text: [Themes: cooking]
  
  > look around
  Top Chef Kitchen is the focal point of the show, your home away from home. Well, technically, that would be the loft. This is your home away from home away from home. It's where the majority of challenges take place. When you first arrived, it was intimidating and awkward, but now that you've been here awhile -- and with half the cheftestants gone -- it's become reasonably comfortable.
  
  In the "center" of the room (pretending for the moment that there is a fourth wall), there are a bunch of stations, each with some basic utensils, and a sink. Along one wall is a gleaming row of GE Monogram® ovens, scrubbed inside and out after every challenge to show the sponsor in the best possible light. Above them, the massive Top Chef logo looms. And as always, a bunch of Elves are here with their gear, all artfully hidden from the viewers. The pantry is to the west.
  
  Furiously prepping and cooking here are Andre, Violet, Stephen, Justin and Linh.
  
  Padma Lakshmi and Tom Colicchio are chatting off-camera.
  
  A bunch of equipment is lined up on a rack near the gas range and grill: among many other things, there's a huge pressure cooker.
  
  On the equipment rack is a grating attachment.
  
  You can also see a table (on which are many tubs of sour cream) here.
  
  > go west
  The Top Chef pantry is stocked, at least most days, with just about anything you could want. Not always in huge quantities, though. Having the cheftestants squabble over ingredients makes for good TV.
  A giant GE Monogram® refrigerator occupies much of the north wall. Next to it are shelves filled with various nonperishable goods. And opposite them are baskets of produce.
  
  There's a crash of pans on the floor and Justin takes a mock bow.
  
  > look at the baskets
  Large wooden baskets, filled with all manner of produce.
  
  In the baskets are a few heads of garlic, some artichokes, some okra, some carrots, some green beans, some kale, some broccoli, some apples, some tomatoes, some spinach, some eggplant, some arugula, some endives, some lemons, some radicchio, some cauliflower, some zucchini, some celery, some limes and a watermelon.
  
  > take the watermelon
  You don't need the watermelon. Focus on what you need for your dish.
  
  > R.
  You can't consult actual written recipes on the show, so quantities and times are always going to be inexact. That said--
  
  potatoes, peeled, grated and dried
  onions, chopped
  eggs
  matzo meal
  oil or fat
  salt
  
  Combine potatoes, onions, eggs, salt and matzo meal in bowl. Fry latkes in very hot oil, flipping after five minutes. Drain and plate the latkes. Garnish as appropriate, and finish with salt to taste.
  
  Given this challenge, "garnish" means sour cream, and maybe a little something else. Berries, or caviar, perhaps.
  
  > open the fridge
  You open the refrigerator, revealing some milk, some short ribs, some bacon, some feta, some duck fat, some Ahi tuna, a leg of lamb and a lobe of foie gras.
  
  > look at the shelves
  Plain but attractive shelves filled, for the most part, with medium-sized dry goods.
  
  On the shelves are some cardamom, some tomato paste, some soy sauce, some mustard, a bottle of gochujang, some Panko, some baking soda, some cinnamon, some sugar, some ketchup, some cocoa powder, some wild rice, a bag of flour, some masa, some linguine, some paprika and some jasmine rice.
  
  > search the fridge
  In the refrigerator are some short ribs, some milk, a leg of lamb, a lobe of foie gras, some feta, some bacon, some Ahi tuna and some duck fat.
  
  > open the fridge
  That's already open.
  
  The camera comes in for a close-up on you and what you're doing. You manage a few words.
  
  The fridge door swings shut.
  
  > Keep going
  You open the refrigerator, revealing some bacon, some milk, some short ribs, some feta, some Ahi tuna, a lobe of foie gras, a leg of lamb and some duck fat.
  
  > take the ahi tuna
  You don't need the Ahi tuna. Focus on what you need for your dish.
  
  A burst of flame erupts momentarily from the range as someone else's pot boils over.
  
  > close the fridge
  You close the refrigerator.
  
  Justin is making a show of his butchering technique.
  
  > take the paprika
  You don't need the paprika. Focus on what you need for your dish.
  
  > take the arugula
  You don't need the arugula. Focus on what you need for your dish.
  
  > examine Panko
  You don't need the Panko. Focus on what you need for your dish.
  
  > examine the baskets
  Large wooden baskets, filled with all manner of produce.
  
  In the baskets are some celery, some limes, some eggplant, some kale, some radicchio, a few heads of garlic, some endives, some apples, a watermelon, some cauliflower, some lemons, some arugula, some carrots, some tomatoes, some green beans, some okra, some artichokes, some spinach, some zucchini and some broccoli.
  
