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posted : Wednesday, December 29, 2010
title : Masterchef US
If you haven't already catch the first season of Masterchef US, you should, and here's why:

#1: We all love a bit of zest and drama in our reality tv programmes don't we? Now instead of having one 'Simon Cowell' in Masterchef US, there's two. Don't get me wrong, Graham Elliot is a tough food critic, but I doubt he cuts the mark as fiercely intimidating.

Then you have Joe Bastianich, a restaurateur and wine maker, who's a partner in dozens of famous restaurants across America, an Italian wine shop just outside of NYC and three wine estates in Italy. His cool steely stare as he slowly tastes and savours the contestants' food, is enough to intimidate those on screen and off screen (yes, you and I, the common folk who spend some time in our hectic lives watching tv). Wait, did I even mention that Joe actually tossed one of the contestant's dish down the rubbish bin because it looked entirely unprofessional, without first tasting it? So much for having no table manners. But hey, the man has some serious attitude and passion towards food, not to mention, his looks passes him off as a sleek perfectionist Italian assassin.

And then there's Gordon Ramsay, who launched numerous widely applauded restaurants. He also became a star both in the UK and internationally with shows such as Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares, The F Word and Hell's Kitchen USA. Top it off with his most recent recipe books - Ramsay's Best Menus and Christmas with Gordon. It is always intense anticipating his verdict, as he tilts his head to the side and chews on the food. You can almost notice his level of concentration as his face scrunches up, focusing on how the taste of the food blends together on his tongue's palette. The other thing that probably champions his culinary skill would be his prolific use of the word fuck and other semblances of that notorious word.


#2: The show brings out the best cook in you. And yes, I really mean it. With all the mystery box challenges, you pick up a thing or too about what food matches up, how to blend different food textures and flavours. For instance, venison goes with red wine etc. Also, you learn more about the food you probably haven't already tasted. I, for one, didn't know what a souffle was, but can now confidently tell you that souffles should be served immediately from the oven, else they will cave in and leave a sticky mess. Here's a picture of a souffle (already slightly deflated seconds out of the oven) if you don't already know what it is.


#3: It gives you the reason/passion to go cook, cook, cook! After watching the finale of Masterchef US, I have been dutifully watching youtube videos (in particular, Gordon Ramsay's) and I am proud to say, with the help of the below video, I managed to whip up really good tasting scrambled eggs (better than McDonald's Big Breakfast standard). Now, I'm tempted to get my hands on a cookbook (pasta?) and really start exploring and developing this cooking talent.


If these three reasons aren't enough to convince you to start getting your eyes glued to the right programmes, man, you're really losing out.
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