After the preliminary round, the competitors had an opportunity to prepare a signature dish for the trio of judges.
One type of challenge has the chefs performing a routine task such as dicing onions, during which the judges will observe their technique.
In the third season, the semi-finalists competed in duels of two or three people, where they had to cook a dish with a specific topic; the winner received an apron.
Subsequently, the formal competition begins typically following a 2-event cycle that takes place over a 90-minute episode, with a chef eliminated after the second event.
The events typically are: The contestants have a certain time to perform all the tests, in which they must cook the menu and have it plated, and once finished they can not modify the dishes.