Cooks vs. Cons

When professional chefs present their dishes, their years of experience and their reputations for stellar cuisine and expert technique often precede them, so much so that tasters may be biased when it comes to reviewing the food. But what happens when judges don’t know if the meal was prepared by a home cook or a chef? Will perceptions change and critiques differ? That’s where the brand-new series Cooks vs. Cons comes in.

Cooks vs. Cons will showcase industry experts facing off in the kitchen against amateur cooks, but the competition will be blind, so no one — not even the contestants or the judges of the battle — will know the culinary skill level of the person who prepared it. While the home cooks will enjoy an even playing field, of sorts, as their food is viewed just as the chefs’ is, the question remains whether the chefs will still have an advantage with years of professional-kitchen experience behind them. It’s up to both competitors to prepare the best plates they know how--with a few unexpected twists, like a secret ingredient, of course--if they want to successfully complete two rounds of battle. With host Geoffrey Zakarian at the helm and judges Kardea Brown, Josh Elkin, Graham Elliot and Daphne Oz on hand to oversee the tasting, the stakes will be high and the critiques honest as the hopefuls vie for the title of best of the best. (Source: FOOD Network)