Chopped

[Mariah-RoseCass]

I used to have Bell, but then I switched to Shaw. Definitely a lot better!

[KarenB]

I am the same. I use sympatico for internet. what an expensive joke. I now use xplorenet. Fantastic service.

[imaARMYwife]

Great Show !! Even my 8 year old son .. loves to watch !! Def. one of my fav's

[KarenB]

Good to hear and welcome. It's nice to hear that young people are interested in the creative cooking process and not just open and microwave.

[eclecticsynergy]

I also love Chopped. I finally figured it out, they want the cooks to show their expertise at using the items in their food basket in the most imaginative way in the shortest time possible, evoking the most flavor ever.
I would totally bomb on that show unless they put items in the basket that I was familiar with, lol.

I check out the show once in a while and am continually amazed at the creativity of the chefs and the quality of the dishes they create. The producers really throw some extreme challenges at those folks, and the time limitation just multiplies the difficulty... It's that wild card ingredient factor, making them deal with something exotic like an unusual Asian vegetable, or game meat, or some odd combination like cornflakes and rose water. Or a familiar ingredient in an unusual context, like asparagus in a dessert. It blows me away how they can conceive an idea in seconds, prepare it in a half hour, and deliver an amazing course in an artistic presentation- still reflecting their individuality and experience.

These contestants, even those who are cut, get to demonstrate some truly incredible kitchen chops. And the stresses of the situation give such a remarkable window into their personalities. I find it fascinating to watch how they interact with one another and with the judges, as well as with the food. Sometimes the least likeable characters will come up with absolutely sublime dishes. And the ones I find myself rooting for fall short; all it takes is one minor mistake, or an oven that doesn't run at the correct temp...