Valerie Bertinelli is focusing on burgers, working on new recipe ideas and challenging herself to come up with new twists. Her efforts include Salmon Sliders with Spicy Quick Pickled Vegetables, Buffalo Chicken Sliders with Celery Blue Cheese Slaw and Lamb Burgers with Charred Tomatoes and Feta. For fun, she also makes a Hot Fudge Milkshake.
For the first time in Chopped history, kid competitors have a chance at becoming a Chopped judge! In the first competition, judged by Amanda Freitag, Alex Guarnaschelli and Marc Murphy, a burger theme shapes what the kids must cook. For the appetizer round, they have to use an unusual popsicle and a small egg delicacy. The entree round delivers straightforward burger meat, but with a sweet oniony condiment. Then, the remaining kid cooks must figure out how to make burger-inspired desserts using a cured meat ingredient and fresh fruit.
In week four of this intense invitational, the remaining all-stars must conquer Guy Fieri's twisted list games. First, they must make a comfort classic featuring the mishmash of items on Guy's grocery list. The chef who cooks the best dish wins $10,000 and a guaranteed spot in the finale, but the other three chefs must battle for survival by making their best burger and fries. Unfortunately, Guy hands them a list of traditional burger and fry ingredients that are off limits. The chef who makes the least successful burger plate is eliminated.