Celebrity MasterChef Is Back!

[Alison Wright Profile]

On Monday - BBC2 6:30-7pm, & every evening.

Thanks goodness they've reverted back to the old familiar time-slot instead of the ridiculous 2:15pm afternoon showings & catch-ups on Friday & Saturday evenings they had last year.


http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/tv/s127/mas ... -more.html

[Tatihou Profile]

Thanks for that, Alison. I'd not noticed its imminent return. Though I have to say that the sleb version is my least favourite - generally because I don't know who most of the slebs are and certainly in the earlier stages, you can see who are there for the tv exposure in the hope of resuscitating a dying career and who are there because they have a real interest in food.

[Renée Profile]

Thanks, Alison!

It's a good time for me, too! Although I'm well retired, I never put the television on during the day.

[hungryhousewife Profile]

ooooh! How exciting! I've been so engrossed in the Olympics, I haven't EVEN watched DDD for an age! Great to have something fun to watch on the box while I cook the children's supper!!
Thanks Alison!

HH

[Dena Profile]

I cannot believe that two of them didn't know how to skin a tomato. One even used a peeler

[jeral Profile]

I was surprised yesterday(?) at Greg's comment about the plums (skinning of) when he was asked "Boiling water, right?" and his reply was "They're not tomatoes" (thus implying negative) so the contestant peeled them, loads of them, Doh! Or at least those are the snippets shown, so perhaps Greg confessed to sarcasm and it was only one plum that was peeled...

I imagine Jamie T was gutted after cooking his venison seemingly perfectly - he'd have done better on GBM (all meat no veg).

[Dena Profile]

OMG - Emma peeling ginger - I could hardly bear to watch and yes, it had to happen, the blue plaster. I was going to say she was a disaster waiting to happen, but no, she was a disaster that happened.

Leila and her pink chicken - and the chef said it was OK!! But he complained about George's being undercooked and it was much less pink than Leila's. I wonder why

They were all given good reviews from the chef patron, but would he employ them I wonder?

[jeral Profile]

Handy tip on tonight's Masterchef: Jun Tanaka cooking a piece of gurnard fillet (skin on), said that, to see if it was done, insert a wooden cocktail stick in through the flesh from the thick edge of the fillet and "as soon as it slides in all the way the fish is perfectly cooked". New one on me; one to remember methinks.

(Just edited to quote Jun's exact words.)

[Renée Profile]

Yes, I noticed that, too, Jeral and must try to remember about the wooden cocktail stick. Cooking fish is difficult when it's of varying thickness and the worst thing that you can do with fish is to overcook it.

[jeral Profile]

Indeed, and that's no doubt why if pan-frying a fillet chefs even it up. No bad thing as tailends can be used for fishcakes.

A better way for me since I don't eat skin is to poach fillets by bringing liquid to the boil gently then turning off the heat and letting stand. I'd use the wooden cocktail stick tip happily for testing a whole baked fish.

Anyway, we'll see who goes through to the semifinals tonight (Fri). Hard to predict given that some seem to "lose it" at the final stage.

I wish the BBC had made the programmes as hour-long ones. We didn't get to see much of their cooking at the posh restaurants last night.

[Alison Wright Profile]

A quick heads up - Masterchef is on at 7pm tomorrow - not 6:30.

Thurs & Fri - back to 6:30pm.

[jeral Profile]

Yup, it's 6.30pm tonight (Fri). Also it is the final... I'm not betting on this one as I have no idea. Does anyone else have a favourite?

[Alison Wright Profile]

Does anyone else have a favourite?

It's really close - at first my money was on Michael, he was very focused but I think he's more nervous as time has passed. Emma was slow to make her presence felt, but Danny gets his head down & has proved himself just about all the way through - especially on presentation.

So I'm rooting for Danny!

[Joanbunting Profile]

Forgive me but I have just been very moved. Emma, who I hoped would win, did with a much better version of what I did for dessert in 1990. I have just been impossible for the last 30 minutes ---- Why, I don't know!! I thought it was all behind me.

[jeral Profile]

I half had Danny in my mind, but countered by Emma who's come through in leaps and bounds recently so I'm not surprised she won "on the day". Danny's main looked very "scattered" to me - not cohesive and blobs all around (I thought that was so yesterday, as with spoon scrapes). Emma said it would take her mum three months to get over her winning. Mums are like that aren't they? I wonder how long it will take for Emma to settle down now and the other two after being in the final - probably at least as long and deservedly so.

Good on them

[Alison Wright Profile]

Well! I'm most surprised at Danny - I though he had it in the bag!.

It was an excellent final, & there wasn't a plate of food I would have turned down. But sadly, Danny's main really didn't appeal.

Congrats to Emma - her whole menu looked superb Michael too - well done

[OneMoreCheekyOne Profile Website]

I've just caught up on the final. I too thought Danny had it in the bag and was surprised to see Emma win. Although her three courses looked much more appetising to me than his.

Not food related but has anyone read any of Emma's books before? 'The tent, the bucket and me' and 'I left my tent in San Francisco' are probably two of the funniest books i've ever read.

On a flight last year, there was one scene I was reading and I literally had tears rolling down my face with laughter...rather embarrasing as an air hostess thought I was scared as we were about to land! Very funny books anyway!