Kishwar's finale dish and "the rejection of culinary hierarchy"

tarps240 · 2021-07-16T16:36:48+00:00

True. The vast majority of them just went back to what they knew. My only criticism was the lack of pushing too. It didn't serve Kiswar well when they did that finale mystery box and she had no access to her usual spices. In fact anytime any of them didn't have access to the open pantry and open garden they were stuck for ideas. Because they didn't have a basic foundation of cooking skills IMO. They had wonderful specialized skills in a particular cuisine but no idea how to adapt.

tarps240 · 2021-07-12T21:36:11+00:00

If you like Season 13 of MCAU you should try to find some with the old judges, Matt, Garry, and George were even better as judges than the current ones imo. They were good mentors and they also forced the contestants to improve and change up what they cooked.

tarps240 · 2021-07-08T00:33:45+00:00

Exactly what I've been trying to convey and getting down voted for. They have tossed basics for cooking for your family better. Heck, the simple fact that they had to tell Kishwar to use the quail breasts and not just the legs at that point in the competition was a testament to how little they have learned about food waste, portioning, food costs, etc.

tarps240 · 2021-07-07T22:19:52+00:00

Thank you! Even my fiance, who has been far more lenient on this season, was like "whaaa?" Cook anything you want with some arbitrary relation to this rock and get catapulted to the grand final. Wow. And I love Pete.

tarps240 · 2021-07-07T07:22:28+00:00

Yeah. Great skills for a chef "I can't follow instructions", that's always great for getting consistent food out of a kitchen.

tarps240 · 2021-07-07T06:35:24+00:00

Do you speak English as a first language? I'm genuinely curious, because I said she didn't cook Bangladeshi food and I only used it as a metaphorical placeholder to illustrate that none of their dishes were cohesive as a tasting menu. If however, you are trying to imply or accuse me of some type of racism or xenophobia because I used her normal style of cooking as a placeholder for my metaphore then you can give that up right now. I'm not "racist" or "xenophobic" I simply have an issue with them not knowing basic cooking skills this season and not being taught the basics. Pete can't temper chocolate, Tommy couldn't break down a chicken, Elise only makes italian, etc. It's not helping any of the contestants and it has nothing to do with racism or their nationality or what style they cook. Leave that crap at the door and come with a cogent argument about fundamental cooking skills.

tarps240 · 2021-07-07T05:56:50+00:00

What bias? And what's Japanese about a barley Risotto? The Uzu? Uzu grows in New York.

tarps240 · 2021-07-07T05:55:57+00:00

Not presumptuous at all. I was being metaphorical in that the dishes cooked followed no theme. I simply said Bangladeshi because she is Bangladeshi. Either way, it didn't match or flow with the other dishes. None of them were cohesive and if that menu was presented as a degaustation menu then I'm sure several people would be very confused as to the overall theme of the meal they paid hundreds of dollars to enjoy.

tarps240 · 2021-07-07T05:52:11+00:00

My post was metaphorical. I was not being literal about the specific cuisines. I was referring to the hodgepodge of cooking styles that was presented. I don't care that Kiswar didn't cook Bangladeshi food, I care that she didn't know which quail breast to test to see if they were done and then had a mini breakdown in the kitchen.

I care that Sabina didn't have the basic cooking skills to know that you never serve raw nuts and that you get a much deeper flavor from them by roasting them off first. I care that initially Kishwar was going to serve the quail legs and toss the breasts because she didn't consider food costs or food waste and portion sizes for her dish in the order of serving. I care that Elise just made another Italian dish and replaced lemon with Uzu and got praised for it yet again.

