Masterchef 2021

[dr beat]

Standard seems to be much lower than usual.  Like how John and Egg openly recoil when someone proclaims they are going to do a deconstructed chocolate gateux or encounter people who still think sous vide is a good idea...on things like squid.

Also what's going on with Torode's hair?

[sevendaughters]

very much lower than usual, we've had entire episodes of stuff where I don't think it is much better than something I could do now.

Alexina and Jackie from today feel like early favourites, but I've been wrong at this stage before. I don't like the guy with the overly-coiffed blonde hair and the catalogue model type Stefan.

[Icehaven]

Stefan's a bellend.
Plus this is all over the schedule, never the same week to week and double episodes tonight ffs, what?

[thugler]

Absolutely jumped for joy when that boring twat went out last night up against the asian fashion designer guy.

Agree that the standard is extremely mixed, some days all but one of them is pretty crap and has no chance whatsoever if they get through. Some days a pretty decent chef can go out due to being up against a couple of top competitors who have a good shot at going far.

Torode looks a total mess, his hair, his bloated fish face. Egg has a thing he does now where he asks questions and they answer him perfectly normally, but the camera shows him giving a skeptical face. Pretty much regardless of what the question is about.

Bit of a shame they couldn't think of a more interesting format for the corona period. The 'go and cook in a proper restaurant' bit is always shit though so I don't miss that. I much prefer the professionals one because of the initial test they do where Wearing/ Galetti show how a particular dish is cooked and then they have to do it on the spot.

[bgmnts]

I like Marc. But yeah masterchef has always been a bit naff and poncey and trends but this is rubbish so far. The boomer expat cunt did chips that looked like the potatoes were barely boiled.

[Neomod]

In celebration of MS's return[nb]does it ever go away[/nb] I think i'll make the scallops/black pudding/pea puree classic which seemed to be ubiquitous for years on the show.

[wooders1978]

Marc (or is it Mark??) is my fave - but I fear he is a one trick pony - agree overall the standard seems poor with the same old mistakes being made I.e rock hard lamb fat on you're rack of lamb ffs which is the easiest thing to avoid ever

[kalowski]

Did we ever find out why they cut the contestant from that episode last year?


Anyway, fucking glad someone who called himself Baz didn't go through. Much prefer the weepy fashion designer.

[Ray Travez]

Torode looks a total mess, his hair, his bloated fish face. Egg has a thing he does now where he asks questions and they answer him perfectly normally, but the camera shows him giving a skeptical face. Pretty much regardless of what the question is about.

I'm convinced they just shoot a load of stock shots of Egg looking perplexed/ thoughtful/ over-enthusiastic before the contestants arrive and then splice them in willy-nilly.

[Consignia]

Gregg unable to conceive poutine as a meal shows how pointless he is as a judge on this show. It's not like it's an obscure curio or anything.

[sevendaughters]

Gregg unable to conceive poutine as a meal shows how pointless he is as a judge on this show. It's not like it's an obscure curio or anything.

yeah! proper greggnadir.

[Blofelds Cat]

He's not a chef though is he?

He's an opinionated ex greengrocer who looks like an angry egg who got lucky...in his head he thinks he is integral to the show...but no...he is just there filling up a space...in fact they should just paint a frown on a hard boiled egg and have that present it..be 100% more charismatic and loads cheaper...

[Ray Travez]

they should just paint a frown on a hard boiled egg and have that present it..be 100% more charismatic and loads cheaper...

[MoreauVasz]

I think the format of this show is fundamentally flawed in so far as it rewards competence over mastery.

A few years ago, they had a series of the professionals where they had some vegan lad who made really weird and interesting dishes. Also in the competition were a couple of blokes who just roasted lamb, week in and week out.

Vegan lad flew out of the blocks and did really well but after 20-odd meals he put a foot wrong and got kicked off while the lad who roasted lamb coasted into the final because while he never made anything interesting, he never fucked up.

I also find it really weird that if you are non-White or work for an ethnic restaurant, you have to prove yourself as being able to cook a range of foods whereas fat lads with beards can do meat and two veg without ever having anyone question their range.

Part of this is down to the fact that Egg is the culinary equivalent of a UKIP voter but I also think that the format us fundamentally flawed.

[sevendaughters]

I think the format of this show is fundamentally flawed in so far as it rewards competence over mastery.

A few years ago, they had a series of the professionals where they had some vegan lad who made really weird and interesting dishes. Also in the competition were a couple of blokes who just roasted lamb, week in and week out.

Vegan lad flew out of the blocks and did really well but after 20-odd meals he put a foot wrong and got kicked off while the lad who roasted lamb coasted into the final because while he never made anything interesting, he never fucked up.

I also find it really weird that if you are non-White or work for an ethnic restaurant, you have to prove yourself as being able to cook a range of foods whereas fat lads with beards can do meat and two veg without ever having anyone question their range.

