On a typical weekend, the Food Network serves up four hourlong helpings of "Iron Chef," the campy cook-off show from Japan that approximates what would happen if you folded Julia Child into an hour of World Championship Wrestling.

In each episode, one of four regulars (each of whom carries the exalted title "Iron Chef," followed by "French," or "Italian," or whatever the chef's specialty is) battles a challenger in Kitchen Stadium in a 60-minute match that begins when the theme ingredient (most often seafood, but sometimes vegetables or other items) is revealed amid great pomp. When the cooking's over, a panel of judges evaluates dishes on taste, creativity, and presentation.

Part of the fun of watching, in addition to seeing cooking experts creating on the fly, is observing a quirky corner of Japanese culture.

The show, which has a devout following typified by the almost insanely informative Web site ironchef.com, essentially stopped filming in 1999 but is enjoying a second, subtitled-and-dubbed life in America.

Friday through Sunday, two-hour "Iron Chef" specials will run at 9 each night, including two US premieres.

Here's a rundown of the weekend:

Friday: A new show commemorating the 2,000th dish prepared by an Iron Chef. Iron Chef French Sakai Hiroyuki and Iron Chef Chinese Chen Kenichi will lead teams into battle featuring not one but three secret ingredients.

Saturday: A repeat showing of last year's battle in New York between Food Network personality and chef Bobby Flay and Iron Chef Japanese Morimoto Masaharu. When it premiered, it was the network's highest-rated special, drawing about a million viewers.

Sunday: A Flay-Morimoto rematch, this time in Japan. Despite the locale, both made their names in New York: Flay at Mesa Grill, Morimoto at Nobu.

And, for those who have watched the show and wondered, or for those who are about to tune in for the first time, here are some common questions about the program and their answers:

Q. How does a chef become an Iron Chef, anyway?

A. There's no competition. Mostly you just have to be asked.

Q. Have these chefs been on the show from the beginning?

A. No, there have been seven altogether. The show started with Iron Chefs Japanese, French, and Chinese. Italian was added later. Here's a little about them:

Q. When did they start making the show, and how many episodes are there?

A. From October '93 to October '99 they made almost 300.

Q. How many episodes have appeared on the Food Network?

A. About 70, and another half-dozen shows are in the can, dubbed and ready to go. The network is in negotations to buy more episodes from Fuji Television, the show's Japanese creators.

Q. You mean if the talks fail, we could soon be Iron Chef- starved?

A. Not necessarily. According to the New York Post, the UPN network plans to shoot a special to air around Labor Day and may well make it a series after that.

Q. Is it really true that the chefs have no idea what the theme ingredient will be ahead of time?

A. Sort of. They are given a list of five potential ingredients a week before, and though you don't see it on the show, they get five minutes to devise their plans before diving in, while cameras are being repositioned.

Q. What's with the host? Isn't he kind of weird?

His name is Takeshi Kaga, and he's the only actor on the show. With his frills, sequins, and dramatics, he plays up the show's premise that he's a wealthy, eccentric gourmand who pits his stable of chefs against challengers for his amusement.

Q. So he's playing a fictional role but goes by his real name?

A. You got it.

Q. Why is Kaga's dialogue subtitled when everyone else's is dubbed?

A. He was dubbed, too, in the first episodes adapted for American audiences, but the show's owner decided the voice was wrong and opted not to seek a replacement.

Q. If they do make an American version, who would play Kaga's part?

A. Let's see: He'd be quirky, he'd be able to negotiate alien terrain, and he'd have to have plenty of time on his hands . . . yup, William Shatner.

Note: The data and details in this story come from ironchef.com and the Food Network.

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