Oki, it’s week two worth of MasterChef recaps.
HOT TIPS: I don’t really know a lot about threads and how to make them work, so there’s a bit of overlap here. Nonetheless, thank you so much to @JohnsonLeung for the awesome information! All these hot tips relate to each of the episodes for this week.
EPISODE 15: Sunday 3rd – Elimination
On Thursday, Jess won immunity
Dani decides not to use her immunity pin.
It’s another two round elimination. Five least impressive dishes will go into round two, so 14 safe.
It’s a crunch challenge where they can taste whenever they’re ready for maximum crunch. There’s a possibility of being sent upstairs straight away.
Time starts.
Chris brings up fish. They love it, and it’s crunchy. Not overthought.
Poh brings bar snacks.
Tessa, Emelia, Reece, Laura, Amina, Rose, Ben (sent to gantry)
Simon brings a chip butty and sounds like a supercrunch, very crunchy. He’s sent upstairs.
Sarah T brings fried chicken. It’s moist, succulent and zingy.
Dani regrets not using the pin. The batter is super light, no crunch.
Tracy, potato skins, super crunch, flavour is unbelievable.
Callum with crab. Too much garnish, only a hint of crunch, but tasty.
Khanh, coconut prawns. Bit of a crunch but overtaken by prawn texture.
Brendon brings up his dish that’s not crunch, it’s soft and doesn’t meet the breef.
One minute to go, and then time ends.
Sarah C, delicious.
Reynold, choc ganache. It’s really good. It has ice-cream and honeycomb and he’s sent to the gantry.
Hayden did curry and pappadums. The flavour wasn’t there and the pappadums are too dense. Jock tells him he forgot the salt again.
Verdict time.
Bottom for round two: Hayden, Brendan, Khanh, Callum and Dani.
Round two is Gooey, like a cheese toastie.
They have 75 minutes and an open pantry and garden.
Tasting time:
Hayden first, an egg yolk with parmesan foam.
Callum does a caramel. It’s nailed it.
Dani does eggs and has a cry. It’s runny, not gooey.
I don’t have notes on Brendan.
Everyone’s was really good, but Dani’s just didn’t have an ooze.
The verdict: Dani’s eggs didn’t fit the brief, and she’s out with her immunity pin.
EPISODE 16: Monday 4th – Team Challenge.
It’s suburban week, so the contestants roam Melbourne until they find a Thai restaurant, the Thai Ute, 40 mins from the CBD.
The winning team is safe, and the losing team goes to pressure test tomorrow.
Team Teal/Aqua: Emelia, Laura, Tessa, Amina, Ben, Reece, Rose, Poh, Simon.
Team Orange: Sarah C, Sarah T, Reynold, Brendon, Jess, Tracy, Callum, Chris, Hayden and Khahn.
Someone from seam two sits out, and it’s Sarah C as she’s not confident.
Tessa is captain for the teal team and Khahn for the orange.
They’ll be feeding 100 diners, 50 per team. Each team will do two entrees and three mains. They’ll have two and a half hours to prep and at the two and a half hours mark service will start.
Everything’s going on.
Teal decides to throw the pork in the deep fryer to cook it faster.
Teal does their entrees first. Both are great and the first is a great kick into the meal. The second is perfect and delish.
Orange does their entrees. The beetle leaf works amazingly, great flavours, huge winner. Crab has crunch, etc.
Mains:
It starts to rain, flooding their kitchen a bit, but they crack on.
Orange for mains. Great balance between main and entrée, great flavours, they love everything.
Teal/Aqua brings theirs out. The clams have a poor sauce and barely any chilli which Jock calls a shame. The pork is tough and the sauce isn’t the best. Andy calls it unfortunate. There’s a clear winner.
Teal/Aqua will be in tomorrow’s pressure test.
EPISODE 17- Tuesday 5th – pressure test.
Tessa, Ben, Amina, Reece, Emelia, Laura, Simon and Rose test in the toughest ever test.
They’re at ‘Enter Via Laundry’ which seats 10 guests a week and over 1600 people on the wait list.
2 round pressure test.
Test one is taste and identify the 20 ingredients. The three with the lowest correct guesses will go intor round two.
Poh (4), Rose, Reece and Ben (6).
