Iron Chef America

Those of you who've tuned into the Food Network at all in recent days might have heard that the last season of The Next Iron Chef: Super Chefs has just wrapped, and a new champion has emerged victorious out of the star-studded (and highly competitive) lineup.

That would be Geoffrey Zakarian, guest judge of Food Network's Chopped and chef and owner of The National and The Lambs Club in New York City and Tudor House in Miami.

I had a chance to catch up with the chef over the phone, where he revealed his thoughts on why he won, how he hopes to set himself apart from the others on Iron Chef America, and what he always makes for the holidays.

YumSugar: You had a very serious expression on your face when the final outcome was revealed. What was your first thought when they announced you as the winner?
Geoffrey Zakarian: Well, they actually didn't call my name, which was sort of confusing, because whenever anyone got kicked off, they would actually say, "You will not be the next Iron Chef." But I was stunned, shocked, and relieved; there was a real sense of accomplishment.

Zakarian on his toughest Next Iron Chef moments, and his upcoming Kitchen Stadium challenges, after the jump.

If you've been tuning into the suspense that's The Next Iron Chef, then you might've heard there's a new toque ready to ward off challengers at Kitchen Stadium: New York chef Marc Forgione. On Sunday's finale, Forgione duked it out with Italian maestro Marco Canora in Battle: Honor, a challenge to create an Iron Chef-worthy Thanksgiving meal in 60 minutes. Forgione walked away with the title after executing a five-course, turkey-free meal that was modeled after the provisions eaten at the Pilgrims' very first Thanksgiving.

We caught up with the newly crowned Iron Chef the morning after his win, where he spilled the beans about everything from insights to hangups about the show. His thoughts on unfair eliminations, Kitchen Stadium, and more, after the break.

Is it Friday yet? That's what we've been asking ourselves every single morning. Sadly, the answer is no, but we've got a midafternoon amusement that'll remedy the worst of the weekday slumps.

Today we caught wind of a video on Eater that's so brilliant we had to watch it multiple times — and so funny we wanted to make sure you saw it.

Ever wondered what it would be like to put all of Iron Chef America's secret ingredient proclamations in a video together? Yeah, we hadn't either — but the result, as it turns out, is ingenious. See the video after the jump.

Masaharu Morimoto's cooking demo in Aspen was exactly that: a demonstration. To be more specific, it was a mind-blowing demonstration of how stupefyingly skilled he is in the kitchen.

The Iron Chef began by making a fried fish cake noodle soup, first puréeing white fish with egg whites, potato starch, and soy, then piping the tacky, moist mousse into simmering fish broth to form udon-like noodles, which were finished with a flash-fry in vegetable oil.

But the real show began when Morimoto pulled out his mad Japanese knife techniques to create the most stunning sashimi platter that I've ever seen. Read more about it after the jump.

Last week, before heading to Aspen for the Food & Wine Classic I spoke to chef Cat Cora, who is currently on tour promoting her third cookbook, Classics With a Twist. Although she is a restaurant owner, chef, cookbook author, and television star, Cora is also the busy mother of four boys. In fact, the petite chef was nine months pregnant when she shot the cover photo of the book! To find out what Cora has to say about competing on Iron Chef America and see her tips for cooking with children, read more.

If you've been watching season two of The Next Iron Chef, then you already know that last night, a new Iron Chef was crowned. The two finalists — New York's Jehangir Mehta and Philadelphia's Jose Garces — flew back to Manhattan after a whirlwind trip in Tokyo to compete in Kitchen Stadium for the final showdown. Get the scoop (warning: spoilers ahead!) when you read more.

• Chef Eric Ripert brings his cool cuisine to PBS. — W
• Top Chef season two winner Ilan Hall has finally opened The Gorbals, a restaurant in Los Angeles. — Eater LA
• Meet Brooklyn's new backyard farms. — Serious Eats
• Moving past the burn: how to taste spirits. — Chow
• The chairman from Iron Chef America will compete in the upcoming season of Dancing With the Stars. — Eat Me Daily
• Tips for cooking on college campuses. — The Epi-Log