  > go east
  Top Chef Kitchen is the focal point of the show, your home away from home. Well, technically, that would be the loft. This is your home away from home away from home. It's where the majority of challenges take place. When you first arrived, it was intimidating and awkward, but now that you've been here awhile -- and with half the cheftestants gone -- it's become reasonably comfortable.
  
  In the "center" of the room (pretending for the moment that there is a fourth wall), there are a bunch of stations, each with some basic utensils, and a sink. Along one wall is a gleaming row of GE Monogram® ovens, scrubbed inside and out after every challenge to show the sponsor in the best possible light. Above them, the massive Top Chef logo looms. And as always, a bunch of Elves are here with their gear, all artfully hidden from the viewers. The pantry is to the west.
  
  Furiously prepping and cooking here are Andre, Violet, Stephen, Justin and Linh.
  
  Padma Lakshmi and Tom Colicchio are chatting off-camera.
  
  A bunch of equipment is lined up on a rack near the gas range and grill: among many other things, there's a huge pressure cooker.
  
  On the equipment rack is a grating attachment.
  
  You can also see a table (on which are many tubs of sour cream) here.
  
  A camera-wielding Elf scurries past you.
  
  > examine the latkes
  You check the underside of the latkes. They're still a little pale on that side.
  
  > put the latkes in the skillet
  Too late for that now. You've already topped them with sour cream.
  
  > wait for 5 minutes
  Waiting for 5 minutes.
  
  As the clock ticks down to zero, Padma shouts: "Utensils down, hands UP!"
  
  "Cut!" yells the director. An Elf comes by with a cart and carefully gathers up the beauty plates to be photographed off-set. Another Elf straightens up the tasting plates and gets everyone, including Tom and Padma, lined up after a few seconds. You're the last in line.
  
  "Action!"
  
  "Hi, Linh," says Padma, heading to the first cheftestant. "What did you make for us today?" Padma and Tom taste everyone's dishes and chitchat with the chefs for a bit until finally they get to you.
  
  "You made latkes!" says Tom, with some amusement. "Yeah, I'm not much of a Christmas person," you reply. "I have to say, you don't look like a Hanukkah person, either." He chuckles. You continue: "It's just a classic potato latke, with sour cream."
  
  Padma digs in. Tom picks at the latkes. "Did you forget to flip them?", he asks. "Looks like you got one side, but not the other." Padma asks, "What did you fry this in?" "Vegetable oil," you reply. She and Tom are inscrutable. "Thanks," she says.
  
  The Elves guide Padma and Tom back to their marks, and the cameras begin rolling again. "So, Tom, who had our least-favorite dishes?" Tom points. "Justin," he says. "The individual components were all cooked well, but it just didn't make sense to me. I'm not sure why you would pair the bison with Mentos."
  
  He then turns to you. "Samiira." Wase. "My wife does
  latkes every year at Hanukkah, and these just weren't up to snuff." Awesome. You stop listening to the rest. Hey, Violet actually won. Good for her. After everyone settles down, Padma begins again. "And now for this week's Elimination Challenge: it's what you've all been waiting for." She winds and delivers: "Restaurant Wars!"
  
  > Examine cooker
  It's an enormous, professional-quality pressure cooker. It seems to be sitting unevenly on the rack.
  
  > wait a while
  Time passes.
  
  The director shouts, "Everyone, back on your marks!" Moments later, they're set up and rolling again.
  
  Everyone tenses as they wait for Padma. "Your time starts" -- slight pause -- "NOW!"
  
  OK! Well, there's probably a million baking options, but you don't have anything other than kac kac or luqaimat
  memorized. You don't have time to bake during a Quickfire anyway. Think of something! What was the last thing you made with sour cream? OK, yes -- a friend you worked with (now your ex-boyfriend's wife) taught you to make latkes last year. That'll work. The timing will be really tight, though you think you can finish, inshallah.
  
  So you're gonna need POTATOES and EGGS and ONIONS and MATZO MEAL and OIL (or equivalent) and SALT. And then SOUR CREAM, obviously, and something else on top. Maybe a BERRY of some kind? Or savory -- wait, wasn't there some IKURA in the fridge yesterday? [You can type RECIPE or R at any time to pull up the recipe.]
  
  The other cheftestants bolt off their marks to get their stuff. You see Linh, Violet, and Justin dash to the pantry, and Andre and Stephen heading over to the equipment.
  
