Known for its flamboyant dubbing, costumes and absurd premise, Iron Chef transformed cooking into entertainment. Liaw remembers a show he loved as a teenager – and how it has influenced his own

Netflix has announced the return of Iron Chef to our streaming screens later this year and, as a superfan of the godfather of blockbuster cooking shows, I’m excited.

The original series, Ryōri no Tetsujin (literally “Ironmen of Cooking”), aired in Japan for nearly 300 episodes across seven seasons between 1993 and 1999. It was one of the first Japanese series to be broadcast globally and became a cult classic notable for its flamboyant dubbing and uniquely absurd premise.