Highlights from Episode 3 of Rachael vs. Guy: Kids Cook-Off

Browse highlights from Episode 3 of Rachael vs. Guy: Kids Cook-Off on Food Network.

Photo By: EDDY CHEN

Flavor Is Key

This week the kids will be tested on flavor combinations, which is "a key element to master," says Rachael. The Pop Quiz will be a blindfolded taste test, which the kids are scared of doing. It doesn't help that Guy asks if anyone of them is allergic to night crawlers! He calls up two kids, one from each team, to take the taste test side by side.

Avocado and Fennel

Hunter and Cole go first and taste the ingredients that are handed to them. Cole gets a bit queasy tasting food that's unknown to him and he can't even figure out what answers to write on his tablet. Only Hunter is able identify the avocado, but points are only given out if they can accurately identify both ingredients.

Raisins and Capers

Neither Haile nor Sydney get both answers on the taste test correct, but at least Haile was half right with raisins. She couldn't think of the name for capers, so it was "salty, smooshy, small, circular" that she wrote on her tablet. Sydney isn't feeling all too well so she's not at the top of her game.

Pineapple and Wasabi

Jack guesses it's pineapple and horseradish, an ingredient in wasabi, and earns the first point for Team Rachael. Alessandra thinks it's wasabi and tangerine. For Team Guy, Daniel ends up scoring 2 points when he correctly identifies two food pairings, breaking the tie.

Time for the Cook-Off

This time the kids are tasked with creating food mashups inspired by the movie Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2. They will have 60 minutes to create four servings of their dish. The MVPs of the challenge will win a private screening to the movie for 50 guests. Duff Goldman from Food Network's Ace of Cakes will serve as judge.

Inspired Creations

In the classroom the mentors hand out samplings of foods for the kids to try for inspiration before discussing their ideas for dishes. Unfortunately Sydney is not feeling well and won't be participating in the Cook-Off.

Fighting Through to Finish

Hunter is creating a dish that he's calling larb shark swimming in Thai pesto. First he roasts the peppers, which will hold the meat filling, which will be a fusion of Italian and Asian. Here he whizzes up his pesto in the food processor. Unfortunately, halfway through the challenge Hunter burns his forehead, but he keeps on going without stopping.

It Is What It Is

Jack is making peanut butter meatballs and jellyphants, which will be a jelly gravy for dipping the meatballs in. While making the sauce he loses track of the meatballs in the oven and overcooks them a bit, but there's no time to bake more of them so he has to go with what he's got.

Taking It Seriously

Haile is making fried rice pudding with garam masala. The dish will be a cross between sweet and savory that's packed with dried fruit and lots of spices. Rachael urges her to make her presentation fun, but joking around is outside of Haile's comfort zone.

Sweet Disguise for a Savory Dish

Brandon is creating meatloaf muffins topped with mashed potato frosting. Here he fills a piping bag with the mashed potatoes so he can create the frosted tops of the individual meatloaves.

It's All in the Details

Guy steps in to give Alessandra tips on filling her crab wonton tacos with the mango salsa. Guy advised her to make sure the mango was a small dice, but Alessandra cut the pieces just a little too big and tries to go back and cut them up more.

The Second Time Around

Daniel takes his pepperoni-chicken spring rolls out of the oven. He's serving them with a fire-roasted tomato sauce, which he unfortunately had to prepare twice because he forgot to roast the ingredients the first time around. But he finishes the dish just in time.

Playful Plating

Cole works on completing his dish of porcupine meatballs on field greens. He creatively turns steamed broccoli spears into little trees on each plate by inserting them into pieces of jicama acting as little hills.

Presentation Time

Rachael and Guy, joined by guest judge Duff Goldman, look on as each kid steps in front of the camera to present his or her dish, along with a story to explain the unique mashup of flavors and the imaginative idea that went into creating it.

A Lighter Side

Rachael advises Haile to really play up the name of her dish and growl when pronouncing "garam." She stumbles a bit when trying to explain the ingredients of her fried rice pudding, but she ends up cracking herself up and Rachael is delighted to see a new side to her. Duff really likes the sweet-savory flavors of the dish.

Seeing It Through

Jack presents his dish but he's flustered from knowing that he burned his meatballs so he has trouble keeping eye contact with the camera. But otherwise he gets through the presentation just fine. Even though the meatballs are dry, Duff likes the sweetness of the gravy.

Perfect Pronunciation

Alessandra comes out excited as ever, ready to present her dish. She offers a story to explain her crab tacos with mango salsa. Duff calls her a mini Giada De Laurentiis and thinks that she nailed her presentation. And the flavors were great, but Guy still found the salsa not diced enough.

By Leaps and Bounds

Daniel comes in with the goal of just being himself and he does a great job presenting. Guy says it's his best camera presence yet and that he's grown so much since last week. Duff thinks his dish is very clever and well executed.

The Results Are In

The kids gather to hear the results from Rachael, Guy and Duff. They're commended for doing such a great job taking on the challenge of using the animated movie as inspiration for cooking unique dishes, with wonderfully playful results.

And the Winners Are

It's time to announce the MVPs from each team. On Team Guy, Cole is the winner with 95 points for his porcupine meatballs. He had a great story to back up his inspiration with a quirky sense of humor that Duff compares to Alton Brown's.

A Brave Win

On Team Rachael, it's Hunter that scores the highest with a 96 for his flavorful larb shark that neither Duff nor Guy could get enough of. And even with a burn on his forehead, and now sporting a big bandage, Hunter soldiered through the challenge bravely and gave a great presentation, too.