There's so much you can do with potatoes though, most of which is more interesting than mash.
To me it shows a lack of imagination.
bedazzledjewels,
Jan 1, 12:23am
Lots of pea puree going on too. I know they love their mushy peas but often it's such a garish colour on the plate. Also lots of fish being cooked; I suppose because it's quick!
onestaple,
Jan 2, 1:08am
I enjoy watching these programs but havent any of them heard of hair nets !long hair hanging in faces and over food is not a good look
sumstyle,
Jan 2, 4:14am
onestaple wrote: I enjoy watching these programs but havent any of them heard of hair nets !long hair hanging in faces and over food is not a good look[/quote
Mmm, yes that's odd eh!Or when they are really sweaty, bending over their plates
kirinesha,
Jan 2, 4:40am
I do BUT I also like to see these aspiring chefs showing some originality. It's as though they can't think of anything else so revert back to a classic combo rather than push the boundaries.
davidt4,
Jan 2, 5:03am
I blame it on Gordon Ramsay - I'm pretty sure it was him that started it all off with his dish of scallops on a bed of cauli puree, with a raisin and caper sauce.That would have tasted wonderful, unlike all these insipid variations that are boring us silly on Masterchef.
motorbo,
Jan 2, 5:03am
i like the english version the most! the guys that present and judge it rock, and they give constructive comments with none of the silly dramatics!
socram,
Jan 2, 8:09am
They often only have an hour to do the whole dish and that limits the cooking options with many dishes. Creamed potatoes (not mash!) are preferable to cous-cous, rice or pasta for many dishes and although it may be simplistic, they can be made to look nicer than other options. They are NOT the stars of the dish!
UK has many more varieties of potatoes than NZ and if they are presented with a mystery box that contains potatoes, selecting the wrong cooking method can be disasterous.
How often have you heard the comment "under cooked" or "raw" on that programme!
#18 - "Mushy peas" are not just mashed or pureed garden peas either. They are marrowfat dried peas and need soaking, probably overnight and ideally, are served with mint sauce.Most estabishments in NZ that try to do mushy peas, fail miserably.The only decent ones I have had here were in Taupo.
budgel,
Dec 30, 8:13am
I am an addict of these types of programs, more for ideas than recipes, but what is it with having mash with everything?Is it a new trend or what? it seems so unimaginative to me.I reckon it is so hard to do well in any other way than dead basic, I reckon the contestants are setting themselves up for failure.
Your thoughts?
nfh1,
Dec 30, 8:14am
Mash with Thai food tonight!Different.
ferrit47,
Dec 30, 8:18am
Its a load of Rubbish.
nfh1,
Dec 30, 8:19am
It has really changed - I used to love but actually I enjoyed the Australian one more - although they did drag it out a lot.
budgel,
Dec 30, 8:29am
Yes,I thought the Aussie cuisine was closer to ours and enjoyed that show.
sumstyle,
Dec 30, 9:51am
They also have an excess of puddings made with rhubarb and pear...
t.gypsy,
Dec 30, 10:23am
and scallops with black puddings that to me is murder.... why would anyone want to have blood and guts inside pigs intestine with something as delicate and sweet like scallops
books4nz,
Dec 30, 10:26am
Agree with you all! Either mash or a puree with whatever, or scallops! Liked the Aussie one - and NZ - much better.
Saw something that the NZ 2nd series has finished filming - has anyone heard when it'll screen?
rainrain1,
Dec 30, 6:32pm
The program sure fascinates. They use asparagus way too much if you ask me...love watching though
bedazzledjewels,
Dec 30, 7:42pm
I quite like the quick turnaround of contestants after the Australian version, but I'd like to see some masterclasses. Maybe they'll come once they've whittled down the numbers of would-be chefs. It always amuses me how many of them dream of having their own restaurants. Can't help wondering if they have any idea of the hard work and expense involved in keeping a restaurant going!
nfh1,
Dec 30, 8:22pm
Some years ago there used to a programme about Brits who had bought a business overseas, usually Portugal, Spain, Majorca or Greece.It was often a Bar and they all seemed to have this idea that they would be partying all night with the guests and enjoying the sunshine all day.
Most of them ended up working about 20 hours a day and making a loss!
kirinesha,
Dec 30, 8:34pm
If I see one more contestant doing scallops with black pudding and pea or cauli puree I'll scream. Although a great taste combination it seems to be the most overdone dish on the programme.
unknowndisorder,
Dec 30, 8:40pm
When the UK version started, I was expecting more, after the rave reviews here. Didn't like it, but am enjoying it now. I guess mash is something they eat a lot of over there, especially in winter. The scallops with black pudding strikes me as yuck, but it seems to be a common theme in the "invention" test. Some of the dishes look awesome, considering they're all meant to be amateur cooks. Others just look a fail.
Am interested to see how it progresses.
As for wanting to start a restaurant, I used to want to be a chef (after I worked out that I didn't want to be a vet as didn't want to stay at school past 15), but had no idea how to go about it. Now I'm thankful I didn't go down that route, but still think a cafe could be a goer (but not that motivated to do that either lol).
davidt4,
Dec 30, 8:42pm
There's more to come I'm afraid Kiri.It's the omnipresence of mashed potatoes that baffles me - so unsuitable in most contexts, especially with wasabi added.
nfh1,
Dec 30, 8:44pm
I would not think mash is eaten any more in the UK than it is here.
pjcat,
Dec 31, 11:51pm
I think they end up with mash a lot because they have a restricted number of ingredients to choose from and potatoes are usually one of them
ibcreative,
Dec 31, 11:55pm
There's so much you can do with potatoes though, most of which is more interesting than mash.
To me it shows a lack of imagination.
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