I was thinking of trying out a new look...
Oh my gosh. You two are TOO much. I am dying with laughter over here.
I so love Iron Chef. You need to make a video of this one :)
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[BusyDad] That is a great idea! We need to get these kids all in one place and do it.
Very interesting use of the secret ingredient in that final dessert offering.
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[BusyDad] And that actually was the best tasting thing! I chugged it down.
Thank You and Secret Agent Mama for some good clean entertainment. Youse guys ROCK! God Bless, Mike.
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[BusyDad] Thanks Mike! very messy... but clean.
One of our families all time fav shows.
You did a wonderful job with commentating and I do wonder where you got that silly Japanese actress, she was quite the handful on both blogs.
Pizza looks good, how was the smoothie?
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[BusyDad] Thanks :) And yes, she is the definition of RANDOM! The smoothie was actually VERY good! You can't go wrong with ice cream and marscapone!
Excellent use of the secret ingredient. The commentary was brilliant. Great job! And congrats to Fury for conquering Kitchen Stadium.
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[BusyDad] Thank you Jason! I have to hand it to Fury. He did get funky with it.
You guys out did us because we had a chef abandon the competition. Chef Who? Chef Benny. LOL He was dessert. Oh well.
We should do this again. I really had fun, and the kids loved doing it. Mikey and Livey were howling this morning when I read it to them and when I showed them yours they were mesmerized!
It was a pleasure, dude! HI FIVE!
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[BusyDad] It was a TON of fun. Fury had a blast planning it. And actually, I'm going to read him you guys' part tonight, after dinner. And I told you this over at your place, but that Cheeseburger ring... I curse W8loss Wed because I would be making that RIGHT NOW otherwise.
You crack me up! Um... and make me hungry....er.... and a little sad. I read the Bada post ... so made me cry a little.... dang....snif....
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[BusyDad] I'm amazed you could get all that with one visit :)
This is hands down one of the most entertaining posts I have ever read. You must be the coolest dad ever!
And that pizza looks surprisingly good.
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[BusyDad] Me? Cool? smiling... Glad you thought it was fun because I had a blast doing it. The pizza was a tad dry, but tasted great. If I had to do it again, I'd suggest adding a wetter cheese like ricotta into the mix.
OK, I'm dying to know...how did the mac 'n cheese pizza taste? Fury might be on to something there.
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[BusyDad] It actually tasted very good. A bit dry, but nothing a little tweaking wouldn't fix very easily. And then market as the "Furious Pie"
Social workers took my kids away too? hehehehehe!
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[BusyDad] Hey! You're the ex-pat female star of browser and feed reader, aren't you!
Japanese female star of stage and screen: Hee Hee I like the juicy meat ring over a SAM. Juicy! Hee Hee
Have you taught Fury how to open the beer bottle yet for you? My dad taught me and my sister and never had a full beer after.
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[BusyDad] Oh, yes. And I was damn proud of it.
Very clever dessert! I was expecting cheese in the ice cream machine :)
ROFL at Fury with the big serrated knife, torch, and then....a sippy cup!
BTW, was the Japanese female star related to Britney?
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[BusyDad] Shhh! The ice cream machine is for the Liver battle. Haha - yes, I can trust him with a blade and fire, but I just can't trust him not to spill milk on the floor!
Wow! That looks like a masterpiece of creative cooking mixed with a modicum of self-defense training. Fun!
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[BusyDad] Ha, yes, I did have to register him both as a lethal weapon and a fire hazard before he was allowed to enter Kitchen Stadium.
Whoot! The return of Bada. Definetly fitting for his brief return. LOVED this post. Both of them. Do I smell a series forming? I would SO be down for something like this. A battle of neighboring cities perhaps? LOL
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[BusyDad] hmmm that would be a great idea. There's definitely no shortage of available contestants. Hey - we could even film this one.
Awesome! I gotta tell you, too, that cheese got us through some tough times. When it seemed my son would eat nothing but carbs, cheese was our salvation.
And, honestly, a mac-and-cheese pizza with mushrooms and bacon sounds AMAZING. But, then, I like cheese a lot, too. LOL. I'm thinking you guys have a lot of fun in your house.....
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[BusyDad] Cheese is the one thing that helped me Trojan Horse vegetables with Fury. I used to mix it with broccoli and mush it all up. Fury loved it. To this day, he has no problem eating broccoli, spinach and other green veggies because I eased him into with with cheese. So I owe the cheese industry a debt of gratitude. And that pizza WAS good. It needs some adjustments (too dry) but taste-wise, it was totally on target.
