Rental "Chopped" Champion

An American television show called “Chopped” which plays on the Food Network channel challenges contestants to use a surprise basket of ingredients in an appetizer, entrée, or desert recipe. Being a creative cook myself and trying to eat on the healthier side, I enjoy the show and have learned about new techniques and ingredients from it.

While traveling, our 30-day accommodations are often reserved through the AirBNB or VRBO platforms. These typically apartments owned by private citizens or business cooperatives, so the quality of the kitchen and equipment varies widely. Our rented kitchens tend to consist of IKEA units measuring 4-7 feet long with smaller sinks, 2-4 stovetop burners (aka hobs), and hopefully an oven. Some have microwaves, but others do not. Before renting we look at the kitchen photos closely, but many do not show the inside the drawers or cabinets, so opening them upon arrival is like looking into the Chopped mystery basket.

Cooking from scratch in our home country is familiar, comforting and easy. Because I TRY to stay healthy, I use basic ingredients for most of my cooking and baking (beef, chicken, pork, cheese, milk, pasta, rice, flour, sugar). At home I have a large selection of seasonings and herbs which allows me to swing from one cultural cuisine to another (Mexican, Italian, Greek, etc.). But cooking in a foreign country is, just that, foreign. Grocery stores in Italy, Albania, Portugal, France, and Hungary have been well stocked in the basic categories like meat, dairy, pasta, rice, and produce, even though I have not been able to find exactly what I want when I crave it. For example, bacon is a product that varies across countries, IF you can find it at all. More difficult items to find are a wide variety of seasonings and herbs in a helpful quantity. The jars and baggies of seasonings in Europe have more than we can use in a single month and taking them with me is complicated because we travel with one suitcase and one backpack. Therefore, I don’t buy more than I am willing to leave behind or throw away while the salt, pepper, oregano, and rosemary travel with us.

Usually stocked, but not always, tools in rental kitchens: 1 frying pan 1-4 pots, 1 large knife, 1 small knife, 1 cutting board, 1 turner, 1 large spoon, cheese grater

Uncommon or non-existent tools in most of rental kitchens: baking dishes, baking trays, spatula, hand-blender, whisk, potato peeler, corkscrew, can opener.

The most frustrating kitchen rental did not have a cutting board, knife, or cheese grater. We bought all three at a “dollar-store” and left them behind when we left.

Unlike the Chopped contestants, I know my ingredients because it all begins at the grocery store. Here you can see what we bought at three of our REAL shopping trips in France and one night we bought roasted chicken from a take-away restaurant.

Just like the Chopped contestants, each time I begin preparing a meal, I must drag out all of the kitchen tools and ingredients to remind myself what I am working with in THIS kitchen. Missing something? Quick, find an alternative. Examples of alternatives include:

Dinner time: Let the Chopped Championship begin…

FINALLY, It was TRULY a Chopped Challenge at Christmas this year. In Budapest, 98% of restaurants were closed, so nothing Hungarian. Greg asked for an American Traditional ham, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, a vegetable, and rolls. The grocery store did not have “ham”, so I chose a pork roast. There weren’t any gravy packets or jars, so I bought mushrooms to make my own. Both types of potatoes, carrots, and rolls were easy to find, and the surprise ingredient was marshmallows, which wasn’t even on my list. Once in the kitchen on Christmas Eve, FOIL WRAP, was my new best friend which I had to use as baking dishes. I splurged and bought some Hungarian Paprika and sugar to season the pork roast. We had “smashed” potatoes with skins on because there wasn’t a peeler and the small knife was dull. The 30”x 30” dining table became an extension of the kitchen because the small amount of countertop. Overall, I won the Chopped Championship with a Christmas dinner that was delicious!

In the gallery below the shopping trips, you will find the Chopped Champion meal results. The order many vary, but you might be able to see where a left-over turned into a new meal. From left to right you can see the pictured meals.

Potato & leek soup; Sausage with fried eggs & toast; Scrambled eggs with sausage, orange & toast; Avocado toast with sausage and oranges; Baked chicken with feta & tomato served with broccoli; Chicken with sweet potatoes & tomatoes; Chicken Noodle soup; Meatballs with sweet potatoes and zucchini; Roasted chicken with rice & salad; Chicken mozzarella pasta with salad; omelet with orange and toast; Ham and cheese crepe; Chicken potato soup