Top Chef Masters Review: Mindy Kaling and Yo Gabba Gabba

Emily Caruso | Jelly Toast

Top Chef Masters welcomed Mindy Kaling to the judging table this week. Yes, it was an especially funny episode.

Turning on this week's episode of Top Chef Master', I was momentarily concerned that I accidentally turned on Nick Jr., which isn't unusual around my house.

But, no, this is Bravo and Top Chef Masters. My confusion lay in the fact that the entire cast of Yo Gabba Gabba - plus about 50 preschoolers - were dancing around and the kitchen... also, not completely unlike my day to day life. So far, this season has really played up the fact that it's being filmed in Los Angeles, with drama and the film industry permeating every episode.

Yo Gabba Gabba on Top Chef

Quickfire Challenge
This episode has a little something for everyone because awesome Mindy Kaling stops by the Top Chef Master's kitchen to act as inspiration and critic to the chefs Quickfire dishes. Mindy is a lover of romantic comedies, and she assigns each chef to create a dish inspired by one of those types of films.

Mindy is incredibly quick witted and she doesn't miss an opportunity to crack a joke and mix things up. Speaking of mixing things up, Mindy puts Sang in the bottom (gasp!) and then makes a bunch of stoner and pregnancy craving jokes about Sue's Ice Cream recipe that's loaded with chocolate and potato chips. In the end, Mindy picks Doug and his Scrambled Eggs & Caviar with Pommes Frites as her winner. Perfect date food!

Elimination Challenge
David Burke's sous Chef, Chris, won the Battle of the Sous Chef giving David immunity in the Elimination Challenge. Sue, Neal and Jennifer's sous chefs were in the bottom which will no doubt put them at some disadvantage. Plus, there is a double elimination this week, so David is a very lucky man with his immunity.

As the chefs are awaiting their assignment, the entire cast of Yo Gabba Gabba comes dancing into the kitchen, because it turns out that the chefs will be cooking for kids today. And as anyone who has cooked for children before knows: kids are the toughest critics out there, coupled with the fact that they have no filter when speaking their mind, this should be a very entertaining challenge.

Each chef has to choose from a group of typically disliked-by-kid foods, such as liver, spinach and eggplant, to create a delicious and healthy recipe that the kids will love. Both Bryan and Neal seem to have young children and are feeling pretty confidant in their efforts. Sue, Neal and Jennifer also have the added difficulty of having to work Brussels Sprouts into their dish as well.

Critics Table
After tasting the chef's dishes as well as getting feedback from the children, the critics feel that Douglas, Sang and Neal's healthy kid creations were in the top. In the end, it is Neal's experience as a dad, as well as his slam dunk of a pasta recipe that give him the win. The critics love the way he sneaks not one, but two green vegetables into his delicious and kid friendly Pasta with Brussels Sprout and Spinach Bolognese.

Sue, Jennifer and Bryan's dishes fell flat to both the big and little critics. While Bryan's Ruby Beet Sorbet with Toasted Granola & Vanilla Yogurt Dome was too 'earthy' or dirt flavored for most of the children, it was Sue and Jennifer's dishes that fell to the bottom and have them both sent home.

But wait, there's more…

It turns out that Sue and Jennifer will battle it out at the sous chef kitchen in a head to head battle, in which the winner will earn a place back in the competition. Quite a twist, eh? Curtis' accent is rubbing off on me, what can I say?

Join us next week as we watch the chefs attempt to fish for their food!

Are you tired of the dinner routine?

Stuck in a rut or looking for fun new recipes to try?

Our Facebook Group is growing every day! If you haven’t joined yet, we invite you to come check it out and join the fun.

Facebook!

You can ask for recipe ideas, talk about cooking techniques, or get help figuring out the right new pan set for you. If you’ve already joined, invite a friend along!

Tags: ,
Emily Caruso

About Emily

Emily is known for her absurdly beautiful food photography and coffee co-dependencies on her Jelly Toast Blog. On Food Fanatic, she shares a third addiction: fabulous snacks.