Earlier today, Joanne gave you the results of the Food Network Awards, and now chef/writer/adventurer Anthony Bourdain gives his opinion of the ceremony.

Bourdain hasn't been shy in giving his opinion on what he thinks has become of the Food Network (too much focus on "star" chefs, bad food being cooked, an emphasis on too many things that have nothing to do with cooking, etc), and he has some choice words for the awards show:

Warning: The post below contains spoilers, so if you TiVo'd last night's "Iron Chef America" and don't want to know who won, I suggest you stop reading now.

Last night, the oddest battle in the history of Kitchen Stadium took place, a battle of the Food Network All-Stars that pit Mario Batali and Rachael Ray against Bobby Flay and Giada de Laurentiis. The theme ingredient was cranberries. It seemed to take Rachael and Mario several minutes to find their groove, with Rachael seeming to get flustered and Mario looking a little impatient, although the pair seemed to have the dishes they would do divided up already. It looked like things started out very smoothly for Bobby and Giada, on the other hand, who both appeared focused. As time wore on, however, Rachael adapted more and more to the kitchen and the pressure of the time began to affect Giada's performance. Bobby did his usual good work, but unfortunately, the judges weren't as impressed with Giada's plates as they were with Rachael's -- although it probably didn't hurt that Mario bribed them all with cranberry Bellini's halfway through the competition!

From the fact that both women seemed a bit stressed out at the end of the cooking period, it seems as though neither would be eager to return to the stadium. If the Food Network is thinking of doing another All-Star battle, however, how about Ina Garten vs. Paula Deen?

At the beginning of the year, we mentioned that a special celebrity chef episode of Iron Chef America would be airing in fall and it looks like the week has finally arrived! This Sunday's episode of Iron Chef America will feature both Rachael Ray and Giada de Laurentiis, pairing Rachael with Mario Batali and Giada with Bobby Flay, in what is sure to be an interesting showdown, to say the least.

Who will win the battle of food network personalities? Rachael is primarily self taught and most of her cooking experience comes from actually teaching others to cook, aside from a stint as the chef at Cowan & Lobel market in Albany, New York. Giada, on the other hand, studied at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris and worked at several well-known restaurants, including Spago in Los Angeles, before starting a catering company. This isn't to say that all professionally trained chefs will do better than home schooled ones, but it is the really high-end, innovative dishes that "wow" the judges on ICA and it seems like Giada would be more likely to turn them out than Rachael. Bobby and Mario will have a big part in this two, of course, so based on previous episodes and the personalities of all four "Food Network All-Star" participants, I'm rooting for Bobby's team.

While the camera work on the show Throwdown with Bobby Flay tries to make all the contestants look shocked when Flay challenges them, I suspect that all of them would accept the challenge even if they knew about it in advance. Some, like this week's contestant, Cindy Reed Wilkins, would definitely take him up because even though Flay is a chef with decades of professional experience under his belt, she has a room full of prestigious trophies that say her chili is one of the best Texas-style chilis in the world. And as she said, you have to be competitive to be great.

The chili cookoff was interesting because it introduced the viewer to the world of cooking competition chilis, which are made according to strict rules (In fact, the rule that contestants aren't allowed to fire guns or use pyrotechnics during the compettitions just seems downright unfair) that would not be known to the average home cook. Wilkins provided some great tips on how to make a competition chili, from what kind of ingredients to use to how big to cut the chunks of beef (3/8-in.).

Cindy faced off against Flay in front of her family and a whole group of friends from the competition chili circuit. And whose chili reigned supreme after the throwdown, which was judged by professional chili judges?

There is no such thing as too much grilling. While the flavor of grilled foods is great, there are two more big reasons why people choose grilling over other cooking methods. First, grilling doesn't heat up the house when it's hot outside. Second, grilling is often lower in fat than many other preparations. This doesn't mean that it's diet food, just that it can almost always be easily incorporated into a healthy diet.

In Bobby Flay's Grilling For Life: 75 Healthier Ideas for Big Flavor from the Fire, Flay provides recipes with bold flavors and leaves out overly process ingredients (like bottled sauces), creating foods that are not only delicious, but healthy. A complete nutritional analysis accompanies each dish, so you know exactly what you're getting, and there is an emphasis on healthy foods (not diet foods), like whole grains, salmon and olive oil. Main dishes include Grilled Beef Filet With Arugula and Parmesan, Grilled Chicken Breasts Stuffed With Goat Cheese With Green Chile-Cilantro Sauce, and there are even a few grilled dessert recipes, like Grilled Apricots With Bittersweet Chocolate and Almonds, to round out a meal. The recipes are clearly written in the no-nonsense style that is in most of Flay's books, so they're easy for home grillers to follow.

After talking about Throwdown with Bobby Flay earlier this week, I couldn't resist tuning in to view the steak episode. Early on in the show, I though that Bobby was guaranteed to win; grilling steaks, and meat in general, is one of his strong suits. Then I saw the competition. Eric Dominijanni, a.k.a. Captain D, a captain in the Marine Corps stationed in the California desert knew what he was doing, not to mention that he was really fun to watch on camera.

Bobby perfected his recipe in the test kitchen and headed out to the Mojave Desert to challenge the Captain at his base. They fired up their grills and started to cook in 112°F heat. Bobby Flay got progressively redder throughout the show, either from the heat or from a sunburn, and it was pretty funny to watch, although Captain D complimented him on how well he was holding up.

Here's a spoiler: Bobby Flay actually lost the challenge, although not by much. Watch the episode when it reruns to see Bobby Flay turn (adorably) into a beet and to cheer on Captain D. You can find Bobby's almost-winning recipe here.

Update: You can find Captain D's famous Hot and Tangy Marinade recipe here (Thanks, Tony C!).

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More throwdowns:

• Chowder and Wedding Cake throwdowns
• The chili throwdown

Most chefs are very proud of what they do. They are used to working under a lot of pressure and the best chefs are the ones who thrive under it. Pressure and pride make a fiercely competitive person, whether they're competing to prove to themselves that they can do better or they're trying to prove it to others. We've seen aspects of this on Top Chef, but these elements are what make the Food Network's new show, Throwdown with Bobby Flay, work.

The premise is this: Bobby Flay goes around and finds someone who is the best (or one of the best) at what they do. He challenges them to "throw down" and compete in a one-on-one culinary competition to see who can make the best product. The competitions are judged by different "experts" in each show.

In all honesty, I didn't expect the show to be any good. But it was.

• Food & Wine went to 50 cities around the world and compiled their list of the 376 hottest restaurants in the world.
• Chef Bobby Flay is in love with Savannah, Georgia.
• Pete Wells searches for the world's best chocolate.
• Marcia Kiesel looks for the best home cooking in Vietnam.
• Recipes in the May issue include: Minted Pea Soup with Smoked Salmon, Farro and Green Bead Salad, Corn and Goat Cheese Grits, Scottish Beef Stew, and for dessert, Bananas in Coffee Bean Syrup.