Three Atlanta lesbian chefs tested their skills on episodes of “Chopped,” the popular Food Network cooking competition, during November and December, creating delicious dishes from the TV show’s mandatory — and often decidedly odd — ingredients.

Chef Ria Pell won her episode, which first aired Nov. 20. Chef Virginia Willis placed second after encountering an especially challenging ingredient during her Nov. 27 show. Chef Courtney Renn makes her debut Dec. 18, so tune in then to see if she also finishes among the top “Chopped” chefs.

In the meantime, we asked all of these culinary stars to share some of their holiday recipes to help keep you from getting “Chopped” this season.

I often tell people, “If you can read, you can cook.” This is assuming they actually want to cook — and believe me, some people just don’t care to bother. Others want to and can’t seem to get it right.

A brief question-and-answer period reveals they’ve made a few very common mistakes made by all beginning cooks.

Start small

No one starts at the top. Walk before you run — try a simple roasted chicken before you try to tackle a Turducken.