“Four competitors, three courses, only one chance to win.” It may sound simple, but Chopped is so much more than that. Cooking a restaurant-quality meal with a basket of ridiculous ingredients in a short amount of time is no easy task. For my veteran watchers out there, we all know that Chopped is filled with all sorts of drama.
If you have never watched Chopped and enjoy other needlessly dramatic shows like The Bachelor, this show is a whole new world of drama. A world of drama that includes food…what could be better?
1. Don’t even try to cook pasta for Scott Conant
Photo by Abigail Wang
If you think you can get pasta that is not cooked properly past Scott, you have another thing coming. Avoid cooking pasta at all costs unless you are from Italy. If you want to attempt to cook like the pros, check out this one pan tomato, basil, and onion pasta pictured above.
2. When someone uses a fancy term to describe their dish and it backfires
Photo by Caroline Early
The safest bet is just describing exactly what is on the plate; if not, you run the risk of facing the dreaded cleaver. If you want to fool your friends like the Chopped competitors try to fool the judges, try out these simple champagne-infused recipes like the pancakes pictured above.
3. When someone comments on the clock running down
Photo courtesy of makeameme.com
That’s literally the whole point of the show…we know. You only get 30 minutes to make a restaurant-quality plate of food, but you knew that going into it, so please provide more creative comments for the sake of the viewers. If you want to have your own version of Chopped in your dorm room, check out these meals you can make in the same time as one round of Chopped.
4. When you’re sitting there hoping that no one cries for once
Photo by Jacky Falkenberg
I don’t know if I am the only one that catches this, but at least one person tells a sob story and starts crying almost every episode. If I wanted to watch people cry, I would watch Grey’s Anatomy. It may be difficult to keep yourself from blubbering while making the delicious pickled red onions pictured above, but trust me, it is worth it.
5. When they try to argue with the judges
Gif courtesy of eonline.com
It should be common sense to not argue with the people who decide whether or not you win ten-thousand dollars, but some Chopped contestants do not grasp this concept. The Chopped judges are serious about what they do and will not hold their tongue if someone is out of line.
6. You might as well dump the salt shaker on there
Photo by Krista Stucchio
No one seems to salt their food enough for the judges on Chopped. Among the frenzy of strange ingredients, the seasoning gets lost in the madness. If you want to make sure you have plenty of salt, try out the salted toffee brittle pictured above.
7. When someone leaves out a basket ingredient
Gif courtesy of reddit.com
When the contestants leave off an ingredient, the judges try to be nice and say that it is not an “automatic” disqualification, but we veteran viewers know that unless someone else royally screws up, there is nothing saving them. It is a classic mistake and it is a bummer when it happens because it makes the ending too predictable.
If you want to make the predictable mistakes on Chopped more fun, you might be into this Food Network drinking game. It’s designed specifically for our pet peeves from our favorite Food Network shows.
8. When there is a borderline dangerous ingredient
Gif courtesy of giphy.com
There are some ingredients on Chopped that just don’t look appetizing, and then there are others that require an explicit health warning from Ted. One episode they had to cook with eels, and Ted casually mentioned that their blood is poisonous…say what?
9. When the arrogant competitor gets chopped
Gif courtesy of reddit.com
Just like they keep the girl from the Bachelor who causes the most drama around for a few episodes, Chopped likes to keep the arrogant competitors around until the last round to really squash their ego.
10. $10,000 for a couple hours of work? I could do that!
Gif courtesy of divvyonline.com
When I first started watching Chopped, I thought that it would be easy to just go on there and bring home the $10,000. You get to be on TV, meet celebrity chefs, and you might win $10,000. If I won the $10,000, I would definitely spend it on these needlessly expensive foods.
11. Just kidding, I could never do that
Gif courtesy of tumblr.com
Unfortunately, not all of us have the cooking chops (ha…get it?) to win the show. I have a lot of respect for the people who win because they survived the discouraging comments of the judges and all the pressure of the Chopped kitchen.