Class is in session in the Chopped kitchen! Four school cafeteria chefs compete to raise awareness about the importance of good meals for kids. With White House chef Sam Kass as a guest judge, the ladies seek to make a big impression with their first dishes, made with dill pickles and canned tuna. Then in the entrée round, quinoa is a new ingredient for two out of the three chefs. Will they be able to take something unknown and create something great? The two finalists pour their hearts into making fantastic desserts that include grapes and cream cheese. And an emotional victory brings an incredible competition to its conclusion.
Time starts now! In the first round the chefs try to figure out how to make a pretty fruit work with two different seafood ingredients. And the judges wonder how the chefs' unique experiences will come into play. Then, time is not on the competitors' side in the entrée round. Two competitors are unhappy that they undercooked one of the mystery ingredients, while the other chef says it was a deliberate choice to have undercooked a second basket item. And in the dessert round, a Chopped first: soup in the mystery basket! There is no way to make borscht desserts boring. But will they be good?
It's a tale of two dinners at the Drummond Ranch — one for the kids and one for the grownups. The kids are tucking into Baked Ziti, while Ree makes Rib-Eye Steaks With Cowboy Butter, Baked Potatoes with all the fixin's and Cheddar Bacon Wedge Salad for the adults. It's all followed by gooey and decadent Molten Chocolate Cakes and of course, some ranch pranks!
From Istanbul to Hong Kong, Paris to Dubai, London to Bangkok, Chef Michael Lewis has spent decades gathering experience, lessons, and knowledge from the world's most exciting culinary centers. But it all started at home, in the good old United States.After graduating from the Culinary Institute of America, Lewis immediately began intense, on-the-ground training with David Bouley at Bouley and Bouley Bakery and Eric Ripert at Le Bernardin, where he built on the classical cooking techniques he'd developed in school. He was only 25 when he was elevated to Chef de Cuisine at Jean-Georges, one of just a few American restaurants boasting three Michelin stars at that time. "I learned the business side of running a restaurant from Jean-Georges," Lewis says, by helping the chef open several restaurants, including locations in Paris and the Bahamas.But Lewis has learned just as much from his international travels as he has from his technical education and brilliant mentors. "I have spent over 10 years trying to travel as much as possible — seeing, tasting and experiencing everything from the cheapest street food in Asia to the prix fixe menus of molecular geniuses in Europe,” explains Lewis. “I thrive off of these types of food and life experiences, and the unforgettable stories that come out of them.” As co-founder and executive chef at KYU in Miami, Lewis has given free rein not only to his creativity, but also all that he's gleaned from his years of globetrotting. Strong flavors like garlic and chile play nicely with refined French cooking techniques, while wood-fired Asian dishes get a surprising touch of elegance from delicate micro greens. His inventive, incredibly delicious dishes for Panna, from deep-fried kale leaves to red snapper basted with an indulgent miso brown butter, are unlike anything you've ever tried before—and have to be tasted to be believed.Michael's Restaurant:KYU (Miami, FL)
For the first time, four talented women set out to claim the title of Chopped Champion. But one chef's dream is squashed by her kabocha and sardines appetizer. In the entree round, when the chefs take too long getting the beef cooking, the judges worry that the food will not be ready to serve. In the end, when two super sweet childhood favorites appear in the dessert basket, will the final dishes leave the judges nostalgic or nauseous?
They're family by marriage, and teammates in this competition: Pairs of mothers and daughters-in-law are taking over the Chopped Kitchen. In the appetizer round, a boozy accessory and a standard leftover are part of the challenge. In the entree round, the remaining teams find odd eggs and mashed potatoes in the baskets. And a subtropical fruit and a gooey bread are two of the surprise ingredients that the final teams must conquer in their desserts.
Four chefs aim to create dishes at the highest level as they cook Thai-inspired meals in the culinary tightrope act called Chopped. In the appetizer round, a mishap and a time management issue put the chefs' ability to finish their chicken feet plates in jeopardy. A colorful entrée basket includes some pretty purple dumplings. Then, in the dessert round, a competitor must juggle two simultaneous snafus. Will the last round of this Thai-inspired feast end in disaster?
The judges seize the opportunity to cook together after hours in the Chopped Kitchen, and in round one they attempt to tame down the sweetness of some sugary kid favorites. Churros are transformed and champagne bottles popped in a goofy round two that has Alex Guarnaschelli and Marc Murphy tackling ingredients from a celebrity tournament finale. Once Scott Conant perfects his hairstyle, he's ready to join in for the final round, featuring a whole suckling pig.
Four chefs with incredible weight-loss stories charge into the Chopped Kitchen to compete. In the first mystery basket they find a fatty protein that challenges them to stick to their healthier-food philosophies. In the entree round, there's a fish to breakdown and a snack food to transform. And when the final two physically fit competitors dash into the dessert round, the judges watch eagerly to see if their angel food cake creations will be heavenly.