Sweet love: Food Network’s competitions embrace Valentine’s Day

By Andrew Warren TV Media

It’s that time of year again: romance is in the air and Food Network is never one to let a good holiday go to waste. Food just has a place alongside every holiday, and the culinary channel’s many cooking competitions are bringing some sweet, sweet love into their kitchens with “Chopped,” “Guy’s Grocery Games” and “Worst Cooks in America” all presenting special Valentine’s Day episodes.

“Chopped” switches things up when four pastry chefs battle it out this week in the Tuesday, Feb. 13, Valentine’s episode. The masters of sweets fall in love when they learn that host Ted Allen has thrown mealtime conventions aside and requires them to cook three sweet desserts rather than a three-course meal.

It’s not just ice cream, candy and cake for the competitors, though. Each round’s baskets, which contain secret ingredients that the chefs must use in their dishes, contain some sort of chocolate, but the real shocker comes with the other mystery ingredients. In the first round, they find a squirmy invader that’s most unwelcome, while round 2’s baskets contain hummus, a dip that’s far from a typical chocolate pairing.

Guy Fieri is also in a lovey mood, and on Sunday, Feb. 11, he invites three of “Guy’s Grocery Games’” regular judges to bring their significant others to Flavortown for a friendly competition. In the first challenge, Guy sends out the couples to shop together for a romantic dinner, but with one of them wearing a blindfold, that ticking clock adds a bit of urgency to what could otherwise be a fun shopping trip.

Over at boot camp, mentors Anne Burrell and Tyler Florence show the recruits how to make perfect sweets for their sweeties in the Sunday, Feb. 11, episode of “Worst Cooks in America.” First, the re- cruits learn how to properly whip cream, with the mentors suffering the sweet, sweet consequences if they slip up. Then, they’re tasked to put together multicomponent desserts that are capable of winning over their soft-hearted mentors.

Love really is in the air at this time of year, and on Food Network there are sweet Valentine’s Day episodes happening all week.

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