We really scored a 91!! And: perfect hash browns.

Jordan miscalculated (he was doing the math on his cell phone! who knew!) and we ended up getting a 91 on the soup/sauce test, including two points for finishing first. I got an A, and I still have a balanced life.

Who knew that eggs would be so challenging! We had to make, and present to the Chef, two eggs over easy, over medium, and over hard; eggs benedict with hash browns; shirred (baked) eggs with bacon, and a cheese omelet (the European way, which means not brown at all, and folded in thirds). I was once again the master of the hollandaise (no blender involved), but the fried eggs got me going all sideways. In fact, that's part of the problem. We are required to flip the eggs in the pan (nonstick is totally required, and a spatula is verboten). An important factor is to have the two yolks close to the handle side of the pan, on either side of the handle — that way, when you do the forward/back arm jerk maneuver that results in flipping, the heaviest part of the eggs have the shortest distance to go, and the likelihood of them flipping successfully is highest. Seriously, I dumped a dozen half-fried eggs in the trash today. I did eat the eggs benedict, though, even after they got cold.

But the real hot tip of the day was hash browns. Use a 6" nonstick skillet. Melt about 2 tablespoons butter over medium heat. (We used clarified butter. If you don't, use 1/2 olive oil.) Peel a russet potato and keep it submerged in a bowl of water. When you're ready to make the hash browns, grate about 1/2 cup of potato (on the large holes of your box grater). Don't grate in advance. If you do, the potatoes will turn brown. If you grate in advance, and keep them in water, you'll wash off the starch which is an essential component of the taste and texture. Pile the potatoes in the pan and pat them GENTLY into a rounded shape. Don't press them down. There should be about 3/4 of an inch of potatoes in the pan, sizzling gently. Use a heat-proof spatula to "tuck in" the uneven edges so that you have a uniform cake. Salt and pepper the uncooked side of the cake generously, and shake the pan around to make sure the potatoes are not sticking. Flip the cake. (Hahahahahahaha.) If it's not brown enough, flip it back. When it is well browned on both sides, slide it, seasoned side up, onto a plate. You might have to blot off some of the oil. You can cut this into half or sixths and arrange alongside your eggs, or, as the Chef said, "If you're making it for yourself at home, you just slide two fried eggs right on top."