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Chopped
Breakfast, lunch and dinner are made by the competing chefs, who must prepare a morning meal from coffee cake and cream-filled chocolate eggs. Round 2 features fish dishes and an emergency situation.
All of the baskets contain leftovers. Included: the chefs must transform the contents of restaurant-takeout containers; use packets of hot sauce in their entrées; and make bacon-centric desserts.
Basket contents have an Australian theme, beginning with lamb ribs and a very alcoholic beverage in Round 1. Also: the chefs serve emu entrées to the judges; and one finalist makes a mistake when using the ice-cream machine for dessert.
Appetizers are made with shrimp and chickpeas; entrée ingredients include baklava and salt pearls; and dessert dishes feature booze and cashews.
Falafel mix and date paste are among the mandatory ingredients in the appetizer round. Also: a fish proves puzzling for the competing chefs; and there is hesitation about transforming a cookie.
Sweetbreads and a strong spice blend show up in the first two rounds. For dessert, the final two chefs serve dishes that are chocolaty, salty and fruity.
Two fishy ingredients are used in the appetizer round. Later, entrées are made with spiny leaves and beef kidneys; and a collision in the kitchen occurs when the two finalists rush to make desserts from figs and lemon verbena.
A battle, featuring chefs from baseball stadiums, finds the competitors cooking with Italian sausage, flank steak and blueberries.
The chefs get creative with ramen in the appetizer round; and stress over an offal surprise when making entrées. Also: the dessert basket contains four ingredients, including a New England treat.
Four women compete to prepare tasty appetizers, using banana blossoms. Later, a notoriously stinky ingredient is featured in entrée dishes; and dessert baskets hold a colorful surprise.
The chefs open the appetizer basket to find vegan franks and three other meatless ingredients. In the entree round, the judges wonder if a chef's decision about what to throw into the blender will be a blunder or a sweet success.
The chefs open the first basket to find frog legs and some fine fungi. In the entree round, little beans and big pork chops cause the competitors difficulties; one of the finalists incorporates cheese into an ice cream.
Pesto sauce and chicken are the mandatory appetizer ingredients; the chefs are forced to get creative when spirulina chips appear in the entrée baskets; and a treat from Kazakhstan helps make the dessert round interesting.
