So, eight chefs remain. Eight. Remember when there were, like, a hundred of them? OK well maybe not a hundred but we are of course getting to the sharp end of the competition. Now, in the semi-finals of MasterChef: The Professionals, the wheat has been separated from the chaff, the culinary titans from the merely talented, the sauce-master from the sauce-splatterer. The tension is thicker than a Marcus Wareing glare.
First up: a test of culinary conscience. Our eight remaining warriors must embrace the noble, and increasingly trendy, art of minimal food waste. Root-to-shoot, nose-to-tail – these aren’t just buzzwords, they’re the law of the land in this kitchen. One poorly conceived parsnip peel could be the difference between glory and going home.
For those who fail to impress the judges with their waste-not, want-not creations, a second trial awaits – the always terrifying invention test. And this time, there’s a twist: seafood. A mystery seafood ingredient, to be precise. Which, let’s face it, could be anything from a majestic turbot to something that looks like it crawled out from under a pier. Either way, these chefs have to make magic happen, and fast, if they want to avoid elimination.
Two will be sent packing tonight, their MasterChef dreams dashed against the rocks of culinary ambition. For the final six, the journey continues. They’re tantalizingly close to that coveted MasterChef title, but the path is now steeper and more treacherous than ever. One wrong move, one burnt béchamel, one overcooked scallop, and it’s all over.
MasterChef: The Professionals Season 17 Episode 16 airs Monday December 2, 2024 at 9:00 PM on BBC One.
