See highlights from the second part in the $75,000 charity tournament to see how chefs Hung Huynh, Anne Burrell, Dale Talde and Mary Sue Milliken dealt with the mystery baskets.
"My strategy is to take it one basket at a time," says Anne, who's competed on All-Stars before. But it's the opposite for Mary Sue, who's never been on Chopped. "I'm excited in sort of a nauseous way," she says. They'll have to cook appetizers with solomillo iberico, preserved lemons, arugula and peanut soup.
Flavor, Texture, Size — It All Matters
"I think having textural components really goes a long way," says Mary Sue, deciding to fry tortillas to create pork tostadas for her dish. She turns the peanut soup into a puree and cooks the loin in medallions. Alex calls it "crazily balanced in texture and flavor," but finds the pork pieces too large.
Smack Talking, Back Talking
"I've already won a cooking show, so I'm not nervous about anything," says Hung, who roasts the pork loin whole but runs out of time to let it rest. The judges comment on his fast pace in the kitchen, but it puts Anne on edge: "If he says 'behind me' one more time ... I'm going to knock him out."
Pasta Perfection
"All I'm trying to do is make some pasta and not get sent home," says Anne, cooking within her Italian comfort zone. "I've made pasta 1 million times," she says, finishing the penne in the sauce. "I could have easily seared a piece of pork," she tells the judges of her decision in making a ragu out of the meat.
Done In by Peanut Butter
"I've never won anything in my life, ever — nothing," says Dale, who hoped to knock it out this round, but his last-minute addition of peanut butter to amp up the flavor may have been the wrong move. "You pushed out a couple of the basket ingredients," Alex tells him. Dale is the first chef to be chopped.
Dangerous Efficiency
"Hung has four cleaned artichokes and is blanching his sweetbreads, one minute in," says judge Alex Guarnaschelli, noting his efficiency. In addition to those ingredients, the basket also has fondue cheese and green chili sauce. "Try not to stab me," Ted tells Hung as he approaches him for an update.
Go Big or Go Home?
"I tell people to go with what you know," says Anne of her advice for cooks, and she's doing just that, breading and frying the sweetbreads, then topping them with a shaved artichoke salad. But she realizes one fault: "My first course was too small, my entree was too big," she says, noting the judges' comments.
A Blast from the Past
"Luckily, it's sort of like riding a bicycle," says Mary Sue of the fact that she hasn't cooked sweetbreads since "like 1979," she tells Ted. "For me I don't care what a dish looks like," she says as she plates the components of her escabeche separately. The judges feel her dish lacks cohesiveness and she's chopped.
Crepe Confidence
"I can work with this," says Anne upon tasting switchel, one of the basket ingredients. Also included are lime leaves, meringue cookies and baked sweet potatoes, the last of which she decides to use as a filling for crepes. "I hear '10 minutes left,' but I don't have any crepes yet," she says, but Anne isn't worried.
Daring Devil in the Kitchen
"How I control my nervousness is doing everything fast," says Hung, whom judge Chris Santos calls a "Tasmanian devil" for his franticness in the kitchen. "I don't want to burn my phyllo dough," Hung says, baking it layered with the meringue cookies at the highest oven setting. He removes it just in time.
"It takes a lot to render me speechless," say Anne after hearing mixed comments from the judges. Although Chris thought her dish didn't register "dessert notes," her three courses were found to be champion-worthy. "I'll make a really sweet one," she says, if she makes it to desserts in the finale.
More Chopped All-Stars
Go behind the scenes of the tournament: Browse photo galleries, watch video highlights and read exclusive interviews from the winning chefs.
