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I’m more a blogger that’s a foodie than a foodie blogger – excuse the diversion. Maybe you also have been suffering Masterchef this week and are despairing at the dried liver yoke piled on mash that won the quarterfinal on Thursday, never mind the rubbish behaviour from the judges.
John Torode’s sexism, Greg’s shouting, eg: ‘COOKING DOESN’T GET TOUGHER THAN THIS’, and dodgy looking Mexican restaurants masquerading as top kitchens with entrants being shouted at to churn out fajitas. The series seems to be full of people who can’t cook wanting to be chefs – there is a huge difference.
As each week goes by I really believe this programme is misnamed and I want Grossman back with a foodie actor or sports person demolishing plates of food from people who know how to cook like the old days!
The Irish contestant in one episode last week was an absolute chancer with a pork chop smothered in a bottle of sweet chili sauce as his main course of choice following his ingredients challenge win of a rhubarb pie. (Do a decent desert and yer in – Greg and sugary stuff = win!)
One other problem with the programme this year (and yes there are many more) are the ingredients. The same fecking ingredients appear all the time.
A – The Scallop – in the middle of a soup or with chorizo or with something else but the scallop is over used.
B – Peas – in a soup (avec scallop), puree, or 3 types of pea with fishcakes – the little green yoke is everywhere.
C - Chocolate fondants, melting pots, puddings. Greg keeps doing that ‘intake of breath thing’ when a contestant introduces that as part of the menus and says many a menu has failed on it. But as yet in this series I have not seen one failure. Just Greg going ‘Oooooh, that has flicked every one of my switches’
Remember the way on Ready Steady Cook years ago everyone brought a sweet potato on the show saying they didn’t know what to do with it and the celebrity chefs looked on in despair? I have to wonder why after 5 shows someone didn’t say ‘enough with the scallops – someone think of the fishermen and the stocks in the north sea…’ or something.
Vicky Frost in the Guardian Word of Mouth blog is blogging about the series each week and now has also provided a gadget to display the most ridiculous turns of phrase which pepper the series.
No doubt I’ll be tuned in on Monday for the beginning of week 3 but I’ll be armed with my copy of the Masterchef drinking game!
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These reality cookery programmes are just rubbish. I’ve been cooking since I was a kid, probably due to spending my formative years in the hotel where my parents worked.
I was first inspired by M. Patten, Fanny Craddock (such a bitch, you can see why I like Karen Walker!) and (later) Delia. Some of these TV presenters are a load of old cac really. It’s Rick Stein for seafood, Worrall-Thompson for hearty cooking and the two Fat Ladies for gourmet cooking. I blame Jamie Oliver for this laddish turn which suggests you just bung anything together for the lads to eat (Germans have a nicely appropriate verb for eating that applies here “fressen” is to eat (as in animals grazing) and it captures it well!)It actually takes talent to be a good cook, stop watching these crap programmes and they’ll be taken off the air…
I have a cookery show fetish Sean. Love Rick Stein – was plotting a trip to Padstow recently – some day! I like Jamie but think there’s too much marketing and Jamie products etc. these days!
One of the other problems with Masterchef is the frequent occurrences where people come on and cook stuff they’ve never tried before or even tasted before!! Chancers the lot of them!
Come on people — Masterchef is all about amateur cooks who can dish up a reasonable dinner party menu getting the chance to be a whole lot better — and the program ( with certain presentational concerns ) works really well.
I’ve been cooking for 55 years if you include boiled eggs at age 7. Read loads of cookery books, been on a few courses including Cordon Bleu, watched hours of TV cooking programs, but more importantly dined out all over the world in a huge variety of establishments and learnt so much just by asking chefs and cooks how they did certain things.
How amazing it can be to have the opportunity to take amateur cooking up to the level that the latest Masterchef contestants have managed. So let’s not knock Masterchef but enjoy and appreciate it for what it is — an opportunity that many who read this blog would wish they could have had– and maybe will.
And to respond to the comment about cooking stuff you’ve never done before than I’d still be cooking boiled eggs hard!!
Ohhhh totally agree. I especially dislike Grey Whatsisname. I mean, what is an ‘ingredients expert’ anyway? Having a fruit and veg business makes him an expert on restaurant food? Sheesh. He sometimes comes out with such utter ignorant rubbish that I bet John Torode wants to slap his chubby face.
Greg Wallace. Ahem.
What is it with you begrudgers? I think the contestants do a great job and the program provides good and interesting entertainment. I admire anyone who can cook under the pressure of time, competition and the knowledge that thousands of people will be watching. If they cook a dish they’ve not tried before, I think they are to be admired for their courage and for being willing to push themselves beyond their comfort zone. Calling them “chancers” is uncharitable, to say the least. I doubt that any of you smug, armchair cooks could perform half as well, if at all.
Why so angry about it all anyway? It’s only a tv program. Get a life!