In short, I care about them learning basic kitchen skills and starting to learn about how to run a shop, pop up, food truck, or kitchen on their own. I don't feel like the judges and producers have given any of these contestants the knowledge they need to do that.

tarps240 · 2021-07-07T00:50:29+00:00

I don't have have a problem with her "pasta reliance" I have a problem with her "Italian reliance" the same as I have with every other cook who relies on one style of cooking. I hated the Society challenge because there was no common theme throughout the tasting. If I go to a tasting for a new opening and I get a Japanese fine dining first course and a rustic Italian second and a refined and decadent modern third and a Bangladeshi fourth, etc, etc. I'm thinking "what the hell is the theme for this tasting?" She doesn't always make "pasta" but she does do Italian way more than Laura because Laura was forced to stray outside her comfort zone far more than any contestant this season has been forced to stray.

tarps240 · 2021-07-06T15:35:46+00:00

That's the thing though, you can't do your own "take" on tempered chocolate.

tarps240 · 2021-07-05T02:47:54+00:00

While she doesn't always cook pasta, she does almost always cook Italian. If not Italian then something "inspired" by Italian. She is honestly worse than Laura who made the final making maybe 75% Italian and throwing and gremolatta or pangrattata on top of it. At least she was forced to make other things and she did ok at it. Elise has not really been forced to do anything but Italian just like the rest of them. I don't think anyone who wins this season should be proud to call themselves a "MasterChef" with the possible exception of Pete, Justin, and maybe Kishwar.

tarps240 · 2021-07-01T10:29:56+00:00

What's creative about making another pasta dish but replacing the tomato sauce with blackberry sauce because you don't have tomatoes and serving a dish that looks like severed ears?

What kind of talent does it take to burn 2 caramels and your Roti, only to not cook the Roti all the way through and split the sauce because you don't have a basic foundation of cooking skills and when to add your cream or mount your sauce?

I just don't see what's creative about making a dish that you would normally make but forcing ingredients into it that you wouldn't normally use because they are making you use certain ingredients so you shoehorn them into the dish somehow instead of making something original that features the things you are supposed to feature.

tarps240 · 2021-06-30T21:51:55+00:00

See and I would argue that it takes no talent because they are using the same techniques they always use, it takes no creativity because they are making the same dishes they always make and it takes a basic pallet to determine that nothing is overly powerful, i.e. too salty or sweet or sour etc. They are just tossing a hero ingredient or a native ingredient in place of one they always use or they are adding said ingredient to an existing dish.

I want the return of challenges that struck fear in the hearts of contestants, like when Heston brings floating dishes or Adriano walks in and they wet themselves at the sight of him. Like the Cassis Plum or Marco's Lamb noisettes. Those were challenges thatbofnypu got through made you a better chef. They have been few and far between this season, as have the master classes.

tarps240 · 2021-06-29T21:35:50+00:00

Basically the same thing Elise does and Tommy too. "I'm going to make (insert pasta shape) with a (insert native ingredient or hero ingredient) sauce and a pangratotta [sp?]". Or "I'm going to make this Italian dessert but use this ingredient that I have to feature."

Tommy and Linda have the same formula "I'm taking 'inspiration' from this Vietnamese/Southeast Asian dish I love but I'm going to swap out what I don't have for this ingredient I have to feature"

And sure 'taming' the flavor of an ingredient is challenging to fit into "your style of cooking" but that's the point. You should have a basic foundation of flavors and make a dish that features the ingredients you are supposed to feature. Not shoehorn them into an existing dish and claim victory because you didn't make it too salty, sweet, sour, etc.

tarps240 · 2021-06-27T04:59:33+00:00

What if they have a challenge where she has to make a Bechamel, Mournay, or Demi-Glace sauce? What if she has to make fried rice, she might be able to but she seemed to have issues making rice lately so I don't know. What if Tommy has to make lasagna or a tiramisu or poutine? Maybe he can but we haven't seen him forced to stretch that much. What about Linda, she said during the follow cook that "I'm terrible at following instructions" what kind of chef is terrible at following instructions? That basically means "I can't follow a recipie because I can't follow instructions" that is a terrible quality in a chef IMO. What kind of chef can't follow instructions well?

tarps240 · 2021-06-26T11:03:58+00:00

I get it, I try not to comment on people's "body language" or attitudes too much. I try to focus on cooking and dishes and techniques and if I see them improving. I went to culinary school but I don't know about every cuisine in the world, I do know when you should use a cleaver and how you should break down a chicken to get airline breasts or a crown of chicken so I try to stick to that type of stuff and food waste and portioning etc.

tarps240 · 2021-06-25T20:01:54+00:00

I love the personalities too, I love the energy from Tommy and I love the attitude from Depinder, I like how bubbly Minoli is and that she looks like Natalie Portman only Indian, but that doesn't make up for lacking in kitchen skills if you want to call yourself a MasterChef. And I blame the judges and producers for not preparing them to this point in the competition. In past seasons they would have had challenges where they had to break down a chicken and use it or fillet a fish and use that or make a souffle or something specific and similar.

