Masterchef Fans?

superficies

Any other foodies here into Masterchef the Professionals? I have to admit that I watch it religiously. It is TIVOed every night here and watched either at the time it's on or in a big, foodie love fest at the weekends. The quality of some of the professionals in the skills test is shocking, but generally I love it. Bit disappointed that-as usual-there are so few women, but still in love with Michel Roux Jnr and Greg-the-Egg isn't annoying me too much yet. Any other fans? Proper masterchef will be starting soon as well. YAY!

lasair

+1

petes

I think it's a great show. Really enjoying it over the past week.

It;s actually one of the better food shows out there. That and Come Dine With Me.

tomcollins97

Does masterchef put the recipies online - I haven't managed to find them

petes

http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/tv_and_radio/masterchef/recipes_index.shtml

http://www.recipeland.com/category/view/?cid=63

There isn't too many. Something to do with copyright.

duploelabs

+1 although the standard in the skill test was shocking. Spatchcocking a chicken , shucking an oyster, or even cooking a bleeding ommlete were all messed up!

superficies

I am always amazed by how many professionals make rubbish out of the classic recipe test, when they are given the recipes and the instructions for them beforehand and they are ALWAYS French recipes. A little preparation would go a long way with these recipes I think.

Monica, by the way, is fantastic. The facial expressions are only brilliant.

farmerval

Haven't seen much of this show but love Masterchef in general.:)

TICKLE_ME_ELMO

Yes I LOVE this show. The skills test is possibly my favourite bit. So funny to see simple tasks, that even non chefs could probably do, getting messed up.
The night of the chicken one, I actually had a dream I was doing that, and I was very very good at it.;)

Oh and how funny when they all served raw chicken in their piella.

What's the difference between this and normal masterchef? Is it non professionals normally?

superficies

Yes, is normally non professionals. And the format is slightly different usually. Also, Michel Roux doesn't have any role to play in the normal Masterchef-it's John Therou (spl?) normally along with Greg-the-Egg, of course!

TICKLE_ME_ELMO

Right, my brother did say that La Roux guy wasn't normally on it. Is he on something else cookery compitition wise? I'm sure I've seen him tasting food before?

duploelabs

superficies wrote: »

Monica, by the way, is fantastic. The facial expressions are only brilliant.

My Missus cannot stand her. Bit of an angry "comfortable shoe" wearer

ya-what-now?

Love it!

Totally addicted, not crazy on that Monica one but she is growing on me. Getting a bit bored of the same intro at the start "Being one of only four chefs with 2 Michelin Stars, Michel Roux...*cut to him polishing shot glass with a stern face" . Hopefully they might stop playing that EVERY night!

Loving the series so far though. Some of them make some blatant mistakes though, saying that the pressure is pretty immense with the likes of Greg/Monica/Michel literally standing over your shoulder!

Looking forward to the semi finals now. Just to see what kind of tasks they'll be set!

duploelabs

ya-what-now? wrote: »

Getting a bit bored of the same intro at the start "Being one of only four chefs with 2 Michelin Stars, Michel Roux...*cut to him polishing shot glass with a stern face" . Hopefully they might stop playing that EVERY night!

two words, sky plus....sorts it right out

superficies

duploelabs wrote: »

My Missus cannot stand her. Bit of an angry "comfortable shoe" wearer

I presume by this you mean lesbian? So what? She certainly knows her stuff and doesn't accept sub-standard work. Just sounds like someone with a good sense of professionalism to me.

superficies

ya-what-now? wrote: »

Love it!

Totally addicted, not crazy on that Monica one but she is growing on me. Getting a bit bored of the same intro at the start "Being one of only four chefs with 2 Michelin Stars, Michel Roux...*cut to him polishing shot glass with a stern face" . Hopefully they might stop playing that EVERY night!

Oh I know...and it's the same with the normal Masterchef (except they say 'cooking DOESN'T get harder than this' instead of 'better than this' like they say on MC the professionals). I concur with the sky plus comment. This bit always gets fwded chez nous!

bonkey

ya-what-now? wrote: »

cut to him polishing shot glass with a stern face

Monica's "get that garnish on the plate. Now." line is worse, TBH.

The show itself isn't bad...although I've been shocked more than once at the performances of some of the pro chefs in the current series.

tSubh Dearg

My OH's brother, who is a professional chef took part in this. He got as far as the quarterfinals last week.

I think the big problem for these guys is the time limit in each case. Maybe they're just not used to working somewhere where dishes have to be ready that fast. But then I wonder what sort of place they've been working where they don't have to know basic kitchen skills.

brianthebard

Insurgent wrote: »

I think it's a great show. Really enjoying it over the past week.

It;s actually one of the better food shows out there. That and Come Dine With Me.

What the Fup??? :eek:

Degag

superficies wrote: »

Yes, is normally non professionals. And the format is slightly different usually. Also, Michel Roux doesn't have any role to play in the normal Masterchef-it's John Therou (spl?) normally along with Greg-the-Egg, of course!

