By Frazier Moore
The Associated Press

So much to gain! So little to lose! That's the message at Food Network, which promotes cooking and eating as a source of rich reward with negligible risk.

So what, if your souffle falls? YOU'RE still standing! Or in the words of Food Network President Judy Girard: "Most dishes are hard to screw up, so have courage. It will probably turn out fine."

A few months into its second decade, the network has dined out with this recipe in genres that include how-to series along with travel (FoodNation with Bobby Flay), makeovers (Ultimate Kitchens), deconstructive analysis (Good Eats), Dweezil Zappa and Lisa Loeb just digging food while they hang out (Dweezil & Lisa), and even game shows.

The latter is represented this weekend by Iron Chef America, a cooking duel that's campy, suspenseful - and mouth-watering. The bouts air today at 10 p.m., then Sunday at 9 and 10 p.m.

Based on the Japanese classic, Iron Chef America will pit domestic chefs Flay, Mario Batali and Wolfgang Puck against Iron Chef champs Masaharu Morimoto and Hiroyuki Sakai.

In Battle 1, can challenger Flay, whose specialty is Southwestern cuisine, lay a kitchen mitt on Sakai and his French fare? It's a 60-minute match to see which chef can whip up the better five-course feast - and do it just moments after learning the mandatory theme ingredient. When the clock runs out, celebrity judges pick the winner.