Iron Chef Bobby Flay faces off against challenger Michael Voltaggio. Chef Voltaggio is the Owner/Executive chef of ink. in Las Angeles. Mario Rizzotti, Karine Bakhoum and Hal Rubenstein are the judges for this battle.
The chefs must make use of ingredients that are usually thrown out, for being imperfect, overripe or stale. For example, the first basket includes juicer pulp and tea bags. Then in the second round, the competitors have to get creative with a little bit of salad dressing and some paltry scraps of poultry. And the finalists get some often-tossed portions of a fruit and the peels of a veggie to work into their desserts.
The best eats along the banks of America's greatest river are highlighted, from jazz-inspired barbecue and mouthwatering meatloaf to seafood-smothered fried green tomatoes and garden-fresh ratatouille.
The judges grapple with how to chop champions when four talented winners return to the Chopped Kitchen for a shot at $50,000. In the first basket, the chefs face a delicacy from the sea. A fancy sauce and a plain vanilla treat are two of the ingredients in the mix in round two, and a giant, chocolaty surprise awaits the chefs who make it to the dessert round.
The chefs arrive at the Original Farmers Market in Los Angeles, where renowned photographer, Todd Selby, captures each chef's unique personality in a single snapshot. The chefs return to the kitchen and must use these photos as inspiration for putting one of their opponents' personalities on a plate, in just one simple, tasty and delightful bite.
The chefs are pleased to see a delicious selection of Italian ingredients for the appetizer round, including pasta dough, but time management issues lead to some big problems with the plates. The tasty trend continues in the entree round, with veal chops and bottarga in the basket, and one chef makes a repeat mistake. Then desserts made with figs are the final two dishes the judges will taste.
The recruits learn all about flavor combinations by taste-testing some unlikely pairings, then the Skill Drill tests their creativity as they construct unique ice cream sandwiches. The flavor showdown continues when the recruits must create their own unique filling for empanadas, and two recruits fail to deliver.
Join host Alton Brown as he explores what it takes to stay sharp in the kitchen and demystifies the relationship between the cook and his cutlery. With a recipe for Gazpacho.
Forget bacon and chocolate: we found the spots for sweet-and-savory desserts that are new to the menu. Between sweetened tofu, donuts that raid the savory spice cabinet, roasted red pepper gelato and a cupcake that's fit for dinner, you'll never look at dessert the same way again.