  > go to the west
  The Top Chef pantry is stocked, at least most days, with just about anything you could want. Not always in huge quantities, though. Having the cheftestants squabble over ingredients makes for good TV.
  A giant GE Monogram® refrigerator occupies much of the north wall. Next to it are shelves filled with various nonperishable goods. And opposite them are baskets of produce.
  
  Here getting ingredients are Violet and Linh.
  
  Justin is making a show of his butchering technique.
  
  You see Linh, already weighed down with armfuls of ingredients, struggling to reach a jar of Moroccan olives on the shelves. She turns to you for help. "Sam, hey, uh, can you?", she asks. There are actually a couple up of jars there. Justin, meanwhile, peels around the corner and starts lunging towards the baskets, with an Elf close behind. "..blackberrry jus," he seems to be saying to no one in particular.
  
  > get the jar
  Which do you mean, the intact jar of Moroccan olives or the greasy jar of Moroccan olives?
  
  > get the intact jar
  You reach up and grab the nicer of the two jars and hand it to Linh. She's always been pretty decent to you, except that one time during the mise en place relay race when you overheard her whispering smack to Brian about your suprèming technique. Linh nearly drops the jar but recovers and heads to her station.
  
  Stephen and Andre arrive and begin gathering ingredients.
  
  > examine the shelves
  Plain but attractive shelves filled, for the most part, with medium-sized dry goods.
  
  On the shelves are some Panko, some masa, some mustard, some paprika, some sugar, some baking soda, a bottle of gochujang, some soy sauce, some vegetable oil, some linguine, some kosher salt, some ketchup, some tomato paste, a bag of flour, some cardamom, some cocoa powder, some cinnamon, some matzo meal, some wild rice and some jasmine rice.
  
  > get the matzo
  Taken.
  
  Justin elbows you out of the way and grabs the blackberries. He lurches off.
  
  > take the blackberries
  Just as you reach for the blackberries, Justin barges in, elbowing you aside. "Sorry," he claims. "I'm doing a jus." He snags them and heads back toward his station.
  
  Andre calls out, "Does anyone have the immersion blender?"
  
  > get the blackberries
  Just as you reach for the blackberries, Justin barges in, elbowing you aside. "Sorry," he claims. "I'm doing a jus." He snags them and heads back toward his station.
  
  > get matzo
  Taken.
  
  Andre, Stephen and Violet head back to the kitchen.
  
  > get the potatoes and the onions
  Yukon Gold potatoes: Taken.
  yellow onions: Taken.
  
  Linh calls out, "Does anyone have the immersion blender?"
  
  > open the fridge
  You open the refrigerator, revealing some duck fat, some milk, some bacon, some Ahi tuna, some eggs, some feta, a leg of lamb, some short ribs and a lobe of foie gras.
  
  > take the eggs and the fat
  eggs: You grab some eggs. [Note: you can just PUT THEM IN BOWL to use them].
  duck fat: Taken.
  
  > close the fridge
  You close the refrigerator.
  
  You hear someone furiously chopping.
  
  > take the salt
  Taken.
  
  The camera comes in for a close-up on you and what you're doing. You manage a few words.
  
  > go east
  Top Chef Kitchen is the focal point of the show, your home away from home. Well, technically, that would be the loft. This is your home away from home away from home. It's where the majority of challenges take place. When you first arrived, it was intimidating and awkward, but now that you've been here awhile -- and with half the cheftestants gone -- it's become reasonably comfortable.
  
  In the "center" of the room (pretending for the moment that there is a fourth wall), there are a bunch of stations, each with some basic utensils, and a sink. Along one wall is a gleaming row of GE Monogram® ovens, scrubbed inside and out after every challenge to show the sponsor in the best possible light. Above them, the massive Top Chef logo looms. And as always, a bunch of Elves are here with their gear, all artfully hidden from the viewers. The pantry is to the west.
  
  Furiously prepping and cooking here are Andre, Violet, Stephen, Justin and Linh.
  
  Padma Lakshmi and Tom Colicchio are chatting off-camera.
  
  A bunch of equipment is lined up on a rack near the gas range and grill: among many other things, there's some plates, a grater, a cast-iron skillet, a Robot Coupe, a huge pressure cooker and a mixing bowl.
  
  On the equipment rack is a grating attachment.
  
  You can also see a table (on which are many tubs of sour cream) here.
  
