Ep 1. Hot Stuff

Located at the heart of culinary entertainment of New York City, four chefs were chosen to participate in the 24th season of the world-renowned cooking competition, Chopped. In episode one, 'Hot Stuff,' the chefs must unlock their creativity and showcase their skills as they navigate their way through the mystery basket ingredients that were chosen for them.

As the clock starts and the round begins, the chefs are faced with a basket filled with scorching hot chili peppers, raw tuna, frozen peas, and peanut brittle. The contestants rush towards the pantry to gather their additional ingredients, and they begin to strategize how best to blend the ingredients into an appetizing dish.

The contestants were given a limited amount of time to create their dishes, and the judges were impressed with the imagination that was put on display. Chef Josh dedicated some thought into the heat of the chili peppers and decided to create a delicious tuna tartar dish with a chili pepper infusion. In contrast, Chef Marion focused on the heat of the chili peppers and produced a chili peanut brittle-crusted tuna with a side of pea puree. Chef Dave combined the chili peppers with the frozen peas and tuna to create a chilled pea soup with tuna tartare. Lastly, Chef Joy opted for a completely different approach, focusing on the peanut brittle and creating a peanut butter and chili pepper glazed tuna sandwich.

As the time of the first round came to an end, the contestants presented their extraordinary dishes to the judges. The judges were in awe of the creations and hard decisions had to be made, as one contestant would be eliminated from the competition.

For the second round, the contestants were faced with a new mystery basket filled with some unusual delicacies such as watermelon, chicken feet, chile oil, and apple cider vinegar. The contestants wasted no time diving into the pantry to select additional ingredients to complement the basket items.

Chef Josh, once again, showed his creativity by producing a watermelon carpaccio topped with crispy chicken feet. Next, Chef Marion had an interesting take on the chicken feet and created a chicken foot and watermelon gazpacho. Chef Dave opted for a delicate approach by creating a chicken roulade with a chile oil-based sauce and pickled watermelon. Lastly, Chef Joy took inspiration from the apple cider vinegar and produces a sweet and sour chicken salad with watermelon cubes.

The judges were impressed with the creativity and execution of the dishes presented to them, and the difficult decision of elimination had to be made.

For the final round, the remaining two contestants were given a new basket filled with unique ingredients such as bacon-wrapped filet mignon, blue potatoes, lime jelly, and chicken liver. The contestants struggled to find the perfect balance between all the flavors.

Chef Dave produced a blue potato mash, bacon-wrapped filet mignon, and chicken liver pate dish with a lime jelly infusion. Chef Josh created a roasted filet mignon with blue potato puree, a chicken liver ragout, and a lime gelée. The judges were pleased with the outcome of the dishes, making the final decision a difficult one.

After a long day of cooking and tough decisions from the judges, the winner of the first episode of the 24th season of Chopped, Hot Stuff, is crowned. The winner walks away with a cash prize of $10,000 to support their culinary ambitions.