Top Moments of Chopped After Hours: Mac and Cheese

This time around, the judges were tasked with transforming the appetizer basket from a special mac and cheese episode, including boxed mac and cheese, Canadian bacon, Swiss chard and monkfish. Alex felt strongly about the mac and cheese, saying, “If someone doesn’t use that little bag of powder in here, total cop-out — you’re chopped."

While Aarón finished up his escabeche — a Latin American dish of poached or fried fish — Ted roamed the kitchen, phone in hand. "Let's take a selfie, dude!" Ted says as he snaps a photo. "Look at all these losers — they're still working!" Aarón exclaims. 

Inspired by Indian flavors for this dish, Maneet transforms the ingredients into a korma sauce (a nut-based sauce) and tops the dish with an apple salad. "I wanted something to set off the heaviness of the entire dish," she says. 

Alex decided it was best to combine two basket ingredients into one protein element. "I am studding my monkfish steak with the Canadian bacon to get that flavor of the meat into the fish," she says, adding that it'll be accompanied by macaroni and Swiss chard in a cheese sauce.

"The word 'eat' is in her name," Ted says of Maneet as everyone steps up to the tasting table. Aarón adds, "And my name backwards is Nóraa." Alex says with a smirk, "Let's eat, Ted." The three dishes of the day certainly prove one thing, according to Aarón: "Who says you can't have cheese with fish?"