Watching amateur cooks showcase their extensive skills and knowledge in a professional kitchen is a big reason why we love MasterChef.
Even talented cooks feel a little humbled by their impressive abilities. I’ll admit that when I watch, I don’t always recognise the ingredients or understand the fancy techniques, but I absolutely love it.
While most of us watch for the spectacle and wholesomeness of it all, when it comes to incorporating some of the skills into our own cooking, we can feel a little lost on where to start.
It’s a common sentiment echoed in online commentary about the show, so we turned to guest judge Catherine Zhang (who taught herself to cook and bake from a young age), season six contestant Jamie Fleming, season 16 contestant Juan De La Cruz and last season’s winner Laura Sharrad for some help.
All three told WHO that, despite all the fancy gadgets that definitely help them in the kitchen, some really “simple” tools go a long way.
The ‘unglamorous’ tool that helps MasterChef’s Catherine Zhang
Catherine appeared during ‘Viral Week’ this season, where she challenged the contestants to make a fruit dessert in 75 minutes.
While we saw many electric whiskers being powered up and intricate piping being applied, the one thing that Catherine herself would want to be armed with is a humble bowl scraper.
“My favourite cooking gadget is honestly something so simple and unglamorous that people are always surprised when I say it —a bowl scraper. I genuinely don’t feel comfortable baking without one,” she told WHO.
She explained there is a need (and a satisfaction) in scraping “every last bit of batter, cream or dough out of a bowl”.
“It’s not just practical, it’s therapeutic,” she told us. “It’s one of those tools that costs next to nothing, but once you start using it, you wonder how you ever baked without it. Every home baker needs one in their kitchen.”
Bowl scrapers obviously range in price, but if you really want to save your pennies and get cracking, go to Kmart, where you can pick up one of these bad boys for just $8.
The basic utensil that MasterChef contestants ‘fight’ over
Jamie appeared on our screens back in 2014 and later competed in MasterChef Australia: Back to Win during season 17.
He said that during his time on the show and in professional kitchens, the one thing people are always fighting over is spoons.
Yep, you read that correctly – spoons!
“Cheap dessert spoons,” he specifically tells us.
“You can taste. You can add butter and baste. You can tend to meat and veg while cooking,” he told WHO of the nifty little cutlery items that he “hands down” always wants near him in the kitchen.
“There were a few of us who would fight for spoons both in the MasterChef kitchen and professional kitchens.”
Considering you can get a four-pack of dessert spoons for just $2.50 at Big W, we’d say that’s a pretty affordable addition to your kitchen arsenal!
Juan loves the versatility of tongs when cooking
Another unsung hero of the kitchen are tongs, according to Juan.
He said they make moving around the kitchen and multi-tasking much easier, so that’s a huge bonus for home cooking.
“I genuinely use them more than any other utensil,” he told WHO. “Grilling, cooking, flipping, serving, tossing salads… everything.”
Looking for a new pair of tongs to add to your kitchen drawers? You can nab a pair for $6 at Woolies or even a four-pack at Kmart for $4!
MasterChef winner loves nothing more than a microplane
You may not know what a microplane is, but you certainly would recognise one.
They’re the long, handheld graters that can be used for everything, from adding lemon zest to a dish to shredding cheese, and that’s exactly why last year’s winner Laura Sharrad swears by them.
“[They] save time on mincing things, from cheese to garlic, ginger, chillies and spices,” she told WHO.
The kitchen staple can be picked up from Woolies for $7.50 so that’s a win.
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