The words “Will you reign supreme?” and “The secret ingredient is…” are something quite common in our home every night. I am completely glued to the TV when Iron Chef America is on Food Network.

Although it’s high-energy reality TV for me, it’s more about what that secret ingredient is, and how it’s worked into five dishes by two iron chefs in just one hour.

I try imagine what I would come up with on a home-cook level, and am always totally inspired by the teams’ creations. I learn so much through their technique and clever food combinations – especially the plating.

Recently, in the catfish challenge, a chef deconstructed parts of the fish, using the cheeks, throat, belly and tail in different cooking techniques. Before he began filleting at an intensely high speed, he painted the entire fish with squid ink and used that to stamp the imprint on paper. He then proceeded to plate each prepared portion appropriately.

In another challenge, tofu was the hero, including tofu skin, which was imaginatively used as the casing for dim sum. The skin is basically what’s formed when boiling soya milk; it’s then dried into yellowish sheets. Other creations include noodles made from haddock, sea urchin ice cream, and spiny lobster poutine. There always seems to be an overriding amount of Asian tastes throughout the challenges, and the ideas are endless.

I am the ultimate fan.

Abigail