Need secret ingredient for Iron Chef party?

Question

For those of you who watch Iron Chef and know what I mean, What are some good suggestions for the secret ingredient for an Iron Chef home party competition I'm having? Something interesting but not so unusual that I won't be able to buy it and not massively expensive either. It doesn't have to be cheap, just not like beluga caviar expensive.

Answer 1

Octopus

Answer 2

Just about anything would be good, but I would avoid things that people are commonly allergic to like shellfish and nuts.

Answer 3

Jalapeno

Chocolate

Red Bell Pepper

White wine

Butternut Squash

Answer 4

Pomegranate!!  It's very trendy right now and it can be used in a lot of different ways.  Or you could try a different type of grain that few have tasted.  You could use quinoa or even something a simple as aramanth.  Get creative!!  (Plus some of these are much cheaper than octopus)

Answer 5

Eggplant

Answer 6

My son and I did an imprompteu iron chef challenge and "Parsley" was the secret ingredient.  We used it on scallops, pasta and you could use it in a variety of ways - like a garlic/parsley/breadcrumb herb crust on lamp chops or something.

We have fun with guessing it and making fun of it too.  How about the secret ingredient is.....:

Mint

Sourdough Bread (rounds, baguettes, sliced....)

eggs

dairy (milk, butter, marscipone cheese, cream cheese, buttermilk)

hamburger

crackers

Sounds like fun.

Answer 7

You really want something that has several variations to it:  like APPLES, with sweet red and tart green apples.  ...  If it's going to be in the Fall, apples are good, and so are SQUASH (butternut, acorn, pumpkin, etc).  .....  CORN (sweet yellow corn, white corn, popcorn, corn on the cob, cornhusks, cornmeal, corn tortillas)