When it comes to the great mysteries of life, MasterChef Australia is at the very centre of them. Okay, that might be a smidge dramatic, but when it comes to behind-the-scenes logistics of the hit cooking show, things are completely and utterly perplexing.
But over at Refinery29 Australia, we're on a mission to find out exactly how things work on the MasterChef Australia set — from what they do with the leftover food, how they film confessionals, to the wizardry of keeping meals warm (or cold) until the judges get to taste them!
In today's edition of MasterChef Australia behind-the-scenes tea, we're exploring whether contestants secretly get to taste their meals before they whip them up and serve them to the judges or if it really is a game of suspense like it appears onscreen.
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We spoke to Sumeet Saigal, a current contestant on the 2024 season of MasterChef Australia to get the lowdown.
Saigal explains that whether contestants get to taste their meals or not all depends on the type of dish. "If it's a whole chicken that you're putting up or a whole quail and it's going to literally be cut up at the time of tasting, then unless you've made another chicken or something, you don't get to taste it," she tells Refinery29 Australia.
"If it's a piece of steak or a lamb rack or something like that that needs to be cut up just at the table, I find that you're often left guessing," Saigal continues. "So there is some element of mystery there, even for us!"
For Saigal, not being able to taste or cut into certain dishes prior to serving them is largely a game of risk. "Sometimes if they cut into lamb, you only find out if it's going to be pink or not when they cut into it," she explains.
But don't worry, it's not all blind hope, and contestants do get to taste their dishes as they're cooking if they're element-based. "If it is something else that has elements of sauces and things, we're meant to taste it as it goes along to make sure that the flavours are right and that the seasoning is correct," Sagial explains.
"I always taste my food as I go along to make sure I've got the balance correct," she adds.
So no, unfortunately, there aren't secret dishes that contestants get to taste before dishing up their meals to make sure they've got the flavours right. They can try little bits and pieces depending on what they're cooking up, but in some cases, they'll be left guessing until the judges slice in at the judging table.
The more you know!