Top Chef Season 18 episode 2 preview: Brewing a tasty dish

After meeting the chefs in the premiere, Top Chef Season 18 episode 2 brings two of Portland’s iconic brews to the table. Would you prefer to cook with coffee or beer?

According to Bravo, Top Chef Season 18 episode 2, “Trouble Brewing” features the following:

"The chefs enter the kitchen to find Padma and seven hungry all-star chefs — Amar Santana, Melissa King, Kwame Onwuachi, Dale Talde, Gregory Gourdet, Carrie Baird and Richard Blais — and find they have 30 minutes to serve eight plates of breakfast."

It appears that this preview statement refers to the Quickfire. Given last week’s episode and Richard Blais’ hair, it seems likely that there will be many bed head jokes. Bonus points for the Top Chef super fan who turns the comments into a drinking game similar to the Word of the Night on Andy Cohen’s show.

With a breakfast challenge, the chefs need to balance creativity and execution. A bad plate of eggs is not going to fly with these chefs. It will be interesting to see how creative the chefs can be with a breakfast dish.

As seen in a Bravo video, the Elimination Challenge has the chefs making a dish with coffee or beer. While each chef will have a preference, sometimes fate determines the special ingredient.

Thinking about these two options, neither one is easy or hard. It really depends on a chef’s culinary point of view. Some cuisines lend themselves to one beverage over another.

Even though the culinary creativity is the star of any Top Chef episode, there is always some other drama on the plate. While everyone will count how many times working for Tom Colicchio is mentioned, there will be other characteristics that will be revealed throughout the season. There needs a polarizing personality in every Top Chef season. Who is this season’s Malarkey?

Here’s how to watch Top Chef Season 18 episode 2, “Trouble Brewing.”

Date: Thursday, April 8, 2021

Start Time: 8 p.m. ET

Episode: “Trouble Brewing”

TV Channel: Bravo

Live Stream: Watch live on Fubo TV. Sign up now for a free seven-day trial. You can also watch on Food Network’s website or app.

Top Chef Season 18 airs on Thursday nights at 8 p.m. ET/PT.