  > grate the potatoes
  You need to something to grate with. Like a grater. Or even better, a Robot Coupe.
  
  > Peel potatoes
  You grab a peeler from the implements at your station and peel the Yukon Gold potatoes as fast as you possibly can.
  
  > put potatoes in Robot
  You put the Yukon Gold potatoes into the Robot Coupe.
  
  Someone shouts "Hot!" as they race around the kitchen.
  
  > examine rack
  The rack is where the common kitchen equipment is kept.
  
  On the equipment rack are a grating attachment, some plates, a grater, a cast-iron skillet, a Robot Coupe, a huge pressure cooker and a mixing bowl.
  
  > put the attachment on Robot
  You pop the attachment into the Robot Coupe. Now you can grate stuff with it.
  
  "Behind!" someone yells.
  
  > press the button
  You pulse the Robot Coupe with the grating attachment in place until the potatoes are grated nicely. You dump the potatoes on the cutting board and quickly rinse out the processor.
  
  > cut the onions
  You grab the onions, quickly discard the skins, halve them, and holding the halves firmly, make a series of fine crosswise cuts. Keeping them together, you rock your big chef's knife up and down with lightning speed, turning the onions into tiny tidbits. Your eyes are tearing, but you have no time to wipe them.
  
  A camera-wielding Elf scurries past you.
  
  > put the eggs in the bowl
  You crack some eggs, dump them into the bowl, and whisk them to a light froth.
  
  Linh is talking to the camera somewhere.
  
  > put the matzo in the bowl
  You add the matzo meal.
  
  > put the potatoes in the bowl
  (first taking the Yukon Gold potatoes)
  You add the Yukon Gold potatoes.
  
  > put the fat in the skillet
  You spoon some of the duck fat into the skillet. [You can PUT SKILLET ON RANGE to start cooking.]
  
  > put the skillet on the range
  (first taking the cast-iron skillet)
  You put the skillet on the range and turn the burner up to high. The duck fat begins to heat up.
  
  There's a crash of pans on the floor and Stephen takes a mock bow.
  
  > put the onions in the bowl
  You add the yellow onions.
  
  > examine the onions
  They're your basic onions. They've been finely diced.
  
  > look at the counter
  Each station has a counter with some electrical sockets for equipment and sundry standard kitchen implements. Back at the start of the season, every station was occupied, leading to elbow-to-elbow cooking, territorial fights, ingredient theft, bickering, crashes, and other reality-show goodness. Now there's a little room to spread out. The rest still happens.
  
  On your station are a mixing bowl and a cutting board.
  
  > Dry potatoes
  You dry the Yukon Gold potatoes as best you can with paper towels, trying to wring as much moisture out as possible.
  
  > examine the potatoes
  Small, golden spuds. They've been peeled. You've grated them. And they've been dried.
  
  > put the potatoes in the bowl
  (first taking the Yukon Gold potatoes)
  You add the Yukon Gold potatoes.
  
  > put the fat in the skillet
  You spoon some of the duck fat into the skillet. [You can PUT SKILLET ON RANGE to start cooking.]
  
  There's a crash of pans on the floor and Stephen takes a mock bow.
  
  > Inventory
  You are carrying:
  some kosher salt
  some yellow onions (chopped)
  your Top Chef whites (being worn)
  a Litchfield Women's Correctional Facility T-shirt (being worn)
  jeans (being worn)
  some knives
  
  > put the skillet on the range
  (first taking the cast-iron skillet)
  You put the skillet on the range and turn the burner up to high. The duck fat begins to heat up.
  
  > put the salt in the bowl
  (first taking the salt)
  You add the last of the latke ingredients into the bowl and mix them thoroughly. You now have raw latkes, or at least the stuff of raw latkes. [To begin cooking, add some frying medium to the skillet and put the skillet on the range.]
  
  > examine skillet
  A heavy fifteen-inch cast-iron pan, properly seasoned.
  
  In the cast-iron skillet is some duck fat.
  
  > Wait
  Time passes.
  
  The intensity of the sizzling tells you that the pan is now hot enough to fry with.
  
  > turn the latkes
  Nothing obvious happens.
  
  The latkes continue to fry in the skillet.
  
  The latkes are browning nicely.
  
  > flip the latkes
  You carefully flip the latkes.
  
  A burst of flame erupts momentarily from the range as someone else's pot boils over.
  
  The latkes continue to fry in the skillet.
  
  > Drain latkes
  First things first. You remove the latkes from the heat. The sizzling abates.
  