Torode i think...

duploelabs

superficies wrote: »

I presume by this you mean lesbian? So what? She certainly knows her stuff and doesn't accept sub-standard work. Just sounds like someone with a good sense of professionalism to me.

I meant by her demeanour and attitude being very tired at this stage. She constantly uses the same repertoir of expressions and phrases. I've nothing against her professionalism, but some people don't do TV well and I believe she's one of them

messrs

only started watchign this show for first time few weeks ago! really enjoy it:)

Minder

Masterchef is like watching a train wreck in slow motion - I hate it but I can't switch it off. Greg has irritated me for years - ever since he used to pop smutty innuendo every five minutes to female guests on the Saturday Kitchen. John Torode makes me gag every time he loads a spoonful of food into his mouth. Michel Roux Jnr looks like a Steve Bell cartoon of Tony Blair - what the hell is going on with his eyes?

The professional chefs are a collection of reheaters with the occasional talent thrown in to give the competition a potential winner. The early rounds are populated with mostly blokes who, after an age working in reheateries, can't remember how to spatchcock a chicken or bone out a piece of meat.... I haven't done this since college....

It's a bit like the X Factor - weeks and weeks of mostly mingers and some singers before any talent starts to shine through.

dudara

Really enjoying this at the moment - great standard on the quarterfinal last night.

Monica is relaxing a bit as well as the series is progressing and is not quite so angry looking.

lin lin

I love, love, love masterchef
that Ludovic seems brilliant but so cocky..

petes

Damn my Thursday night boozing. Didn't get to see it last night!

lin lin

dont know if they are showing it agian but i ll put a spoiler anyways

Ludovic went through and Mick that guy who is head chef in a hotel i think, he seems really skilled but not as creative as "Ludo" who made an oyster jelly.. and a pear and blue cheese souffle for dessert! i wouldnt mind trying that souffle myself

superficies

Ludovig is a genuinely exciting chef, the first proper spark of 'master' in this year's masterchef.

joolsveer

lin lin wrote: »

I love, love, love masterchef
that Ludovic seems brilliant but so cocky..

I agree. He seemed certain that he was going to win last night.

LimeFruitGum

He was soooo chillaxed!

I would have liked Dan to have gotten through, but he fecked up the main far too much to be even considered. His choc dessert looked heavenly. *drool*

Matt and Ludo were so going to make it to the semis. Can't wait for the next quarter final!

noeleenred

I reckon Ludo will win, he was brilliant. Love masterchef too.

Mr E

Semi-finals start next week. Anyone else think they are less interesting than the regular heats? In the regular masterchef episodes, I always fast-forwarded through the working-in-restaurants bits.

*giggles*

I love MasterChef. I especially love watching it and thinking how much better I am than some of them:D

kenon

I find that Greg and John Torode's spoons are too big or their mouths are too big. It disturbs me...

I like the addition of Roux Jnr as he really knows what he's talking about as he is at the top. I watched the real Masterchef last week, it was the 2008 competition with this 18 year old young one going against two chaps in their late 30's and she was excellent, very creative and original with some of the dishes having "Blumenthal" kind of...objectives.

Unfortunately, she just lost out in the finals but I'd say she'll be pinched by a top restaurant.

Seaneh

As a professional chef I can just say that not everybody gets a classical french upbringing and not everybody gets to works wiht seafood regularly.

I, myself haven't have much classical training besides college, that said I have above par butchery skills because I made the effort to learn it myself on my own time, but I'd struggle with some of the classical recipies that have been used this season as, really, I;d never heard of some of them and never cooked most. Michelle Roux grew up in a french house hold with a classically trained french chef for a father, if he'd grown up with parents from Ireland or the UK he would have chosen completely different dishes.

superficies

Seanah, good point but I suppose there are two things that surprise me re the classic recipe test even bearing that in mind. First of all it is no surprise that Roux chooses classic French dishes for this part of the competition--I am always shocked that people who want to succeed in this competition don't familiarise themselves with the staples of french cooking in advance of going into the competition. If they did there might be a few surprises, but you would I think be unlucky. In addition, they are given recipes so even if you just made the effort to try to see photographs of these dishes then the recipe plus a visualisation should be sufficient for one to make a decent effort and in the end if they see good technique and good flavour they are often satisfied with that.

On the seafood I agree that lots of people don't have the requisite skills there--if you work in, for example, a steak restaurant you're unlikely to have used razor clams, scallops etc... that much. But again, the skills test is not a surprise so I would think people might have tried to bone up on it before entering the competition. Maybe spend one year trying to up-skill and then enter if this is something someone wants to achieve within their career.

Then again, everyone's a critic... ;-)

nice1franko

noeleenred wrote: »

I reckon Ludo will win, he was brilliant. Love masterchef too.

Me too. I reckon Ryan will be tough competition tho but hopefully he cracks - something abut him I don't like! I think the small Irish fella could be dark horse though. He seems to be capable of a bit more than he's shown so far.

bonkey

[quote=superficies;62499533
On the seafood I agree that lots of people don't have the requisite skills there--if you work in, for example, a steak restaurant you're unlikely to have used razor clams, scallops etc... that much. [/quote]

Yeah...but in fairness, the type of chef they're looking for is versatile.

