Written By Mira Divan (Grade 5)
Whether you are standing up on the gantry of the MasterChef kitchen or lounging on your sofa and watching the show, you’ll be able to smell the wafting aroma of delicious food.
I have been watching MasterChef since I was 5 years old. The first season I watched was Season 8, where I would switch on the television every day at 9:00 pm and immerse myself into the world of contestants, judges, and different cuisines. Now, MasterChef is like a ritual in my family.
The show was developed by Elizabeth Murdoch (daughter of Rupert Murdoch who was the founder of the Fox Network worldwide) in 2009. The MasterChef format now airs in 200 territories and is produced independently in 40 countries. In India alone, the MasterChef series was produced and aired under the title MasterChef India for 6 seasons. Along with the main version of the show, there are 3 other spinoffs – MasterChef: The Professionals, Celebrity MasterChef and Junior MasterChef.
What has really turned MasterChef into a worldwide success is its competitive format. Before Elizabeth Murdoch came up with the idea, there were cookery shows in which a professional chef would be in his kitchen and share his recipes with viewers. When MasterChef came along, it removed predictability completely. You wouldn’t know what was going to happen. It was no longer about the recipe. It was a talent hunt competition, with home cooks taking centre stage. There was a sense of anticipation that would build with every moment.
Every year, thousands of home cooks line up in front of the kitchen to audition, but only 50 get through. These 50 cook their best dishes for the judges, hoping to get selected in the competition and win an apron, but only the top 24 get one. What follows is 13 weeks of demanding challenges that push them to their culinary best.
Challenges like the Mystery Box, where there would be a massive box on each bench, full of unusual pairings of ingredients or surprises that the cooks have to hero in their dishes. The Mystery Box challenge would stump the contestants, but when it came to the invention test challenge, the whacky dishes that the contestants came up with would stump the judges. Whether it was curry cake or instant noodle gnocchi, the invention tests were always fun to watch.
At the end of 13 weeks would be a Grand Finale, where the two finalists would battle it out for the title of MasterChef Australia.
Another reason for the show’s popularity is the judges. The judges aren’t only judges, but mentors to the cooks. They are seen walking from bench to bench giving tips, feedback and even motivating them at times when the contestants break down under pressure. They also conduct a MasterClass during the series, where they share their tips and recipes. This lends a touch of emotion to an otherwise fiercely competitive show. The love and camaraderie among the contestants is unseen in any other competition. The contestants give it their best while competing but never shy away from complimenting each other.
The MasterChef phenomenon extends well beyond the show. Every person watching it undertakes a MasterChef journey and not just the 24 people wearing an apron.
The show inspires every home cook to create new dishes and has an everlasting effect on people who have their own culinary dreams, giving them the confidence that they can do it too.
The show has introduced us to a whole new vocabulary around food, like cloche, parfait, orecchiette, granita and the croquembouche. Techniques like tempering chocolate is now a household reality. It is now almost impossible that a kid has turned 10, without celebrating a MasterChef birthday party.
I personally love the show for its diverse challenges and rooting for my favourite contestant. There is just one warning I have for you – always eat dinner before watching. Who knows? You might just see something scrumptious like gourmet asparagus and blue cheese ravioli on TV and be presented with something particularly disgusting for dinner.
Featured Image Courtesy – YouTube
Hi Mira I liked the last para as it was a good block of humour.It’s really fun to read it again as I my face was with glee.
Thanks 👍🏽
Love your passion in life for life and it’s fineries !
Long ago I have expressed my desire to cast you dear Mira in a cookery show for children
Your unique self confident well informed style of self expression comes straight from the heart
And that never goes wrong !
What would be better than a peer instilling a desire for creating these fascinating dishes that you do with a sleight of hand !
I for one am certainly inspired post the read to give this show a second chance !
And just reiterating I dream of seeing you open your own chain of restaurants ❤️
Thank you so much for the lovely comment!
It is believed that generally a majority of hardcore football fans and cricket fans do not see eye to eye because of a difference in their basic dna’s.
Learning about and gaining from that difference is such a beautiful happening though.
I must admit here that I have not been able to develop, so far, a fan passion for this show that is unquestionably so hugely popular across the globe. This despite that I’ve given the show and myself enough opportunities.
So to hear about it from the expert pen of an obviously unwavering fan is such a wonderful occasion to delve a little deeper into the phenomenon.
Your customary erudite style of writing prompted me to discover that actually the format of the show took birth in 1990 in the UK from the mind of Franc Roddam before it’s first international adaptation in Australia in 2009.
Your nuanced description of the show gives such an analytical insight into the human mind, something that has always fascinated me.
Thank you dear Mira Divan for cooking and sharing yet another enticing essay that serves as a door to discover the plethora of ingredients that constitute the dish called Life.
You are ,indeed, a true MasterChef!
Thank you so much for the lovely comment! Perhaps now you will enjoy watching MasterChef.
Well one thing is definitely assured.
When MasterChef is on I will be thinking of you, and only you, and will not be able to get myself to switch channels.
And then as you say, who knows, perhaps start enjoying the show and end up kicking myself for not having met you earlier. 😊
What a vivid description…. great article