Have you seen the TV show “Chopped” on the Food Network?? It’s absolutely one of my favorite shows to watch! The premise is four chefs compete against each other to create the best appetizer, entrée, and dessert using a basket of mystery ingredients before time runs out. At the start of each round, each chef receives 4 random ingredients that they must use, but they can also supplement with items from the pantry or refrigerator. It’s hysterical and exciting because the ingredients can be completely wild, like creating an appetizer from jumbo shrimp, chunky peanut butter, jalapeños, and sticky rice or a dessert using corn muffins, whiskey, macadamia nuts, and gummy bears – and time is very limited!

Last weekend, we created our very own “Chopped” competition at home. It was a total success! And so much fun! We convinced our two friends, Steve and Howard, to compete as chefs for an entrée round. My friend Abi and I dreamed up the mystery basket ingredients: pork loin, cauliflower, figs, and tortilla chips. We hoped the chips would be a wild card!

We also stocked up the pantry with staples that we thought the chefs might want to use. Here are some suggestions:

• Grains/starches: rice, pasta, tortillas, quinoa
• Fruits/Vegetables: carrots, salad greens, celery, lemons/limes, peppers
• Canned items: diced tomatoes, beans, corn, broth
• Aromatics/Herbs: onions, garlic, parsley, green onions, cilantro

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  We put the mystery ingredients into brown paper bags to present to the chefs at the same time. It was a suspenseful moment! Given my propensity for the dramatic, I loved making the official introductions and declaring the rules of the game :)

  

  The chefs had 45 minutes to complete their entrée and plate their meal. It was fun to interview the chefs while cooking, just like Ted Allen does on the show, asking “Chef Steve, how do you feel about the tortilla chips in the basket?” or “Chef Howard, What are you going to do if you win the $10k?” Watching how they handled themselves in the kitchen was so entertaining – at times calm, at times completely focused and sweating!

  

  

  

  

  

  The entrees were unbelievable! We were all blown away by how delicious they tasted. Chef Steve (left) prepared “Roasted Pork Loin with a Fig Demi-Glaze and Roasted Cauliflower over a Tortilla Chip Coulis” and Chef Howard (right) prepared “Roasted Pork Loin over a Tortilla Chip, Cauliflower, and Potato Puree with Fig Relish”.

  

  

  The judges chose a Chopped Champion by rating each entrée on a scale of 1 to 5 in three categories: presentation, taste, and creativity. Then, we added up the points from all three categories to get a total score. In hindsight, for how beautiful their dishes turned out, I can’t believe I gave them paper plates for plating the photographed meal! LOLWant to try this out for yourself at home? The format could be so easily adaptable to fit your own Chopped party.

  • You could do a double date night where each couple brings a bag of mystery entree ingredients for the other couple to cook with.
  • Or, if you have multiple people wanting to compete, you could have two chefs compete in the appetizer round, two chefs compete in an entrée round, and two new chefs compete in the dessert round (being mindful that this scenario will create a LOT of dishes!).
  • This link lists all of the basket combinations seen on the TV show to give you ingredient ideas.
  • Depending on what kitchen equipment you have, you may ask guests to bring extra knives, pans, or whatever you need a second set of.
  • For our party, Abi and I provided the mystery ingredients and pantry items and then asked our guests to bring wine, appetizers, sides, and desserts…and champagne – because Abi and Chef Steve had just gotten engaged in Malibu the weekend before!!!

If you’re looking for more ideas, here’s another version of a Chopped party at home.

Let me know if you throw your own Chopped challenge!