Kids competing to become Iron Chef

     You don't have to be a certain age to get the title of Iron Chef, this year their has been many TV shows of kids ages 8-12 from all over the nation competing for the title of Iron Chef.  The kids create healthy, delicious, and creative dishes for the judges and they are judged on creativity, appearance, and taste.  The winner of the competition gets the title of Junior Iron Chef, and a scholarship to any culinary school they choose.
      If you've seen shows like Iron Chef of America or Chopped, you know how difficult it is to create something from scratch with the ingredients given to you.  The kids are under a ton of pressure, and it's not easy to create something within a certain time.  Planning and speed are two important factors that those kids have to know and master in order to win the competition.  In order to be in the competition you have to be chosen, you apply for the competition and the judges look to see if you have potential and then you're selected to be in the competition.  It's hard to get in, but harder to stay in.  I think it's great how cooking channels are giving the opportunity for kids to compete and cook, I think it's a great experience for those passionate young cooks who want to be a chef one day.  Of course being in the competition is competitive and it gets emotional sometimes.  Getting eliminated is the worst thing for those kids and they might feel like a failure.  However I think the most important thing for the kids in the competition is that they've  learned something new that they didn't know a clue about walking into the competition. 
     I think the best part of the competition is the judges interaction with the kids.  Chefs like Rachel Ray, and Gordon Ramsay teach the kids to become a better cook one on one, teaching them skills as well as giving them tips on perfecting their dishes. 
     Some of the dishes that the kids made were just incredible, it looked really good, they were creative with their dish, and I was just surprised that a kid could create something so unique from nothing.  Those kids are definitely passionate about cooking and enjoy cooking, and I think that they are doing a great job.