  You put the latkes on some paper towels to drain the excess grease.
  
  > Plate latkes
  You carefully plate the latkes, trimming some of the edges to make them more visually appealing, and arranging them just so.
  
  Padma and Tom re-enter the kitchen. Violet looks up and shouts "54 seconds!"
  
  > look at latkes
  They're nicely browned and crisp. They look pretty good.
  
  > take the cream
  (the tubs of sour cream)
  You grab one of the tubs.
  
  Andre calls out, "Does anyone have the immersion blender?"
  
  > put the cream on the latkes
  (the sour cream on the latkes)
  You put a small dollop of sour cream on the latkes.
  
  Stephen is talking to the camera somewhere.
  
  > go west
  The Top Chef pantry is stocked, at least most days, with just about anything you could want. Not always in huge quantities, though. Having the cheftestants squabble over ingredients makes for good TV.
  A giant GE Monogram® refrigerator occupies much of the north wall. Next to it are shelves filled with various nonperishable goods. And opposite them are baskets of produce.
  
  > examine jar
  Looks the cap was loose or there was a leak somewhere. Some of the oil has clearly soaked through the label.
  
  > get the jar
  You don't need olives for your dish.
  
  There's a crash of pans on the floor and Linh takes a mock bow.
  
  > open the fridge
  You open the refrigerator, revealing a lobe of foie gras, some bacon, some feta, some Ahi tuna, some short ribs, some milk and a leg of lamb.
  
  > search the fridge
  In the refrigerator are some short ribs, some milk, a leg of lamb, a lobe of foie gras, some feta, some bacon and some Ahi tuna.
  
  > search the tuna
  You don't need the Ahi tuna. Focus on what you need for your dish.
  
  A burst of flame erupts momentarily from the range as someone else's pot boils over.
  
  The fridge door swings shut.
  
  > open the fridge
  You open the refrigerator, revealing some bacon, a leg of lamb, a lobe of foie gras, some milk, some Ahi tuna, some short ribs and some feta.
  
  > take the caviar
  There might be some, but you don't see it immediately. You'd have to SEARCH THE FRIDGE FOR it, which might take a little time.
  
  > search the fridge
  In the refrigerator are some short ribs, some milk, a leg of lamb, a lobe of foie gras, some feta, some bacon and some Ahi tuna.
  
  The fridge door swings shut.
  
  > open the fridge
  You open the refrigerator, revealing a lobe of foie gras, some milk, some Ahi tuna, some bacon, some short ribs, some feta and a leg of lamb.
  
  > search the fridge for the caviar
  You find the ikura, buried in the back, and grab it before anyone else does. Sweet!
  
  As the clock ticks down to zero, Padma shouts: "Utensils down, hands UP!"
  
  "Cut!" yells the director. An Elf comes by with a cart and carefully gathers up the beauty plates to be photographed off-set. Another Elf straightens up the tasting plates and gets everyone, including Tom and Padma, lined up after a few seconds. You're the last in line.
  
  "Action!"
  
  "Hi, Linh," says Padma, heading to the first cheftestant. "What did you make for us today?" Padma and Tom taste everyone's dishes and chitchat with the chefs for a bit until finally they get to you.
  
  "You made latkes!" says Tom, with some amusement. "Yeah, I'm not much of a Christmas person," you reply. "I have to say, you don't look like a Hanukkah person, either." He chuckles. You continue: "It's just a classic potato latke, with sour cream."
  
  Padma digs in. Tom takes a bite. "Did you taste these?", he asks. "They're underseasoned. They need more salt." Padma asks, "What did you fry this in?" "Duck fat," you reply. "I can tell," she says. "Thanks."
  
  The Elves guide Padma and Tom back to their marks, and the cameras begin rolling again. "So, Tom, who had our least-favorite dishes?" Tom points. "Justin," he says. "The individual components were all cooked well, but it just didn't make sense to me. I'm not sure why you would pair the bison with Mentos." He then turns to Stephen. "Steve. The lamb was just overcooked."
  
  "And who were our favorites?," Padma asks. "Violet," he says. "You really got an amazing amount of flavor from that chicken in such a short time, and the sour cream was a nice contrast with the spice. And... Andre. The deconstructed potato skin was a pretty clever idea."
  
  Oh well. At least you weren't on the bottom. Oh hey, Violet wins. Good for her. After everyone settles down, Padma begins again. "And now for this week's Elimination Challenge: it's what you've all been waiting for." She winds and delivers: "Restaurant Wars!"