Mastering the Chopped Kitchen 8 Videos
Get the judges' tips and tricks for using the machines and ingredients that stump the competitors.
Stream What You Love
Inside the Competition
The Exclusive Look 9 Photos
Get a behind-the-scenes peek into the making of Chopped.
The Best of After Hours 61 Photos
From top moments to crazy mishaps, see what happens.
Judge Exclusives
Best Reactions 36 Photos
As dramatic battles unfold, the judges can't hold back.
Loving Their Jobs 11 Photos
Each judge reveals a favorite thing about the show.
Chopped Extras
Unforgettable Cooks 9 Photos
Ted names the chefs who left the biggest mark on him.
Cooking Through the Seasons with Chopped: Spring 13 Photos
Get inspiration for cooking with these springtime foods at home.
Chopped Junior
Kid cooks take on the mystery baskets in the pintsize series.
Chopped Cookbook
Get the book with recipes inspired by the show's mystery basket ingredients.
Episodes
See Episode GuideTaco Time!
In each round of this competition, the chefs are tasked with showcasing their creative take on the taco. The judges talk tripe and mustard rabe after an exciting appetizer round. Asian sauce and a beautiful protein are in the entree basket, and the finalists bring tortillas to the sweet side with inventive desserts that include Mexican chocolate.
Horror Flick Halloween
In a Halloween-themed competition, the four chefs face ingredient baskets packed with nods to horror movies, which guest judge and actor Rose McGowan knows well. A cringeworthy surprise in the appetizer basket brings to mind a startling plot twist in a classic scary scene featuring maggots. The entree ingredients -- liver, fava beans and Chianti -- are inspired by one of the creepiest quotes in movie history, and a bubbling cauldron is a nice touch in the final basket.
Food Truck Kitchen
The Chopped Kitchen is taken over by food truck chefs, steering toward success! The first basket contains ingredients from Chinese and Greek cuisines, while a classic American street food meets a fun-to-say Korean dish in the entree basket. The two food truck chefs facing off in the dessert round work with unripe fruit and a much-loved sweet spread.
Healthy Rivalry
Four chefs are challenged to create light dishes from baskets full of nutritious surprises. In the first round, the competitors must make tasty fish dishes that include an unusual alternative carb, and two of the chefs suffer from serious time-management issues. In the entree round, a grain and a green noodle are part of the culinary puzzle, and moderation is key in a dessert round that forces the chefs to use butter and sugar in smarter, minimal ways.
Beast Feast
The competitors face off in a protein-packed battle, even featuring some fierce ingredients that are too big for the baskets. In a fast and loud appetizer round, the blenders are booming as the chefs try to make meaty appetizers with a creative touch. Then, the chefs get to choose what part of an imposing whole animal to use in their second dish. The final chefs must rise to the challenge in order to make marvelously piggy desserts.
Doughnut Dash
From kitschy classics to artisanal designer doughnuts, the chefs get a taste of it all as they celebrate delicious rings of joy in every round and feel the pressure of performing well for a demanding doughnut connoisseur, judge Martha Stewart. A box of doughnuts and a jar of a particular condiment challenge the competitors in the first round. A wild doughnut creation is the centerpiece of the entree round, and the two chefs who advance to the doughnut dessert round must make Martha proud using her own doughnut dough recipe.
A Very Piggy Halloween
Getting piggy with it for Halloween, the chefs have to cook with snouts in the first round. Then with fear in their Halloween-loving hearts, the competitors open up the second basket to find a dangerously hot ingredient and popping candy. The judges are in for a main course that is both frightening and delightfully surprising. The finalists pull out all the stops to make lollipops and cereal bars into devilishly delicious desserts.
Hot Dog Hotshots
The chefs gear up for an epic hot dog battle in a nonstop celebration of the phenomenal frankfurter. In the appetizer basket, they discover a hot dog creation that takes the prized piece of Americana to another level. A state fair treat with a twist awaits the three contenders in the entree round, and an intriguing dessert basket contains the mysterious "wieners in a quilt."
A Pretty Pickle Pizza
Is pickle pizza dill-ightful or frightful? Four chefs must sort out what to do with the unusual pie in the appetizer round. An egg-flavored snack in the second basket leads to some novel ideas for the entree plates, and there's hardly time to stop and smell the rose latte in a speedy dessert round.
Mummies and Gummies
In the first basket, a freaky gummy and a funny mummy hit on the Halloween theme. In the second round the chefs find some awfully scary offal and some more gummy goodness. When the final round rolls around, the remaining two chefs are left spinning their gears about what to do with spider webs made with pretzels and blue cheese.
Amateurs' Brawl
Four fearless home cooks put their pride on the line in the Chopped Kitchen. In the first basket, this group of awesome amateurs must transform spinach vinaigrette and chicken truffle sausages. Then in the entree round, will the chefs endeavor to be wildly creative with wild boar roast? And the finalists utilize some interesting techniques to makes something new from marshmallow chocolate cookies.
