As he prepares to exit the MasterChef kitchen, he of the flamboyant cravats dishes up some tasty behind-the-scenes info, shares a genius trick by Heston Blumenthal and makes a case for Leftover Sundays
The hardest part of being a judge on MasterChef Australia is saying goodbye to contestants when we’re not ready to see them go. We have a very strict rule that the worst dish is the one to go. Our viewers expect transparency, and they understand, like in Game of Thrones, the hero may leave the show. But that’s what makes it so compelling. Up until the last three years, the favourite never won. The easiest part is eating cake, which we do a lot of.
We talk about MasterChef being about knowledge, technique, and talent, but dealing with pressure is really crucial. In season nine we had Sarah Tiong and Karlie Verkerk who were the best cooks we’ve ever seen in the MasterChef kitchen.
They both told me they woke up on the morning they were eliminated and thought “today’s the day”. They blew up. The pressure got to them. Diana Chan, who won that year, was super focused. It’s hard, but we always feel that the right person wins.
This story is from the September 2019 edition of Woolworths TASTE.
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This story is from the September 2019 edition of Woolworths TASTE.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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