Chopped, my favorite cooking and competition TV show. You get creativity without the bitchiness. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Chopped is not only my favorite cooking show, but also the best competition on TV.  Sorry Top Chef, but Chopped gives me cool cooking techniques, lots of excitement, and culinary creativity…without the bitchiness.

I just love competition shows about the creative process. The problem with most shows is that many times the creativity takes a back seat to personalities and the infighting.

Attitude isn’t entertaining. I want ingenuity.  Watching talented chefs trying to fuse diverse (and bizarre) ingredients into a yummy dish is my kind of TV.

And Chopped delivers in spades.

With Chopped, each episode starts with 4 chefs. By the end one is crowned the winner. No overblown personalities or petty dramas. Each episode brings new chefs.  As a result, there’s no time for an egomaniac to get into a competitor’s face.

There are 3 timed rounds:

• Appetizer (20 minutes)
• Entrée (30 minutes)
• Dessert  (30 minutes)

For each round, the chefs are given a mystery basket with 4 random foods picked to stump contestants. Chefs must use each item to create their dish and that’s where the fun (and creativity) begins.

You try building a Thanksgiving dinner out of giblet gravy, Brussels sprouts, pumpkin pie ice cream and a whole, raw turkey…oh and you only have 30 minutes.

What I really love about Chopped — I learn about new foods, cool cooking techniques, and how to make tasty dishes with ingredients you never would think to put together.

Last night’s episodes dealt with Thanksgiving. And I saw some awesome ideas.