Recap of Top Chef Season 9 Episode 2 – “The Heat is On”

On Wednesday, November 9, Bravo aired episode 2 of season 9 of its hit series Top Chef.

After the first two rounds, 11 chefs have chef’s coats, four are “on the bubble” and have to cook again, and the rest are geared up to cook in round 3.

The episode starts with the four chefs on the bubble bonding and beating themselves up for their previous mistakes.

The third group walks in and has no idea how many slots have already been filled. For this round, Hugh Acheson is here and announced as the season’s newest judge. As a former Top Chef Masters contestant, I’m sure he will have a unique perspective to bring to the judging table.

This time, the chefs have to choose among 10 different ingredients on the table. The big twist in this round is a surprise lurking underneath a silver platter lid for each contestant. The platters hold clocks showing the amount of time each chef has to complete his or her dish (20, 40, or 60 minutes). And trust me, 40 minutes is a rush for a good risotto, especially when risotto has been an Achilles heel on Top Chef .

I’m wondering how they decided it was a fair or true test of the chefs’ skills and abilities to throw different twists into the challenges? Right now, I stand by my impression from last week’s opening episode, wondering if the twists were necessary because the chef-testants are boring?

Judging starts with the three chefs in the 20-minute prep category. Lamb, mushrooms, and trout are the ingredients. Lamb goes home, mushroom guy is on the bubble, and trout gets a chef jacket.

Next up is the group who with 40 minutes to cook. The risotto doesn’t get plated, so that chef obviously goes home. Short ribs, duck, and Brussels sprouts are the remaining ingredients. Brussels sprouts chef goes home, duck is on the bubble, and short ribs chef goes home.

Finally, we get to the group with 60 minutes. One chef can’t get the lid off her pressure cooker, but she is lucky and another helps her out.

Oxtail, octopus, and veal are the ingredients. They love the veal, so that chef makes it through easily. The oxtail is not as tender as they’d hoped, so she goes home. The woman who’s never cooked octopus impresses the judges and makes it through.

And now we’re back to the on-the-bubble group. Both Emeril and Hugh are around to judge this time along with Tom and Padma. The challenge is to use any ingredients in the kitchen to create a dish that defines them and showcases their abilities.

Of course, one chef has to slice the hell out of his finger. There’s no drama like pain and threat of dismemberment on a TV show. He’s a champ and keeps working while the medic fixes him up.

This time, we have shrimp, scallops, polenta/figs/shrimp, another scallop dish, mussels, and duck dish that’s a blend of Asian and Southern cooking.

With only two spots left, the judges have to take some time to round out the final 16. In the end, the chef who sliced his finger and cooked the duck and the gal who cooked the polenta/figs/shrimp combo make it through.

Now that we have our top 16 chef-testants, I will take the time to learn their names and all that before writing another recap. Stay tuned!


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