Sudden death taste test for Rose, Reece and Ben. First two to incorrectly identify the ingredients are into round 2. It’s a savoury snack. Rose incorrectly guesses almonds. Ben guesses curry leaf.
So, Poh, Rose and Ben are in rounds two.
They enter via laundry and come to the kitchen where they are told they’ll cook pasta not pasta, where the owner and one other chef can cook it. They have 60 minutes to cook and 3 to plate just before tasting. Time starts and they exit via laundry to a set up kitchen.
Ben doesn’t stir his pasta for the 20 minutes like he’s supposed to and it’s yuck, so he starts again, but decides to use the original batch.
First to taste is Poh. She starts plating at the kitchen bench inside. It’s great and would be served.
Next is Rose, she’s nervous. It has quite a bit of chilli and it’s too much. Also too sweet and the pasta too thin.
Finally, Ben. Pretty well done, Andy thought it would send him home but it was really good.
It’s verdict time, and Rose is out. Jock says he’ll slide Gordon Ramsey her number as per a convo back in week one.
EPISODE 18 – Wednesday 6th – Mystery box.
The kitchen is all set up outside on a nature strip. Mel opens the box to reveal it empty, then some people walk over with their home grown ingredients. They’ve got gravenside apples, garlic, blue cheese, shitake mushrooms, yellow zucchini, brown rice miso and basil.
They have 75 minutes, must use at least one ingredient, and have the usual staples. Best three will go to immunity tomorrow.
But, they get one more ingredient, so they run down to their nearest Coles to get their ingredient and then return to cook. Time starts when they return.
Tasting time:
Hayden does an apple cake which they all love and call it delish, tasty and brilliant.
Tracy does snags, nothing but praise for technique and the dish.
Reynold does parsnip with ice-cream, doesn’t work out.
Sarah C and T, Simon, Brendan,
Amina does a Torelini and they love it.
Laura does some great elements.
Emelia doesn’t have a weak element on the plate.
Poh is slightly undercooked but still great.
Verdict:
- Amina – dish of the day.
- Emelia
- Tracy
Special mention, Hayden.
EPISODE 19: Thursday 7th – Immunity Challenge.
Andy meets the women at the corner and walks them through Windsor in Melbourne to a sushi train, Ganbare Kaz.
The contestants are the diners tonight.
Each of the three women must create five individual Asian inspired snack dishes and much do 20 of each dish. The dish doesn’t have to be Japanese.
Each will do a total of 100 plates and have two and a half hours to prepare. Once service starts, a dish must be sent every 15 minutes.
It’ll be a blind tasting with the judges keeping out of the kitchen the whole time.
Amina goes for a Korean feel as it’s her heritage.
The three sing and chat as they cook to keep spirits up. Amazing.
Emelia sends out her kingfish dish before realising she doesn’t have enough fish for 20 dishes. The portion is inconsistent but the heat and flavours are tasty.
Amina sends out her tuna and there are no complaints.
Tracy serves her kingfish sashimi and it’s elegant and beautiful.
Second dish:
Emelia forgot the pickle. It’s super well seasoned though.
Amina does rice balls. It’s a bit greasy but the kimchi helps, Jock says, but mel disagrees.
Tracy falls behind but serves Ma Hor. Jock calls it a party.
Third dish:
Emelia did a non-traditional dumpling – giant – but the judges find it too hard to eat. But it’s not a banger, tasty, but still eh.
Amina sends out a non-halal dish and asks Emelia to try it to see if it needs salt, which was very lovely moment. They enjoy Emina’s dish.
Tracy sends out her dish which Khahn is excited about, but the judges don’t really care for.
Fourth dish:
Emelia calls it the green machine, which is Canberra Raiders erasure, but as a Roosters supporter, I don’t really care. They enjoy the dish.
Amina does a deep fried tofu dish and they really enjoy it.
Tracy does a plate, which Andy enjoys.
Fifth and final:
Emina does beef titaki which is delicious but chunky when traditionally thin.
Amina does scallops. It’s a smart dish.
Tracy also does scallops. It’s famtastic and punchy and fresh.
Results: Amina.
She’s speechless and delayed reaction after a hard cook, but she’s ecstatic and proud. She asks the judges to give the other two immunity as well, but they straight up say no.
Felicity Feiner 
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