This is a long recap, guys. It was unavoidable. I'd say go get something to eat, then settle in. First off, I'm starting to wonder if "The Next Iron Chef" is deliberately edited to irritate me (and you guys, of course). This was yet another week when we didn't see enough of the judging to understand the elimination. But I'll get to that.

So, they're cooking airplane food, just like on "Top Chef." Adam Roberts, a.k.a. The Amateur Gourmet, writes the official Food Network blog for the show. He says that "The Next Iron Chef" had probably already taped their airplane food episode when the relevant "Top Chef" episode aired. So that leaves Food Network with egg on their faces (ha ha) and no real choice but to air the episode anyway.

The first fifteen minutes of the show were deadly dull. There was lots of stilted conversation between the four remaining chefs as they hung out at the airport, then we cut to a bizarre "Unwrapped"-like segment about how airplane food is made. Nice product placement, eh? Chris Cosentino was obviously feeling the heat during prep time. He had to tell the cameramen to back up off him. Repeatedly. Oh, and Michael Symon couldn't figure out how to use Saran Wrap. Awwwww. Then there was a food truck race straight out of "Kid Nation."

Symon's trouble with the Saran Wrap speaks to the problem all of the chefs had with this challenge: they're not used to making food that's going to be refrigerated and then reheated. Ever. Out of the four chefs, only Symon takes advantage of the fact that "reheating" will take place in a 250 degree mini-oven on board the plane. He sears his salmon during prep time then cooks it through on the plane, rather than merely reheating it. Let's get to the food.

Cosentino is up first with the judges. He's got a vitello tonnato, white asparagus with lobster gastrique, and a loin of venison served over cauliflower. None of his dishes look so hot. Ruhlmann gets pretty snippy with him over the cauliflower, saying it's practically raw. The judges seem to feel there are way too many chives in the asparagus and lobster dish, but that it's also underseasoned. Cosentino looks sad. I would too.

John Besh was the next up. He started with lobster salad in a watermelon consomme. It looked good and it tasted good, but Ruhlmann got on his case about the broth not being consomme because it wasn't clear. I was actually amused by this burst of finicky immaturity from the normally laid-back Ruhlmann. Not clear? Dude, have you ever eaten soup from Big Boy, or maybe a diner? Not clear? Live a little. Besh also used the white asparagus for a salad, made baby lamb with spaetzle (which looked sooo good) and finished with fresh fruit and madeira sabayon for dessert. He shouldn't have bothered with the dessert. Does anyone actually like sabayon? Especially madeira sabayon. Yuck.

Aaron Sanchez was up third.  He started with scallop ceviche "cooked" in coconut milk. Donatella really liked that one. Next he had a skin-on red snapper. The skin was mushy from being reheated. None of the judges liked it. Aaron finished with grilled sirloin over a bed of pureed celery root, and it got rave reviews. Michael Symon was last up to bat. He started with a tuna crudo. Raw fish. Bold, but smart. His next dish was the salmon, and he finished with curry-crusted venison.

Symon was declared the winner and it was easy to see why. He alone adapted to the low heat/reheat situation on the plane. The medium is the message, right? It's less clear to me why Aaron Sanchez got booted. From what we saw of the judging, it would seem that Cosentino should have been axed: the judges didn't like anything he made, whereas two of Sanchez's dishes were deemed successful. Obviously there was something we didn't see. So (as usual, it's starting to seem) I turned to Michael Ruhlmann's blog:

"Chris's crunchy cauliflower and Aaron's nasty fish skin hurt them.  Neither prepared dishes with the muscle Besh and Symon did.  We had an hour between when we actually delivered a verdict and Knowlton argued vociferously, actually taking me by the lapels and slamming me against a concrete wall way in the back of the hangar. He was persuasive. They were so close in fact that I had to take their overall performance into account. In the end, we all wrote down our choices and handed them to Alton, and it was unanimous.  Chef Schmitt did not judge but his comments and opinions were very important to our evaluation."

It seems like Aaron Sanchez was in "one more chance" territory and didn't manage to wiggle his way out. So, we're down to three. If I was a gambler I'd put money on Symon to win it, but we'll just have to see.

- Posted by Kate