Part of this is down to the fact that Egg is the culinary equivalent of a UKIP voter but I also think that the format us fundamentally flawed.

Agree. There have been quite a few ethnic (for want of a better word) winners but they've often had to pander to this slightly 2005 idea of what fine dining is. You realise quite quickly that actual chefs of great acclaim like Fergus Henderson or Antonio Carluccio would probably never win.

I love the skills challenge in the Pros version of the show as it usually sorts the wheat from the chaff a bit. Also my veins go icy when people talk about how they're just going to throw different national cuisines together; makes me kind of sad too.

[MoreauVasz]

Also my veins go icy when people talk about how they're just going to throw different national cuisines together; makes me kind of sad too.

Also a criticism that could be applied to the Bake-off. French patissiers have been making éclairs for centuries and if you walk into a boulangerie you will find two flavours: Chocolate and coffee.

British people ate nothing but boiled meat for a period that lasted from AD 800 till about 1998 and now there are people on telly making chicken tikka massala éclairs as though it's the most natural thing in the world.

[gilbertharding]

Stefan's a bellend.
Plus this is all over the schedule, never the same week to week and double episodes tonight ffs, what?

Is Stefan the architect? Does anyone know his surname, I want to check the register.

[wooders1978]

Is Stefan the architect? Does anyone know his surname, I want to check the register.

He is indeed, I'd describe his cooking method as "shite" - if you're on the lookout for some of his architecture, look out for buildings with big red splats on them set in a ring of purple stuff

[Neomod]

I love the skills challenge in the Pros version of the show as it usually sorts the wheat from the chaff a bit.

Especially when they ask have you ever (whatever skill it is) before?

The fun is when a few inevitably answer no (which still surprises me) and we see who fucks up/pulls it out the bag.

[sevendaughters]

didn't get to see

Spoiler alert

Stefan getting the boot after his purple splatter bullshit

[close]

because of the schedule shunting but by christ it was gratifying.

[thugler]

didn't get to see

Spoiler alert

Stefan getting the boot after his purple splatter bullshit

[close]

because of the schedule shunting but by christ it was gratifying.

Ha! it was good to see that. Even though I thought he was a bit hard done by to be eliminated by a big sponge cake thing.

[sevendaughters]

Ha! it was good to see that. Even though I thought he was a bit hard done by to be eliminated by a big sponge cake thing.

"my two interests are the city and urbanism, and ecology" I LIKES CITIES AND NOT CITIES get to fuck mate!!!!!!!!

[bgmnts]

Urbanity.

He actually said urbanity.

[Ray Travez]

Oh, the urbanity!

[wooders1978]

*hate* the fish out of water restaurant bits 

[sevendaughters]

*hate* the fish out of water restaurant bits

yeah that pass-agg Quentin Smirhes Canadian chef was doing my nut in too

[bgmnts]

With his shit science cooking shite.

[Icehaven]

didn't get to see

Spoiler alert

Stefan getting the boot after his purple splatter bullshit

[close]

because of the schedule shunting but by christ it was gratifying.

He looked exactly like a man who's never lost before in his life, total lack of comprehension of what just happened.
Even better that it was to a horrible looking cake, she's next.

Spoiler alert

Tom's

[close]

the absolute shoo-in surely?

Spoiler alert

He even already works in a restaurant front of house.

[close]

No one else even seems close.

[Icehaven]

If that woman mentions coming from Romney Marsh (which looks like a boring fucking field by the way) one more time I'll scream. She's obviously trying to launch some career/blog/book/whatever off the back of being on Masterchef and banging on about it all the time, and they're clearly pushing it too but it's overkill. They haven't shown any pictures of the other contestants in their home areas so it's all a bit sus to see pictures of her 'foraging' in her bobble hat and her not having a single conversation with Egg or John that doesn't mention ROMNEY MARSH or HOME or FORAGING or LOCAL PRODUCE or THE BEACH or so on. I reckon she'll get to the last few,

Spoiler alert

Tom

[close]

will win but she'll get some kind of "foraging for food off the beach in ROMNEY MARSH" book or series out of it.

[Gurke and Hare]

If that woman mentions coming from Romney Marsh (which looks like a boring fucking field by the way) one more time I'll scream. She's obviously trying to launch some career/blog/book/whatever off the back of being on Masterchef and banging on about it all the time, and they're clearly pushing it too but it's overkill. They haven't shown any pictures of the other contestants in their home areas so it's all a bit sus to see pictures of her 'foraging' in her bobble hat and her not having a single conversation with Egg or John that doesn't mention ROMNEY MARSH or HOME or FORAGING or LOCAL PRODUCE or THE BEACH or so on. I reckon she'll get to the last few,

Spoiler alert

Tom

[close]

will win but she'll get some kind of "foraging for food off the beach in ROMNEY MARSH" book or series out of it.

That said, I'd demolish everything that she's cooked so far. They were saying that herby pancake slow cooked meat thing was out of place but I'd have happily accepted it as a little extra treat.