10 Quick Questions: MasterChef Australia 2021 edition

Masterchef 10 quiz for July 16 2021 Composite: Network 10

Do you miss this season’s contestants like they were treasured personal friends? Do you find yourself whistling the inspirational music stings that accompanied a nailed brief? Have you, too, tried to “MasterChef up” your nightly meals of microwaved leftovers by sprinkling them with finger lime and red salt?

Test your knowledge of this season’s rollercoaster ride before the memories fade like the hopes of a contestant who only has 35 seconds left to plate up. Share your score – or own up to it in the comments.

1. 

   During superstar week, Nigella Lawson read a short story about her toasted marshmallow and rhubarb cake that the contestants had to decipher as a pressure test. Which of these florid descriptions WASN'T part of the story?

   1. “The rhubarb is the beguiling hero of the dish”

   2. “The eggs should be whipped like a naughty schoolgirl”

   3. “The fabulous flamboyance of its brûléed marshmallow icing”

   4. “I can’t tell you how much I enjoy teasing out the snowy spikes”

2. 

   Why does runner-up Pete have tattoos on his hands?

   1. He used to be a sailor

   2. They incorporate temperature and weight conversions for cooking

   3. So that he can never return to work in the corporate world

   4. He let his coworkers at the tattoo studio practice on him

3. In the game meat-themed elimination challenge, Tommy presented a pheasant feast that the judges loved. What odd word did Andy use to describe the caramelisation on the pheasant?

   1. Amatory

   2. Abstracted

   3. Abusive

   4. Aberrant

4. 

   What was Brent’s job before he entered the MasterChef kitchen?

   1. Cabinetmaker

   2. Plumber

   3. Boilermaker

   4. Dog groomer

5. 

   At the end of Second Chance Week, fish butchery legend Josh Niland demonstrated how to turn one Murray cod into a three-course meal. The dessert was a lamington. How did Niland incorporate the fish?

   1. He used the cod scales to create ‘desiccated coconut’

   2. He dehydrated a fish fillet to create the ‘sponge cake’

   3. He ground up the fish bones to make the ‘chocolate icing’

   4. He used the fish eyes to make the ‘jam filling’

6. Conor made an ice-cream with an unusual key ingredient, which was so tasty that Jock praised the “bejewelled clockwork mouse inside [Conor’s] head”. What was the flavour?

   1. Kalamata olives

   2. Sardines

   3. Bacon bits

   4. Dill pickles

7. At the start of Top 15 week, the contestants had to turn one of five “basic” vegetables into something amazing. What were the vegetables on offer?

   1. Broccoli, brussels sprout, green beans, peas or potato

   2. Potato, broccoli, carrot, brown onion or zucchini

   3. Potato, parsnip, peas, garlic or iceberg lettuce

   4. Carrot, iceberg lettuce, turnip, broccoli or brown onion

   5. Potato, celery, iceberg lettuce, brown onion or carrot

8. Which of the following was NOT a “classic food saying” assigned during How To Succeed week?

   1. As cool as a cucumber

   2. Bring home the bacon

   3. As cheap as chips

   4. The proof is in the pudding

9. True or false: Therese is only the second contestant in MasterChef Australia history to go home without playing her immunity pin?

   1. True

   2. False

10. 

    What was unusual about the decoration of the Exotique Mousse Cake assigned by Kirsten Tibballs during Masters Week?

    1. It revealed a secret message when cut open

    2. It was flavoured with Vegemite

    3. It was created with a blowtorch

    4. It featured a screen print made of chocolate

Solutions

1:B - (But it could have been a Nigellaism, couldn’t it?), 2:C - Pete retrained as a tattoo artist after 10 years at a desk job., 3:C - This is what happens when Mel has to take the week off and her foodie thesaurus stays home with her..., 4:C - And it was his eye for detail and ability to follow the brief that saw him take to Kirsten Tibballs’ pressure test like a champ., 5:A - Legend has it that’s not even the most inventive use of fish in Niland’s repertoire: the only fish parts he doesn’t make use of are the gills and the gallbladder!, 6:A - Tragically, it was when Conor tried to make lightning strike twice with green olive ice-cream that he was sent home., 7:B - And it led to such inventive dishes as Pete’s carrot “steak” and Depinder’s green curry cake., 8:C - Sadly, they also decided against “face like a dropped pie”., 9:B - She “did a Dani Venn” – the turn of phrase inspired by Dani’s shock exit in 2020’s MasterChef: Back To Win., 10:D - The choc screen printing turned out to be the least of the contestants’ worries; Kirsten’s challenge also saw them swirling four types of chocolate together before hanging their lollipops upside down to set.

Scores

1. 9 and above.

   Wow. You’re addicted to MasterChef. You had a tower of Julie Goodwin’s “Lemon Goddess” cupcakes at your wedding. You shop at Coles because the disembodied hologram of Curtis Stone told you to during an elimination challenge. You know all the contestants’ social media nicknames and you’ve placed an order for some of YoYo’s earrings even though you don’t have pierced ears. Congratulations!

2. 6 and above.

   Good one! You’re a pretty committed member of the MasterChef army; you’ve even tried your hand at some of the recipes when they get posted on the homepage. Even though you’d never admit it, you secretly lust over the MasterChef branded saucepans at the supermarket.

3. 4 and above.

   Not bad. You’re the sort of casual MasterChef viewer who tunes in for the big Sunday eliminations but starts to lose interest midweek. You often buy cookbooks and enjoy looking at the pictures but can’t seem to find the time to try a new recipe.

4. 0 and above.

   Hmm. Chances are you’re one of those people who says things like “MasterChef? Bring back Consuming Passions” and complains about how back in your day nobody knew the difference between a hibachi and an ice-cream churn.