Tasty treat: Pte Chris Johansson, 1HSB, displays his team’s offerings in the Iron Chef competition.

Photo by Cpl Cameron Jamieson, Army newspaper

Unveiling the rat pack
Iron Chef cook-up

By Cpl Cameron Jamieson

SOME soldiers will tell you that it takes an iron stomach to live on ration pack food. Others will tell of how the humble “rat pack” can be the inspiration for an iron-class battle.

The Anzac Field Hospital in Banda Aceh recently issued a challenge for an international Iron Chef cooking competition. Two Australian and two New Zealand teams accepted the challenge and the date was set for culinary destiny.

From the contents of a one-day ration pack the twoperson teams raced against the clock to create cuisine magic – some succeeded, some didn’t.

Task Force commander Brig Dave Chalmers was on hand to join the judging, and from the expression on his face when test-tasting, there were clearly some chefs who were more of a hazard than a help in the kitchen.

The race for the Iron Chef trophy was hotly contested as the hexamine stoves blazed and Tabasco sauce was used in ways the manufacturer never dreamed.

Old favourites, such as train smash, to new secrets, such as chocolate powder in the risotto, were tried and tasted. However, there could be only one winner, and that was the Aussie Two duo of Pte Lyle Filer and Capt Brett Courtney.

Their winning menu of Soup de Chicken, Risotto Banda and Chocolate Aceh was just too good. Or perhaps the others were that bad.