French food frenzy: Julia Child takes the cake in ‘Chopped’
Sixteen chefs, one iconic kitchen: an all-new season of this fan-favorite cooking competition honors one of the greatest names in cooking, as “Chopped” returns with new Julia Child-inspired episodes. “Chopped: Julia Child’s Kitchen” airs new episodes Tuesdays on Food Network.
“Julia Child was a chef, instructor, author and legend! Even today she influences modern chefs to achieve greatness and push themselves to be their best,” Food Network recently shared. “In this competition, four Julia Child fans compete in a preliminary battle with baskets inspired by Julia’s recipes.”
Keeping to the same format as usual “Chopped” seasons, this “Child-ish” competition features three rounds, in which four chefs must use random and often unusual “mystery basket ingredients” to complete a tasty dish. Each round, one chef is eliminated until only two remain, together facing the judges in the final dessert round, where one is finally crowned the winner.
This — “Chopped’s” 55th season — will feature a panel of rotating judges, said to include the likes of Scott Conant (chef, host of “24 Hour Restaurant Battle”), Susan Feniger (“Too Hot Tamales”), Amanda Freitag (“Iron Chef America”), Alex Guarnaschelli (“Ciao
House”), Nilou Motamed (“Top Chef”), Michael Voltaggio (“Bobby’s Triple Threat”) and Isabella Rossellini (who stars in “Julia,” premiering its second season two days later on Max). Each episode will also see the arrival of four new chefs, with each winner moving on to the tournament’s finale, where the final four will fight for a grand prize of $25,000 and a Julia Child-themed dream trip to France.
Upcoming episodes of the series feature bright and bold flavors — some Julia herself would never approve of — as the series’ second episode promises that “citrus and a salad are part of the puzzle in the appetizer round, and the three chefs who make it to the entrée round must make use of some unusual powder and fancy mushrooms,” while a description for the third episode shares that: “The chefs get an unusual piece of chicken and a potato product that would have made Julia cringe.”
However, in a season featuring fish stew, veal, processed cheese and more, host Ted Allen learns that the stinkiest thing of all might just be his cohorts’ Julia Child impressions.
As the chefs continue their journeys to France — and practice their accents — “Chopped: Julia Child’s Kitchen” premieres an all-new episode, Tuesday, Nov. 21, on Food Network.