Judge George Calombaris sat down with Woman’s Day, to reveal his favourite Masterchef doozies.
When it comes to kitchen calamaties, the father-of-two has definitely seen it all.
“The first series was probably the most disaster-filled season because they were all just home cooks. And none of us had any idea what they’d cook or serve,” he recalls. “Actually one guy served us actual roadkill which was awful and a complete disaster.”
And who could forget that season’s adventurous competitor and runner-up, Poh Ling Yeow – perhaps one of the show’s most well-known alumni. Now she’s an acclaimed TV cook, but back in the day Poh dubiously attempted a deep-fried meringue.
“The first time was terrible but then she nailed the dish second time round!” George says with a laugh.
These days the higher skill level of cooks in the TV kitchen means the George, Gary and Matt must delve deeper into their contestants’ style of cooking.
Poh is now a celebrated television cook but during her Masterchef days she was known as the “Pohlacoaster” due to her risky dishes.
Case in point – one of Masterchef’s most heartbreaking eliminations, season two contestant Marion Grasby, went out with an Asian dish of Satay sauce. Sadly for her, the dish wasn’t bad in civilian terms, but the competition is becoming more cut-throat. The 27-year-old South Australian was eventually out-cooked after George described her dish as “claggy”.
Remembering the upset, George tells us, “She’s a great cook and great cooks have bad days.”
“It’s all about balance, a bit of acidity and liquid would have changed that sauce completely,” he adds, explaining how much of a fine line there can be between a good dish and a bad one.
During our chat with George, it’s clear the head chef and owner of the two-hatted Melbourne restaurant The Press Club, is a wealth of culinary genius.
Fittingly, he’s about to start sharing his knowledge with Australia’s Worst Chef aka #DisasterChef – an exciting new social media campaign.
“We all know a DisasterChef. We often avoid eating their food, which is a shame as sharing a delicious meal with friends and family is one of life’s simplest but greatest pleasures,” George says.
George explains that he’s giving these cooks a helping hand because he was shocked that despite the rise of “foodie” culture, plenty of Aussies – about 4 million according to Australian Lamb – are terrified of cooking.
“So we’re helping the nation’s kitchen tragics with cooking tips and recipes, showing them just how easy it is to cook delicious meals using Australian lamb,” he adds.
George is preparing to coach Australia’s worst cooks.
When we asked the two-hatted chef if he himself had faced any kitchen disasters, he insisted he hadn’t – except one time when the sprinklers went off during the middle of prep for an event for 500 people. We’re not buying it George – that one wasn’t even your fault!
We’re glad he’s prepared for sprinklers; we imagine there will be a few kitchen fires during their search for #DisasterChef.
Submit your #DisasterChef moments here and for more info head to www.weloveourlamb.com.au
Watch George’s message for Australia’s #DisasterChef in the video player above!
George looks svelte and might we say, a little dishy indeed!
