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Answers: For me is amazing that when the chairman says the secret ingredient is: Venison (for example) the chef and the sous chef and all the team looks like the already know what they are going to cook, and the things they need, etc. So is the secret ingredient a "fake" and they already have chosen the iron chef who will compete against the new chef and also they already know what dishes they are going to make?

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Remember, you're watching an edited, taped show. There's lots of planning, prep and cooking that goes on that you never see. Watching water come to boil or Ingredient X bake would be b-o-r-i-n-g. The Master Chef would determine his menu with his Sous & Line Chefs for the game plan, and then off to prep they go.

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They improvise. I think they find out the secret ingredient a bit before it looks like they do. I've seen a special on Behind the Scenes at Food Network and if I remember correctly, they find out the ingredient a bit before it's officially unveiled. They also have 45 minutes after they're done cooking to get everything 'plated'.

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I believe there is some time between revealing the secret ingredient and when they have to start cooking, in which the chef plans what to cook and instructs the team. The show is highly edited, you'll notice that the set cooking time is not shown in real time either.

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They are told 3 hours before the show what the secret ingredient is, I heard that on some food network show.

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I think they must know the ingredient because they don't talk about what they're going to make. They just start cooking. How do the sous chefs know what to do if they chef hasn't given them any instructions?

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