The Great American Recipe: Episode 2 Recap

The competition heated up in episode two of The Great American Recipe. In episode one, Christina McAlvey was sent home after two cooking challenges. Now with nine home chefs remaining, it's getting even hotter in the kitchen. 

In the first round, the home cooks had 45 minutes to prepare their most beloved “in a pinch” recipe using their pantry staples. Here's what happened in episode two, round one of The Great American Recipe.

The competition was cooking between contestants Tony Scherber and Foo Nguyen. With both home cooks making fried rice, the challenge was on to see who could impress the judges the most. 

Would it be Tony with his spicy, fresh and colorful version, or Foo with his family-friendly, full-of-cilantro option?

On the other side of the kitchen home cook Nikki Nikki Tomaino-Allemand cooked up some fresh shrimp tacos with tortilla chips and salsa. A time-crunch definitely puts the pressure on all of the contestants.

Chef Bambi Daniels fried up something delicious for the judges, but not without some backstory. Her fried cauliflower is great for those with food restrictions, which is something Bambi hadn't dealt with until visiting family in California.

The judges appreciated the background of her fried cauliflower (and the humor to go along with it) and even offered some suggestions for ways to make her food appear more fabulous.

A common theme of episode two was flavor, and lots of it. From onions to garlic to jalapeños, the Great American Recipe kitchen was full of heat (and not just from the ovens). We also learned from contestant Silvia Martinez that onion and garlic go well in essentially everything. 

We also learned from contestant Dan Rinaldi that in order for sauce to stick to gnocchi pasta, the individual pieces must have ridges. Without the ridges, the sauce would slide right off. Dan truly impressed the judges (and us) with his gnocchi improvisation.

Chef Brian Leigh warmed the judges hearts with zuppa toscana, a homemade soup he makes once or twice a week in the winter months to keep warm. This soup is best served with delicious bread, as noted by Brian.

Following the battle of fried rice, the judges ultimately sided with Foo and his family-friendly version. Foo says his fun take on fried rice is a perfect meal for busy evenings.

For the second half of the competition, the heat was on. In round two the cooks had 90 minutes to make their most crowd-pleasing recipe to share with the panel of judges, and one cook was named the winner of the week while another was sent home. Here's what went down.

Irma Cadiz spent her time in the kitchen making chicken pot pie — a favorite comfort food item of many. Irma's secret ingredient is sour cream, which gives the pot pie a tartness.

In round two, Tony took the judges notes seriously about spice and added in a whole lot of heat. Even his sauce was spicy for Silvia who's no novice to heat.

Foo impressed the judges once again, but this time with his spaghetti. Well, his meatballs to be exact. This recipe is stuffed with pork, beef and tons of spices, making it a win-win for the judges. 

Ultimately Irma's chicken pot pie didn't live up to the judges expectations and she was eliminated from the competition, but not without cooking up some big flavors. Check out episode three on July 8 to find out what the remaining eight home chefs have on the menu.