BRAND NEW MASTERCHEF CHALLENGES
The judges, John Torode and Greg Wallace, will set some brand-new challenges, along with old favourites, in order for the best contestants to progress in the competition. Each week for four Heat Weeks, two groups of six home cooks arrive walk through the kitchen doors, ready to make their mark on the judges.
First the amateurs must earn the right to wear a MasterChef apron in two new challenges: Basic to Brilliant, taking an everyday ingredient and turning it into something truly spectacular; and an Invention Test with a twist as they Think on their Feet to create an outstanding plate of food based around a set element such as gnocchi, trout, meringue, or quail.
The last four standing will then show off their own style in two courses served to three familiar faces from MasterChef series past - who understand the pressures, but also know what it takes to get to The Final. That Quarter Final brief is then set by some of country’s toughest critics and chefs - to deliver food greatness based on anything from the perfect pie to an exquisite school dinner-inspired dish.
The fifth week will be a celebration of MasterChef talent with a twist as contestants head towards the sharp end of the competition. After five weeks of fierce cook-offs for the cream rise to the top, MasterChef enters its sixth week with contestants whittled down to just 16 for Knockout Week.
The culinary tasks include a Market Invention Test in the MasterChef kitchen; the opportunity to step inside a professional kitchen for the first time and deliver a lunch service at two of London’s top restaurants – Nessa, led by Executive Chef Tom Cenci, and Joia, under Head Chef Jose Jara – getting the rare insight into how these prominent chefs and their teams work as well needing to keep up their standards; and back in the MasterChef kitchen, attention to detail and keeping calm under pressure will be key to creating nine identical portions of a single canapé.
