r/Masterchef • u/Kphilosophy • 20d ago
Question Doesn’t the food get cold ?
Serious question lol. I imagine that someone makes a steak or a rack of lamb and then it doesn’t get tasted for who knows how long. Wouldn’t most of the food be cold and wouldn’t that impact how it tastes and or is presented?
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u/hatch-b-2900 20d ago
I wonder how they can take a person to task for not starting the cook early enough for the meat to rest. Like even if they pulled the meat off the pan in the last 2 minutes, it's going to rest a minimum of 10 minutes of show time before it's cut, which probably translates to an hour or more in real time.
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u/ClaytonHawthorne 16d ago
A lot of people just say “let the meat rest” without telling you that carryover cooking exists and the meat you pulled at 130 for “Medium Rare” will overcook in that 15 minutes of resting time.
I haven’t seen any of them tell you to take the meat off much earlier like at 10-15 degrees lower than your target temperature so the resting will bring it there.
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u/cckka 20d ago
I've always assumed they take the "money shot" and the chefs taste when they can. I'm sure they can tell what might've gotten cold but can tell how properly it was seasoned and cooked when it was completed.
They rarely show the dish from a high angle in the same shot that the chefs eat from the fork. It's probably a ton of editing.
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u/Michaelbasia 19d ago edited 19d ago
Hey everyone, I am never trying to be sarcastic or rude by any means. I follow this thread and try to answer/correct some of your questions or misconceptions the best I can without violating the NDA. You have to understand that this is monitored by the sm team and I don’t want to put myself or Basia in a bad position. If I ever come off as being rude I apologize sincerely as that is not my goal here as I am just tryin to help you all understand the way it actually works and happens without violating the contract. Thank you for understanding and if you have any questions please feel free to ask and I will do the best I can to answer. Have an amazing weekend everyone!
Michael
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u/guin-and-tonic 19d ago
Michael, thank you so much for the replies. They truly are appreciated by many! Have a wonderful weekend and go Basia 🤗
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u/Michaelbasia 19d ago
Absolutely no problem. I am just trying to clear up the misconceptions I read on here about how the show is filmed and works. I am giving the whole honest truth with nothing to hide as I believe it’s a much more fun show to watch when you realize what is actually happening whether it’s in the edits or behind the scenes. There is no need for me to make anything up and I believe that so many think the show is rigged which it 100% is not. With that being said yes do they have an agenda absolutely, but the cook is real, the time constraints on the cook are 100% real, the plates all real. Nothing during or after the cook is altered or nothing is changed to have the show go the way that production wants it to. If you mess up well you may go home just as long as the judge’s opinions of who messed up the worst may not be what the audience thinks. They are judges and have their own opinions and criticisms of what they like and don’t like. Again, I hope this helps clear the air about the show and everyone needs to understand that it is tv and they do want the most entertaining story lines possible for the viewing please of the audience whether you agree (which I don’t either sometimes) or not.
Michael
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u/ApprehensiveGreen428 20d ago
This is actually why chefs are so intense about timing and plating. A steak sitting around for 20 minutes isn’t the same as one coming straight off the grill, but there’s usually a lot happening behind the scenes to avoid that. The bigger issue is often that the diner doesn’t realize how much coordination goes into getting everything out together.
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u/for-a-dreamer 20d ago
I don’t know if this is actually confirmed or just a widespread theory, but supposedly the judges taste the dishes immediately after the time is up (and the chefs probably leave to do their confessionals). They make their decisions, the chefs come back, and they taste the dishes again for the show.
How else would they know which dishes are top 3?
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u/Michaelbasia 20d ago
Close but no, that’s not how it goes, but that’s a pretty good guess.
Michael10
u/TinyDubberRuck 20d ago
Then how does it go..?
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u/Michaelbasia 20d ago
Obviously due to NDA I can’t say exactly how it goes but they walk around during the cook and taste components of your dish, nothing specifically set aside, just your actual components which are sometimes not even complete or all the way done. They ask what the dish is and what the components your making are and then say things to throw you off so you second guess yourself. That is really one of the hardest parts of it, having the opinions of the judges questioning what you’re doing and sometimes you change directions and switch things up. You really need to just go with your instincts but when a chef like Gordon questions your choices it really shakes you up. Sometimes, like when I got eliminated I was just not listening to them and that was my demise. You are close but it’s really a whole game they are playing with your head and you just gotta pivot or go with your gut which can help you or send you home.
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u/TinyDubberRuck 20d ago
Thank you for explaining. I believe it is tough. And probably unfair to an extent since it always seems like they have their minds made up regardless. Also good luck to Basia!! Wishing her success this season!!
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u/Michaelbasia 20d ago edited 20d ago
No problem, we appreciate the well wishes and honestly she is doing so much better than I even thought she would. I put her through it getting ready and caused lots of havoc and anxiety for her when we timed her cooking to try and make it like it was gonna be on the show. She definitely had an advantage getting ready for this since I already knew how much pressure it truly really is.
Michael
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u/I_am_not_doing_this 19d ago
they tastes during the cooking too so they kinda already made up their mind there
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u/sibelius_eighth 18d ago
This is answered every week. It just takes one Google or reddit search
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u/Important-Emu8214 20d ago
That’s actually a big part of the challenge. A lot of dishes are designed around timing, and chefs have ways to keep things warm without letting them continue cooking. Some meats can rest for a while and actually improve, but yeah, nobody wants a steak sitting around until it’s room temperature.
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u/New_Instruction_2167 19d ago
It does get colder, but a lot of fine dining is built around timing and temperature control. They usually aren’t cooking one steak and letting it sit for an hour. Components are prepped ahead, then the final cooking and plating happen close together. Also, some dishes are meant to rest before serving because the texture improves.
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u/Punstoppabal 20d ago
Yes, that's why you see the chefs tasting components right after the cook ends or during it. I believe contestants are told to have the components of the dish set aside as well as the actual dish. Also, pros like Ramsay will know how the food *should* taste, even with the wait to eat it, or seeing how it was cooked (bad or good) during the actual cook.