They're not looking for a "can cook the best 10 different types of steak you've ever eaten" chef (to follow your example) although such a chef would be truly awesome in their own right.

They're really looking for a Jack of All Trades and Master of Some.

superficies

I agree bonkey
What was the result last night? OH made me switch over to the Apprentice at 9 o clock :-(
Marianne and meat....she really has a serious problem.

bonkey

superficies wrote: »

What was the result last night?

Marianne completely outcooked Bryce in the 2 dishes at the end. His presentation was better, but on taste and how well things were cooked, he wasn't even at the races. As a result, she got through.

superficies

I am now officially devastated

What was Ludo thinking? That pork dish was so...brown...boring...uninspiring. Nothing compared to his first round cooking. I am so sad for him right now. Too cocky maybe?

LimeFruitGum

*sobs*

So not expecting that!

LimeFruitGum

nice1franko wrote: »

Me too. I reckon Ryan will be tough competition tho but hopefully he cracks - something abut him I don't like!

Oh you mean, the cold stony way he says that he's passionate about food, but he only lights up when he says wants to win Masterchef?

duploelabs

after what happened last night, I can't believe in anything anymore, what's the culinary equivalent of EMO?

nice1franko

LimeFruitGum wrote: »

Oh you mean, the cold stony way he says that he's passionate about food, but he only lights up when he says wants to win Masterchef?

Yeah, even when he won a place in the final he didn't smile he just stood there looking straight ahead.

Greg the Egg must've been a bit perplexed so he says to him "how does that make you feel?" and it was only then that he twigged he was was supposed to show some emotion and and start smiling.

Approx. 1% of the population is a psychopath (- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychopathy).

Population, I give you... RYAN.

glanman

superficies wrote: »

I am now officially devastated

What was Ludo thinking? That pork dish was so...brown...boring...uninspiring. Nothing compared to his first round cooking. I am so sad for him right now. Too cocky maybe?

Weds episode result:

I cant believe Ludo lost. He was far better in the Maze place. Matt could barely cook monkfish for most the service FFS!! What was the point in having that part when they didn't even ask that chef what he thought or take it into consideration when deciding the winner?

Matts dishes were good though in fairness, surprised the cauliflower and cumin worked with the scallops, fair play. Good dish!

I have to say Ludos accent is the funniest accent I have ever heard, welsh/french accent, I couldn't help but laugh everytime he spoke!

superficies

The general point about the performance in the restaurant is interesting. I am always perplexed by it. Why bother doing it if they don't seem to take it into account?? Is it just to fill time? I find it interesting because I love to see how restaurant kitchens work (Michelin dishes in 5 minutes...I SO want to go there...it looks amazing) and in the (head) chefs and their attitudes and approaches to cooking, but I would like it to be taken into account more. Both in MC the Professionals and 'ordinary' MC.

glanman

I haven't been to London in ages but should be there soon so I think Maze will certainly visited. Its a Ramsey but the head chefs rep is brilliant, has worked in el Bulli and all!

http://www.gordonramsay.com/maze/

superficies

Off topic but, just looked at the menu for Maze there. Very reasonablly priced, even taking into account that you need a few tapas for a meal. For M Star quality that looks great value. Almost worth a trip to London (a place I detest) just for that!

bonkey

superficies wrote: »

The general point about the performance in the restaurant is interesting. I am always perplexed by it. Why bother doing it if they don't seem to take it into account??

From watching Masterchef, it seems to work like this...

If there is a clear, clear winner in the "final cook-off" test, then that person gets through regardless of other tests.

If its somewhat close, then they'll look at the previous tests, to see if there was a clear winner from those.

If its still somewhat close, they'll go with some wishy-washy idea....often favouring the person who's improving over the person who's been consistently better, on the grounds that if they're now close, the improver stands a chance of being the better by the end.

In last nights (Wednesdays) ep, I thought the following:

Ludo won the lunch-cooking hands down. Surprisingly, he was outplayed in the second test. I would have given him the edge coming out of there, but the head chef from Maze reckoned they were neck-and-neck.

His two courses in the final cook-off were uninspired compared to his usual fare, and while both were very good, he lost out to two plates which were one very good and one excellent.

Going by the performances of the semifinal alone he was fairly beaten...possibly by having tried to play it too safe with his choice of dishes. The judges themselves knew (I think) that he's the better of the two...but to be fair to them, they couldn't pick him. It would be like saying that Ussain Bolt should get in a race gold for coming in second, because everyone knows he's normally the faster sprinter.

bonkey

nice1franko wrote: »

Me too. I reckon Ryan will be tough competition

Having watched the last semi-final (result:

They both played a blinder, and both went through!

, and then the "cut down to three finalists" (result:

Marianne and the two from the last semi

) all I can say is....Uh-huh.