So Who's a Masterchef then?

[Coco]

Has anyone been watching it and do they qualify?

Personally I can't stand that Greg bloke, I think I know far more about taste and presentation than him.  He likes what he likes and seems to judge people on that rather than their ability.  The chef guy seems to be much fairer in his judging.  But both are so inconsistant; they chastise one person for producing something too simple and then complain that the next person has overcomplicated their dish.

Anyway, having watched it for a few weeks there have been some people who they think are wonderful who I have thought have been pretty average and others who they have classed as "good home cooks and no more" who I thought have presented some lovely dishes.  I came to the conclusion from watching it that I would definitely fall into the "good home cook" category, yet, of course, I charge for my meals in my CdH!!  So, as I get paid, am I a professional or perhaps I should be giving my food away? [:$]

I certainly don't think I fit the criteria of Masterchef, but there again, I'm not sure I want to!  I've been much more impressed with the good home cooks (which I suppose in essence is what those of us offering TDH should be).  What does anyone else think of the programme and their own cooking by comparison?

[fcr]

Hi

I was a good home cook and now leave to  T.O.H. because of ill health. I am pleased to say he cooks well.

I am not impressed with either of the judges who do not seem to have any real criteria for assessing the food produced.Some contestants produced some tasty and well presented offerings showing technical ability but were not felt to have potential. Others produced absolute rubbish and were put through. The old format was boring but seemed to produce candidates who could cook.

I am not sure whether the decline in home cooking and the lack of any cookery  lessons at  school  is perhaps showing in the standard of the food  presented by the younger candidates. My son's a head chef and I enjoy watching the programme,especially the professional kitchen bit.

Fi

 

[Graham & Brenda]

My wife (an excellent home cook I am pleased to say) and I have enjoyed watching the program. I agree that sometimes the comments can seem to be a bit awry. However, we only see the edited portion whereas the judges are able to follow methods and techniques as well as all the other off-camera bits. For example, they don't show all the food identification questions on Fridays.

Personally, I least enjoy the bit where the contestants have to say why they want to win. Unfortunately the word "passionate" is being done to death!

 

[Quillan]

Thank god I live in a area where the regional nosh is simple. Tin of HP baked beans, some chicken or duck, couple of bangers and half a onion, plenty of garlic and it's casoulet (probably spelt that wrong as well). French cooking is a real myth, it's not that its bad but it's just not imaginative. Most of the places round here change their menu every 5 years, dish of the day, well you can tell which day of the week it is by whats on offer.

We lived in London, you name it we could get it, any food from any country at any time day or night. Some french friends did spagetti the other night making a big thing out of the fact it was Italian I told them we called it spagball and that it's very common in the UK, they seem to think (and I joke not) that we eat roast beef, fish and chips and fatty chicken with chips. Imagine their faces when you tell them we get curry, piza and chinees delivered to our door. Now how can they complain about us eating chips, I have seen more chips on menues here than I have seen in Macky Dees. Try explaining to them the joy of a salt beef bagel down Brick Lane at 1:30 in the morning after a good night out, mushy peas or Pie and mash with liquor, steak and kidney pie, ploughmans lunch, kippers (smokies), I could go on and on.

[Coco]

[quote user="Quillan"]

Thank god I live in a area where the regional nosh is simple. Tin of HP baked beans, some chicken or duck, couple of bangers and half a onion, plenty of garlic and it's casoulet (probably spelt that wrong as well). French cooking is a real myth, it's not that its bad but it's just not imaginative. Most of the places round here change their menu every 5 years, dish of the day, well you can tell which day of the week it is by whats on offer.

Try explaining to them the joy of a salt beef bagel down Brick Lane at 1:30 in the morning after a good night out, mushy peas or Pie and mash with liquor, steak and kidney pie, ploughmans lunch, kippers (smokies), I could go on and on.

[/quote]

Can we cross-reference this thread with the "Why live north of the Loire?" one in Postbag?

We deliberately seek out some of the places round here (north of the Loire) for their inspirational dish of the day (and very often I pinch their excellent ideas for my TDH,) eg an out of this world starter of chopped up oysters and scallops in a delicate white wine and olive oil dressing, followed by confit de canard, following by carpaccio of pineapple with a passionfruit coulis, all for 9.50€.  As for telling the day of the week by the plat du jour, sometimes we've had the most amazing dishes but just never see them again.  get good seasonal selections as well like wild boar or hare casseroles in winter.

As for kippers - I never was a great lover of them in the UK, but the ones I've had from our local supermarket recently have been to die for.

Went to dinner with some French friends last week and were given a wonderful morroccan dish accompanied by a home-made "sauce piment" that could blow the top of your head off!

We've got friends in Aude and I do have to agree, that when they go out they do struggle to find much else other than confit de canard or cassoulet, so I can sympathise with you, living in a bit of a gastronomic wasteland!

 

[Gastines]

Quillan, I should keep quiet about what you can't get in case a certain person called NIGEL is reading. Imagine having him as a neighbour.

Regards,B&B St Malo.