IronChef Onion (with pics)

[Mermade]

I can't start the thread to gauge IC interest as I don't have thread-starting privileges. It would probably make sense for Mrs. Utah to start it, as the original 2+2 Iron Chef in OOT was her brain child. Please though someone make it so.

[raptor517]

wowwww this looks sick. wish i could cook, would be awesome to be able to make stuff like this.

[BK_]

I am also very jealous that you found such a good fishmonger / butcher. That salmon and those pork chops looks insane. How much per pound for each ? Where do you live?

[El Diablo]

M,

"I can't start the thread to gauge IC interest as I don't have thread-starting privileges"

You were added long ago, my friend!

[ElSapo]

I think it might be helpful to think about why the OOT IC died out (it did, right, it's not that I've been missing it?), before starting the same thing again...

I don't really have a reason to give you, or rather, I'm sure there are lot's of different ones.

Part of it is photography. I actually have a background in photography and feel like some of my stuff looks ok, but I also felt outclassed and that definitely gave an edge to some people and no chance to others.

Creativity - I never felt like this was rewarded.

Structure: It should either be more or less structured, if that makes sense.

I'm an overly competitive guy, so this sort of thing (a) really interests me; and (b) usually ends up frustrating me. These were just some of my thoughts during the OOT Iron Chef challenges. I hope it doesn't come off as any sort of sour grapes. I really enjoyed participating, but also found it frustrating.

[SamIAm]

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There is nothing wrong with a Gibson as a drink except that it is run of the mill

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Absolutely. I really just threw-together the drink at the last moment. It was mostly a fun afterthought to the appetizer.

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I am also very jealous that you found such a good fishmonger / butcher. That salmon and those pork chops looks insane. How much per pound for each ? Where do you live?

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I'm sorry I don't remember the $/lb for the two meats. I do remember that the chops were $50 for the four and the salmon was $50 for enough lox for that dinner, Sunday's brunch, and Monday & Tuesday's dinner. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img] It wasn't cheap but, even on a grad student salary, good meat is a nice thing to splurge on. I'm a fan of local food and farm (instead of factory) meat. Having a great butcher/fishmonger helps with that a lot.

My butcher is Sawicki's, in Decatur, GA. I used to buy my meat from the local international market, but got really sick of their crummy, apathetic meat department. I witnessed a few labeling lies, and just got generally bad service. I really like that at Sawicki's, the woman fabricating my pork chop is Lynne Sawicki. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

Anybody in the Decatur/Atlanta area should check it out. When she moved in a few months ago, I was really worried about the store's survival (so bought too much meaty goodness), but she's definitely building more customers and seems here to stay. (And yet I still buy too much meaty goodness...)

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IC

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I think that an important change is that we should have more time between entries. Something like a whole month. The 2-week pace last time was a little frenzied, and died out when the posters couldn't keep up. I'd rather posters forget about IC for a few days between updates than they get tired of constant posts.

The photo-unfairness is a big issue, but I don't think there's any getting around it. I happen to not get as competitive as others, but I do admit that I bought a dinky $8 tripod just for food. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

[shemp]

BK, you might be able to find grass fed beef (and other) locally where you basically buy a 1/2 or 1/4 (or large quantity). If that is too much for your freezer maybe you can do it with a friend. For seafood I just widen my tastes and experimenting to non luxury items -- and occasionally, and where applicable in-season, splurge on more expensive stuff.

I would get moving on the beef, as I think(?) a lot of slaughtering is done about in June...

OOPS: Awesome stuff Sam

[Mrs. Utah]

[ QUOTE ]

I think that an important change is that we should have more time between entries. Something like a whole month. The 2-week pace last time was a little frenzied, and died out when the posters couldn't keep up. I'd rather posters forget about IC for a few days between updates than they get tired of constant posts.

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I agree that the frequency of the contests is what led, in part, to the end of IC-OOT.
I know that toward the end-around last Easter-when I was talking to people it was a timing thing.


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The photo-unfairness is a big issue, but I don't think there's any getting around it. I happen to not get as competitive as others, but I do admit that I bought a dinky $8 tripod just for food. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

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I know that the photography has always been a sticky issue and like you Sam am not sure how to get around that either.

I have always liked the secret ingredient format-either chosen by the challenge winner or in a forum poll.
I know I have said this before but I also think that allowing published as well as original recipes may open things up to a lot more people.

ElSapo,

What sort of format would be less frustrating to you?
You definitely raised the bar in the contests.

[El Diablo]

Utah, Sapo:

Let's use this thread for IC discussion leading into a contest, but no need to belabor the discussions.

Once we get rolling, prior to judging I'll make some arbitrary decisions regarding how to reward creativity and level the playing field re: photography.

One month seems like a good length, but we can adjust as necessary.

[ElSapo]

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I know I have said this before but I also think that allowing published as well as original recipes may open things up to a lot more people.

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I didn't even know this was some sort of a rule. The idea that you have to make your own recipe is silly, especially with the internet providing thousands of recipes, sometimes thousands of recipes for a single ingredient.

There will always be repetition of ideas and ingredients and presentation. In school we were taught that you needed to change 25% of the recipe to claim it as your own but this always seemed like an arbitrary and token figure, seeing as it makes no distinction as to 25% of what -- ingredients, volume or weight.