Am I sick or does Fury's pizza actually look good? LMAO!
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[BusyDad] No - it WAS good. In fact, I may just make it again with a few tweaks.
Dude
If I havn't said it before, this is a great blog. Respect...
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[BusyDad] Thanks Michael! Very much.
mac n cheese za sounds good! Should tell whole foods. I remember not having any more space in my bag at the airport when I saw that apron and said I have to get it...it's a hoot seeing fury wear it with his iron chef grimace! hahah, yes, this coming from the animal savior. Still mad about the tiger comment...
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[d Bro] It is a very ME kind of apron. Typical of someone who would laugh at your poor poached tiger!
That looked like too much fun! Way to go BD and Fury, you guys RAWKED Kitchen Stadium! Your secret weapon dessert sounded delicious.
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[BusyDad] It was a riot up in there, Tara. And from the looks of things, I think other kids want to join in, so there will be more! The cannoli smoothie was actually my favorite. It was decadently good.
This was, of course, fabulous. So fabulous that I think I might have a budding Iron Chef here at my house who might want to challenge Fury to a battle. He's a bit younger (4) but excellent with a whisk. I want to read him this whole post and get him excited about the idea of a cooking battle (all other kinds of battles are good) -- but here's the thing: DUDE that HUGE knife!! Now my Son will think he's allowed to cut stuff with knives bigger than his arms. I might have to lie and say that was a pretend knife. But otherwise, if you ever want another battle... let me know.
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[BusyDad] Totally! Let's do it. Email me. Miss from Rura and Miss also wants in, so I know we have plenty of contenders. And I am positive Secret Agent Mama's chefs would do this again as well! "Of course it was a fake foam knife, what are you talking about?" ;)
okay, now i'm totally craving pizza with mac n cheese and mushrooms and broccoli. remind me to stop reading about your guys' adventures for about 8 more months.
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[BusyDad] It was whole wheat crust :) All good stuff!
How fun is that! Sm and I haven't done Iron Chef yet - although we LOVE to watch it. We have created a cooking show...Cooking with Sean...and have created some videos of it.
You are such a great, creative Dad.
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[BusyDad] That is awesome! Is it on your site? And you should totally jump into the kid's Iron Chef circuit. Mishi and I are gathering submissions!
As always BD, you deliver the laughs.
But I think this is concrete evidence that you need to get out there and find a job! ;-)
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[BusyDad] :) All Play and No Work Makes BD a Fun Boy
I love your Iron Chef a la Fury style posts. I just want to know, does your chairman take a big bite of the pepper and then smile really cheesy??? That's my favorite part of Iron Chef.
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[BusyDad] Haha yes indeed. And don't forget the loving gaze. I don't think a pepper has ever felt so appreciated.
MAN! You are like the coolest dad EVAH! My daughter helped me with dinner yesterday but it wasn't nearly as comical...we did the boring steak and potatoe thing....I'm thinking I'll have to jazz it up next time!
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[BusyDad] Aw shucks... just keeping myself entertained, that's all. Hey, I mentioned this in other comments, but Secret Agent Mama and I are coordinating other battles. Your daughter is free to jump in! I am all for encouraging the love (and fun) of cooking.
For anyone out there... My chefs are totally up for it! Email me at secretagentmama at gmail dot com!!
I've already got one in the pre-works with my chefs against Mr Lady's.
BD: We are innovators. Interblog cooking challenges. THE....Possibilites....
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[BusyDad] Crazy. Fun. Mommytime also wants in, as well as Miss. We've got ourselves a real circuit here. I fear Mr. Lady's kids because she has some REAL SKILLZ in the kitchen.
Oh and Jimmy... You should try to make it with ground turkey and low fat cheese. Shouldn't be "bad" that way. xxoo (d Wife, no disrespect; those xxoo's are yours and Fury's, too)
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[BusyDad] Great idea! And I'll pass along an x and o :)
Holy Hell! I'm not going to let my girls see this post-they would be so jealous! A torch AND a huge knife-they would LOVE to get their little mitts on those...they'll want you to adopt them.
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[BusyDad] Haha - Maybe instead of getting a job, I should just open up a kiddie Iron Chef Academy? Knives and torches for all!! You'd have to sign a waiver...