Masterchef: The Professionals

[glitch]

I'm not a massive fan of the revised format of amateur Masterchef, but I've been quite taken with the new series of the professional version - and I'm especially impressed by the young girl with the crazy hair who has just come out of catering college.

However, what's with the voiceover?! Poor old India Fisher has been replaced by the seemingly ubiquitous Sean Pertwee and the whole thing now sounds like a commercial for a sodding beauty product.

"Kevin has made a Stilton and bacon tart served with caramelised apples and micro-herb salad which helps lock in moisture and fights against the ten signs of ageing..."

Still, it's more interesting than Celebrity Masterchef. Why that was scheduled at half-two in the afternoon is anyone's guess.

 

[glitch]

That girls called clare isn't she? Seems lots like her. I follow her on twitter lol

Not sure. She made a chocolate sorbet that Roux Jr almost wet himself over.

Same girl?

India is back for the normal series of masterchef

Thank heavens for that.

 

[glitch]

I need to remember her name, but she has shedloads of potential.

She seems a fantastic 'one dish' chef but the trail at the end of last night's episode seemed to suggest she'll struggle in the professional kitchen.

I'm rooting for her though. There's a certain amount of humility about her that isn't present in some of the other chefs on show last night.

 

[glitch]

Ash will win barring a major balls up. He's just awesome.

I've somehow missed the majority of episodes with him in, but having caught up with the show from last night I'm genuinely amazed at just how good he is and how humble he is with it.

Compare him with Steve, who has all the skills but the ego to match, and Ash looks like a shoe-in for the title.

Would be content just seeing him cook stuff, but then the whole TV chef thing is a bit beneath him.

He's got a half-hour masterclass episode on Friday, so that ought to be a real treat.

 

[glitch]

That seemed to be a curious pairing tonight.

Kim seemed capable enough, but the bar has been raised in this series and she never seemed to hit that mark. There's something there, but she needs to stop trying so hard and work on perfecting simpler dishes. I can't remember where she's working now, but a few year's of working on the line in fine-dining restaurants ought to see her okay.

With her two dishes, if she'd have served the halibut part of her main on its own she could well have made it through to the final, but I couldn't see her having a chance against someone like Ash. Full marks for her dessert though - even though I felt that she chose the wrong type of plate to serve it on which almost ruined the effect.

Oli's got talent and put together a couple of fantastic dishes, but the wheels came off during service at Gleneagles and I don't see him as someone suited to the rigours of high-end fine-dining. If he gets his wish of owning a seafood restaurant, then good luck to him - that certainly seems to be his forte.

His main dish tonight looked the part and impressed the judges but his dessert just looked tired and old-fashioned. As far as presentation goes, he's a long way behind the competition and needs to decide on just what his style really is.

But why were these two pitted together? It seems to me that either of them would have been easy-pickings for Claire or Steve and yet its one of those two who won't make it through to the final.

 

[glitch]

Just caught up with the episode from Thursday - wow. Thought Ash was going to walk it but those two are seriously good. And I would love Claire to cook for me!

Ash is the most competent chef of the three, Claire is the most creative and Steve sits somewhere between the two. Oli... well, I've got a feeling skilful editing has been keeping his talents under wraps, but I don't class him as one of the front-runners.

Out of the three we all seem to favour, Claire is the one who could benefit the most from the title - that young, that talented, female and a Masterchef winner? Every door should be open to her from here on in.

And speaking of doors, I wonder which one of the quartet will be heading out of the Exit later tonight? Common-sense says it ought to be Oli, but if one of the others mucks up in a bad way we could see them falling at the first hurdle.

But I'd really like to see a week's worth of challenges with Ash, Claire and Steve being pushed to their culinary limits and beyond. One of those three will be featuring in The Guide before too long.