I tried to cook like a Benihana chef and it was harder than I expected

• Benihana is famous for their chefs' teppanyaki cooking tricks like bouncing eggs, tossing shrimp, and creating a flaming onion volcano.
• We visited their flagship location to learn what it takes to be a Benihana chef.
• We learned how to make signature dishes like Benihana's chicken fried rice as well as how to execute some of their coolest tricks.

Following is a transcript of the video.

Irene: If you've been to a Benihana, you know that the chef is the star of the show. We decided to find out
just how hard it is to be a teppanyaki cooking master. I mean, what could go wrong?

What it takes to be a Benihana chef

Irene: I'm here today at Benihana with Chef Andrey who's gonna be teaching me how to be a Benihana chef.

Chef Andrey: Yes, are you ready?

Irene: I don't know, I'm a little scared. How long have you been a Benihana chef?

Chef: Since 8 o'clock in the morning. I'm kidding. I was working for the company six years.

Irene: How long did it take you to become a Benihana chef?

Chef: So Benihana program is three months. You can become the chef, but to full experience, to have good tricks, you need to have like a year.

Irene: A year, wow, OK. Is there a dish that everyone really gets excited about?

Chef: Oh, I would say the Benihana signature is chicken fried rice.

Irene: Is that your favorite to make, or?

Chef: Yes, because a lot of tricks, a lot of jokes you can make.

Irene: Nice, and do you have a favorite trick?

Chef: I would say hat trick. So you can flip, you can toss very well. You can sometimes, it can drop.

Irene: Wow, is that your best trick?

Chef: We'll see.

Irene: You think you're gonna be able to teach me how to do it?

Chef: You'll do it.

Irene: Ready to teach me?

Chef: Yes, I do ready.

Irene: All right, let's go.

Chef: Let's do it.

Irene: I have to adjust it, my head's too big.

Trick 1: Shrimp toss

Chef: So I'll take three.

Irene: OK.

Chef: And you'll take three. Put on the oil. Here we go.

Irene: All right.

Chef: Now, we're gonna...

Irene: Off to a strong start, oh no what's happening?

Chef: Pull it and flip it over.

Irene: I can do that.

Chef: Here we go. Put it together.

Irene: OK.

Chef: So take it, cut off.

Irene: OK.

Chef: Cut in the middle.

Irene: Take one.

Chef: Take one, cut off the tail.

Irene: OK.

Chef: Move it.

Irene: Move it, middle.

Chef: Twice in the middle.

Irene: OK.

Chef: Cut in half, this way.

Irene: OK.

Chef: This way. Here we go, push it. Good, so while appetizer is cooking, we're gonna play
with the shrimp tails.

Irene: OK, we're gonna play with the tails?

Chef: Yes.

Irene: OK.

Chef: Here we go.

Irene: What am I doing wrong here?

Chef: Nothing wrong.

Irene: Nothing?

Chef: Just do that, like force it. Force it up. Yeah.

Irene:Oh!

Chef: Here we go, you've got it. It's OK, just throw in your hat.

Irene: Yes!

Chef: Good job.

Trick 2: Onion volcano and train

Chef: So the onion, you have
to separate the parts. And just put it back over. Just rebuild it.

Irene: Stack it back on top?

Chef: Yeah.

Irene: Oh man, how do you not break it?

Chef: Let me show you the trick.

Irene: Yeah.

Chef: So if you do it at front, you have control and you see where you're putting them.

Chef: Choo choo!

Trick 3: Egg roll and toss

Chef: We're gonna do egg roll.

Irene: Egg roll, OK.

Chef: You spin it, kind of like that. It's OK, help you out.

Irene: This might just be the hardest thing. Oh, my God, OK.

Chef: You get it?

Irene: I think it's stuck. It's traveling.

Chef: It's OK. So now I'm gonna toss the egg. Get it? Now your turn.

[egg breaks]

Chef: Yes!

Trick 4: Beating heart fried rice

Chef: Now we have to mix up all ingredients together. Right in the middle, mix it up. Go at it, yeah. We might hire you.

Irene: Ooh.

Chef: So now we're gonna just season it. Wanna try? Yeah, making noise!

Off camera: Try it again, Irene.

Chef: Hold like this.

Irene: I'm going to hold it like that?

Chef: Yeah, and make noise. There you go. OK, now we're gonna shape the heart.

Irene: A heart.

Chef: First of all, we have to make triangle.

Irene: OK.

Chef: Mhm. All rice together. Here we go.

Irene: Wow, we have a heart.

Chef: Benihana heartbeat.

Bonus round: Rice bowl toss

Chef: Hold it, kind of towards to you.

Irene: OK, you know what, we're just gonna...

[bowl breaks]

Off camera: Oh, she warned us.

Irene: So how do you think I did?

Chef: You did a great job.

Irene: Did I?

Chef:Yes, you did.

Irene: Time to say goodbye...

Chef: Arigato.

Irene: Arigato.