As a family with young children, it is hard to find television shows all of us can watch together.
For whatever reason, more and more shows on the big networks shown during prime time have chosen to allow curse words into the programs. This may be fine for older children to hear, but I most certainly don’t want my children spouting off some of those words they may have heard on those channels at school or at church.
This has left our family looking for other shows all of us can watch. We’ve come across a few including, “MythBusters,” which includes both the reruns and the new episodes, “How It’s Made,” “Dirty Jobs” and “Expedition Unknown.” We also watch game shows and the boys favorite show “America Ninja Warrior.”
When we aren’t watching these, we like viewing survival shows or competitive shows, such as “Forged in Fire” or “Chopped.”
For those who haven’t seen the show, “Chopped” features four chefs who are challenged with creating an appetizer, entree and dessert out of a basket filled with mystery items. Sometimes the food item placed in the basket isn’t even known to the best of chefs. They are tasked with creating something tasteful with their basket ingredients in a short period of time, usually 20 to 30 minutes. When the time is up, the dish they created is presented to a panel of three judges, who are former chefs, for tasting and feedback.
The first round starts with the appetizer and all four chefs participate in this challenge. After this round, one person is eliminated or “chopped” from the competition.
Three advance to the entree round where they once again open the basket of random food items and prepare a gourmet entree in 30 minutes. After the judging is complete, another competitor is chopped and two remain for the dessert round.
Sometimes it’s obvious a competitor is going to be chopped because they forgot to use all the basket ingredients, which is a requirement, or they failed to get all of the food on the plate, which means one judge won’t get to taste the food. Other times, it’s hard to tell who the judges are going to pick to be chopped.
This show has inspired me to think outside of the box when I am making dinner. It also has inspired me to try new things. Who knows, maybe my family will like one of those unique ingredients.
This show has also inspired my two sons, Matthew and John, to conduct their own version of “Chopped” at home. This usually happens during dinner. They will pick through their plates and make comments such as, “What did you use on this chicken? How did you cook it? Why does Matthew have three strawberries on his plate and I only have one? Why is my Brussels sprouts charred? The questions never seem to end. At first, I was hurt by their comments and questions. After a long day at work and sometimes meetings after work, it takes every ounce of energy to make a nice meal for may family; and now both of them are criticizing everything.
Then I realized they were just mimicking what they saw the judges doing on the show.
They were simply pointing out the flaws of my dish and deciding if I should advance to the next round of not.
One day, I apparently had a tough night as I had overcooked some Brussels sprouts. I can’t remember what other items were on the plate, but I think it was marinated grilled chicken breast and some rice or a potato. Both of my sons focused on the sprouts. Matthew gave me a pass to see what I could do in the next round, while John was less forgiving and wanted me chopped. The choice came down to my husband and I knew I would advance. He said he thought they were fine and he’d rather have them charred than mushy and so I made it through to the next round, which is the next night’s dinner.
Since that night, the boys have been commenting on the dinner’s I prepare. For the most part, I’ve received favorable reviews due to the flavor profile of my dishes. John has even said, “This is one of the best dinners you’ve ever cooked.” Matthew has repeatedly said my dinner’s are delicious. So, I have been advancing. However, I know my plate, like many contestants in the show, could always end up on the chopping block if I make something that doesn’t go over well. Don’t worry though, I have a plan. When this happens, I intend to sneak in a dessert and sort of bribe them into letting me pass to the next round.
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