Cheap Eats
The chefs are surprised with some thrifty, yet uniquely yummy, finds in the baskets, like pork buns and Mexican street corn in the first round. The competitors must pair a pickled product with a fair favorite in their entrees, then some delectable little cakes and an odd sauce make an appearance in the last basket.
Chopped: College
Four college kids with serious cooking chops take over the Chopped Kitchen to see if they can make the grade. First, they must think of something new and delicious to do with the chicken and tomato soup in the appetizer basket, then in the entree round, they must contend with a hot drink and a frozen side dish. Finally, dessert has the last two college kids working with a tropical fruit and a tasty topping.
Bizarre Baskets!
Guest judge Andrew Zimmern is on hand in this competition filled with bizarre surprises in all the baskets. The chefs have to contend with an offbeat ice cream flavor and an unusual meat in the appetizer round. In the entree round, a shocking-looking protein must be combined with a pink veggie. And the dessert basket contains some odd eggs and a peculiar Turkish treat.
Truck Stop Stars
Four talented truck stop chefs bring their renowned take on comfort food to the Chopped Kitchen. In the first round, meatloaf mix is a pleasant surprise, but some are not very familiar with fennel. A purple veggie and a sweet drink are two of the mystery ingredients in the second round, and the finalists hope the dessert round will be easy as pie after they discover apple pie in the basket.
Weird Twist
The chefs learn they'll be cooking with ingredients that are bizarre, even by Chopped standards. Something slimy and something strangely-shaped are found in the first wonderfully weird basket. Garlic ice cream is not the most startling discovery in the entree basket. Then, the most shocking ingredient in the dessert basket doesn't seem so wild -- until you pop it in your mouth and get a jolt!
Tendon Loving Care
Tenderizing beef tendon and bringing joy to bok choy are two of the challenges in round one. A veggie that barely fits in the basket and a prized protein are part of the culinary puzzle in the entree round, and a famed French dessert meets a bubbly jarred surprise in the dessert basket.
Tailgate Party
It's game time in the Chopped Kitchen for four fanatical tailgaters, who are out to prove that their passion for cooking is equal to their passion for their teams. Some of the competitors are not pleased to find a vegetarian patty in the first basket, and in the second round, cheese and sausage are two of the mandatory ingredients. A salty and sweet treat in the dessert basket makes for a fine tailgating dessert on its own, but how will it be transformed into a final, plated dish?
Hangry Baskets: Late Night
In a boisterous battle, the chefs get baskets inspired by late-night food cravings. They must resist the temptation to munch away at the fried snack in the first round and cook something with it! The competitors have some whimsical ideas for the entree basket, which includes a creamy comfort food dish and a simple staple. Then, with the judges hangry for dessert, the last two chefs open the final basket to find sweet and salty surprises.
Oktoberfest!
Don your lederhosen and hold your steins high for Oktoberfest in the Chopped Kitchen! The chefs discover fine fare for a German party in the first basket, including pretzels and sauerkraut. Schnitzel and beer keep the celebration going in the entree round. And the judges are impressed by the complex desserts that the two finalists make from spaetzle and chocolate sausage.
Brunch Battle
Four chefs are challenged with making the magic of brunch look easy and creating the kind of meal that friends and family would love to linger over. Booze and eggs are some of the very brunch-y surprises found in the first two baskets, and in the dessert round, the finalists must make a fried sweet work with a poached fruit.
Extreme Halloween
Halloween means very frightening surprises in the baskets for the chefs. In the first round, they encounter a very troublesome, bloody protein and a can of chips that's more than meets the eye. The three chefs who move on to the second round are in for something gooey and gory -- and something that is just offal. The final two chefs boldly move on to a devilishly difficult dessert round.
Sports Stars
Danica Patrick, Tiki Barber, Chuck Zito and Natalie Coughlin are four athletes who feel right at home in the kitchen battling it out for charity. The judges are presented with four salmon dishes to taste for the first course. In the second round chocolate-covered marshmallows seem to be the most stress-inducing ingredient. And figuring out how to transform olive oil cake is the challenge for dessert.
Circus Spectacular
Every basket in this competition features circus-themed ingredients. In the first round the chefs have to make cotton candy and corn dogs doggone delicious. Then in the entree round, one competitor decides to put his nachos -- cheese and all -- into the food processor: Will the judges like the result? And when snow cones and popcorn pop up in the dessert round, what kind of circusy sweetness will end up on the finalists' plates?
Kefir and Loathing
A basket ingredient with a "secret" history and the fermented milk drink kefir are at the forefront of the appetizer round. The second basket looks to be deceptively simple, except for a strange blue drink. Then, something you wouldn't expect to find in a can is discovered in the dessert basket, and the last two chefs decide to go in a similar direction with their final plates.
Sensational Sandwiches
The chefs get revved up for a sensational sandwich battle that begins with a mound of meat and some colorful potatoes in round one. Everyone's favorite hybrid bird makes an appearance in the second basket. And sandwiches for dessert? You bet! The final two chefs take on a salty-and-sweet basket in the last round.
