Every college student with access to Netflix has fallen into the trap of the cooking section at one point or another. For me, it happens the most during midterms and finals. And while all of the shows have merit, especially ones like "Cut-Throat Kitchen" and "The Great Food Truck Race", my all time favorite, and arguably the best out of the lot, is "Chopped".
For anyone who hasn't had the benefit of watching this magnificent reality cooking competition, here's how it works. There are four contestants and there are three rounds (appetizer, entree, and desert); after each round, the panel of judges deliberate and choose a contestant to be chopped (eliminated). The twist is that for each round, there is a basket of ingredients, all of which must be used within their dish (and I don't mean they can just throw it in, the judges make their chooses based off of the creativity and transformations of the ingredients as well as the taste and presentation of the dish). You're probably wondering what sets this show apart, though, so here are some things I love about "Chopped", and they also double as reasons that "Chopped" is hands down the best cooking show out there.
1. The Themes
Each episode is themed and the themes are pretty amazing. Occasionally the have Junior events, where all of the competitors are under 18 and the prize is scholarship money to the top cooking schools in the country. One time the theme was "Viewer's Choice," meaning that a bunch of rude people voted for a basket to include imitation crab meat, cheese curls, and lime gelatin. Other themes include carnival foods, at-home chefs, siblings, and so many more. There has yet to be a theme that wasn't completely entertaining and original. Honestly, I'd watch just to see what all of the new themes are, but luckily there is a lot more to love about the show, too.
2. The Baskets
I've talked about the baskets a bit already, but I think I need to further explain for y'all to truly understand how magnificent this show is. Okay, so each round has a new basket, and each basket has four ingredients in it. The contents of the baskets reflect the episode's theme, but they're never easy ingredients. The purpose of the show is to make chefs think creatively and quickly and the baskets are a huge component of that. As such, the basket reveal of each round is dramatized, but it gets the perfect amount of time before the show moves onto the creation of the dishes.
3. The Judging
I love the judges, especially because they're not always the same ones. In fact, there's a panel of judges that rotates through the episodes, making sure that viewers don't get too complacent or hopeful. They're also in the room the entire time, so they get to see all of the Chefs as they cook and provide a running commentary of their thoughts--"Well Chef ___ just fried his papaya, which is intriguing but I've never really liked papaya so I'm not hopeful" OR "Did you know the best way to prepare ___ and draw out its unique flavors is to _____, which I see Chef ___ doing at her station," and so on. It's hilarious and has taught me a surprising amount about cooking.
4. The Contestants
No contestant is ever the same (except of course when old contestants come back), and the show doesn't strip them of their personalities. These are real people who get flustered, but also hold their cool under pressure. People who occasionally cut themselves on their cooking knives and who hold conversations with each other. Who have families who aren't only talked about as a tragic backstory. It's so refreshing to see and it makes the reality show seem more real than other cooking shows. These contestants make jokes, have dreams and family recipes, have hobbies outside of cooking, and the show gives the viewers a chance to see all of this without detracting from the cooking itself.
5. The Cooking
As I've said, I've learned so much about cooking from this show. Both the judges and the contestants give really good tips on how to prepare dishes, both simple and gourmet, and as a viewer we get to see enough of the actual cooking to have a decent understanding of what each contestant has done. While I am pretty much useless in a kitchen, when I watch a cooking show I want to see the actual, you know, cooking, and "Chopped" does that.
So yeah. If you have the chance, check out an episode or 40. It's funny and entertaining and is the perfect thing to get anyone (especially a college student) through a stressful time.
