24 in 24 Last Chef Standing episode 3 recap: Resourcefulness requires planning

As the number of chefs in the Food Network competition continue to dwindle, 24 in 24 Last Chef Standing episode 3 recap offers a challenge that many home cooks can appreciate. With just one bag of ingredients, which chef can make the perfect breakfast, lunch, and dinner?

This 24 in 24 Last Chef Standing challenge asked the chefs to manage three non-stop challenges in 90 minutes. Although there is always an abundant pantry in this Food Network kitchen, it was off limits to the chefs. They were given one bag of food ingredients. While it was a resourcefulness challenge, it was just as much about adaptability and creativity.

With limited ingredients and time, the chefs needed to think of three meals concurrently. If they overshot the breakfast, they would have nothing left for dinner.

For this challenge, it was more about playing the Food Network game. Similar to a TOC Randomizer scenario, understanding the concept was just as important as a well-executed dish. As time continues to add to the clock, the chefs’ mental clarity might have an impact.

The bag of groceries had a bounty of options. While the half of onion and two cloves of garlic might be a challenge, there was a filet, crab, eggs, and more. It was figuring out how to make all the ingredients work together and separately.

In addition, appreciating how to use every part of the ingredient was vital. It might not have been an exercise in managing food waste restaurant, but those carrot tops should not be thrown away.

The chefs had to present their breakfast within 25 minutes. The most shocking part was that Chris Oh did not present a breakfast dish in time and there was no penalty. Although he could not win the advantage, it seems that the chefs could have skipped the breakfast or turned in a half-hearted dish without any downside. Will this wrinkle reappear later in the 24 in 24 Last Chef Standing season? Only time will tell.

With nine dishes on the table, the highs and lows were hard to tell. For example, Carlos took a risk with his duo with avocado toast and Greek yogurt with brittle. Even if the egg was a little over, the two flavors worked together, and it was a smart dish.

One top dish was from Mika. Her take a pressed sandwich with blueberry, bacon, and cream cheese sounds like it should not work, but it was craveable. Sometimes, the flavor is better than the food description.

Another top dish was Christopher’s hash with bacon, crab, and fried egg. He was the first chef to present. The crab and bacon combination was a great bowl of comfort food. Presenting first might have given him an edge and a path to being in the top three.

The winning chef was Camille. After being in the bottom, he soared to the top. His Pain Perdu with apples, blueberries and lemon was quite satisfying. It was clearly well executed and earned him the win.

While Camille will get an advantage in the next round, all three top chefs were able to retire to the lounge and did not have to cook the remaining courses. It was an advantage for all three chefs. That extra rest can be a huge difference.

Moving into the lunch round, Chris Oh made a big comeback. Maybe tanking the breakfast challenge was a mental mind game. His take on a soup and sandwich was smart, the French Onion Dip sandwich. More importantly the flavor was satisfying and had a depth of flavor.

Another top dish came from Carlos. His charred cabbage with crab salad should not make sense, but it did. Similar to his breakfast dish, it was interesting and celebrated ingenuity. It was good cooking and good thinking.

Martel  made a spice carrot of velouté. It was hearty yet not overwhelming. Overall, he used his ingredients in a smart way. It earned him safety and a break.

Unfortunately, four chefs had to cook the final course, dinner. Those chefs were Marcel, Gabriella, Kess, and Chris D. The bottom dish would send one chef home.

Marcel’s dish showed the most resourcefulness of the day. By creating his pan sauce, it used anything to create flavor depth. Any and all the leftovers and the potato water combined to make a smart sauce. In addition, his decision to leave the skins on the carrots was smart. Overall, it was clear that Marcel won dinner.

Chris D. made a nice dish. It was a good middle ground and kept him safe. The carrot top chimichurri was smart. Although it might have needed more soul, it was good.

Unfortunately, Gabriella made the mistake of serving pasta for her final dish. The pasta water lacked salt which made the pasta bland. In addition, her sauce was not incorporated into the pasta. Overall, it was a miss.

Kess seemed to struggle with tiredness. Her red pepper sauce was good, but it was a series of components, not necessarily a complete dish.

Between Kess and Gabriella, the pasta error caused Gabriella to be sent home. Unfortunately, there were too many mistakes to overlook.

In the challenge, the chefs compete as a team. Who could be the next group to leave the Food Network kitchen? Be sure to watch new episodes of 24 in 24 Last Chef Standing on Food Network every Sunday night at 8 p.m. ET/PT or stream the next day on MAX.