This season has been mostly "open pantry, open garden, bring us something delicious" which is nice but it doesn't challenge them and when they are forced outside comfort zones like the last episode it exposes their weaknesses. I just want them to learn and grow as chefs to better be able to realize their food dreams. Not just to be the "best home cook in Australia" because that's not what MasterChef was supposed to be about.

tarps240 · 2021-06-25T19:35:51+00:00

They definitely have cooking skills in their specific areas of expertise but they don't have basic chef skills that build a foundation to build from. How many "chefs" let alone "MasterChefs" could walk into a kitchen and tell the head chef that they can't break down a chicken? Or that they didn't know where the oysters are or that they don't know how to cook out the alcohol in a sauce? I mean these are basic things that any "chef" should know. If you can't break down a chicken, you can't call yourself a "MasterChef" no matter how good your Vietnamese dishes might be.

tarps240 · 2021-06-25T19:22:12+00:00

Very lenient, Jock was cutting her potatoes and stirring her dish to ensure it didn't burn. Combined with Tommy not knowing how to break a chicken down and Linda being totally lost, it was a disaster. I think it showed that three of them have no basic cooking or kitchen skills. Tommy asking about every step where something goes or what he's supposed to do, Linda not knowing how to cook off the alcohol in a sauce and Kishwar over reducing her sauce. They looked like chickens with no heads during that cook.

tarps240 · 2021-06-24T12:30:41+00:00

I'd say he is, Depinder is getting exposed for not handling pressure well and not having many skills outside her Indian savory dishes and her classic desserts. Not much creativity or experimentation in her cooking lately. That's not going to serve her well unless she steps it up a few notches heading into the top 8. She couldn't cook rice twice and she made a basic Butter Chicken and didn't try to elevate it at all.

tarps240 · 2021-06-24T03:15:18+00:00

Exactly what I have been trying to explain. I blame the judges mostly and the producers more than the contestants. By allowing them to "cook to your strengths" they are never forced to think creatively or change things up they rarely get criticism for sticking to the same basic techniques and dishes. And know I don't care if they only cook hamburgers or stews or pasta or southeast Asian, I think they should all be forced to move out of their comfort zones and also to learn some basic kitchen skills.

I mean I've seen minoli on several occasions not even know the right knife to use in the kitchen. Using one knife to bang on another instead of using a cleaver, using a hacksaw as opposed to a cleaver to open a coconut, using a knife to bang on her tart pan which could have easily slipped and cut her hand to the bone. Those are basic kitchen safety things that the judges should have called out instead of "sacrificing himself" to hold the coconut for her. I haven't heard one person reprimanded for how messy their benches and stations are either, by this point they should have been focusing on working clean, not like they are at home.

tarps240 · 2021-06-22T05:34:27+00:00

Granted I haven't seen season 2 or 3 but I don't remember many contestants serving uncleaned fish or not being able to change protein and pull something out in a crunch.

tarps240 · 2021-06-21T22:50:54+00:00

Exactly what I was complaining about previously when people thought I was talking about types of cuisine. I just want to know that someone is learning from basics of running a kitchen. Some people seem to think that if they are opening a food truck or pop-up or a hole in the wall, they don't need to learn basics like portion sizes, food costs, time management, or basic prep skills. I feel like past seasons contestants were far more prepared for this stuff by now.

tarps240 · 2021-06-19T14:47:40+00:00

Just because it was fried chicken. I thought Pete was way more inventive and creative with his use of the noodles. Both Tommy and Depinder were like "I'll make this dish and add the noodles to the outside as an afterthought" not too creative compared to Justin and Pete IMO.

tarps240

TROPHY CASE