AMA: Hello old friends! I was on MasterChef, ask me anything!

Long time no see lovelies, I used to be a regular near a decade ago and was super blessed by the community here during my stay as a regular.

Since I last visited, I did a stint on the TV show MasterChef **edited**

Interesting note: They didn't want me talking about my faith on the show - the producers didn't think I "looked the part" of a Christian because I was asian. xD

Blessings!
Mike

I never understand why people join a forum filled with people and then want those people to flock to them for advice. The purpose of forums is a multitude of responses from a variety of people.

Thanks for the feedback! To be clear, I wasn't looking for people to flock for advice, rather I was just looking to share my experiences with anybody who might be interested.

Additionally, my initial post was edited by admin to remove a link to my youtube channel (no harm no foul, people can adjudicate however they like) where I share a bit about my story and some of the challenges that I encountered as a Christian in Hollywood, but I can understand how the post could be confusing.

I'm enjoying browsing the halls of this forum, it feels like revisiting your alma matter!

I definitely have a thing or two or fifty or ..........................six-thousand to learn about cooking.

I didn't realize YT links were against the rules but maybe I'll see you around.

If you're interested, you can probably find me if you search my username! . That said, I absolutely love troubleshooting when it comes to all things food - I actually just started a side hustle doing online cooking classes - if I can ever be of assistance, please don't be shy about asking! No charge!! xD

I take trips to local Asian groceries and marvel at the variety of products but often don't know how to use them, just wiped out a jar of kimchi.

Get some Thai fish sauce (I'd suggest Tiparos or Squid brand), and try adding a dash to anything that you want to be more savory - soup, salad dressing, pasta sauce, basically consider it a substitute for anytime you'd use a parmesan/pecorino/worchestire sauce.

I did find the Squid brand and use it, it is great. Have some sesame oil as well. The oyster sauce is a gold bottle, and kind of pricy but I enjoy it. Hanging out "lurking?" and watching what the Asian friends buy has been a help. The romans had a sauce made from fermented fish as well, they must have discovered or borrowed this.
Thank you

As a recovered Chef I was wondering what it was like on the program.

I mean...they focus the program on some fairly basic mistakes the participants might make...

Most of the things I might be asked to make that I've never made before can be solved with a ten minute google search and my knowledge in the kitchen.
Do they not allow that sort of thing?

I actually filmed a few episode that are going on my youtube channel to talk about this! If you're interested, you can find me on youtube, my username is "themikerao"

So the first thing is that they aren't casting people who are necessarily talented at cooking - they're casting people who make good television. In some cases, untalented home chefs make better television (there was a guy on my season who self-admittedly said that he was *terrible* chefs, and never cooked on a regular basis).

Secondly, when you're on the show, they take away your contact with the outside world. Their goal is to get you rattled, emotional, and irrational so they can get you to create really dramatic television - shouting, angry outbursts, emotional breakdowns, and bursts of tears are the type of television they want to create, and putting you on edge helps them do that.

You get one supervised phone call per week, and no access to computers, cell phones, etc - so googling isn't an option!

Ok
I was thinking it had to be something along those lines. I've seen many of his programs and I was wondering what was going on. On one of his other programs I've seen where the participants have sweetheart setups and the people still can't seem to perform well at all.
Gordon is one of the "Michelin Boys". I've worked with some of his classmates. They all can perform themselves. But I've worked in places where they point to my items on the menu, the walk-in and my station and that was the end of my training. And I've nailed it.

So how was the equipment they provided? Difficult to work with or sweet and highly functional?
Like did the cooktops and ovens really cook quick or were they low BTU slugs that were just pretty to look at?

I seen some carefully crafted product placement going on...can't fault him for that. Money is half put up by him for each of his programs. Then it's waiting for advertising to get the money back. (Classmate told me)

The equipment was okay - I heard some people had issues and speculated sabotage by producers, but I'll leave that firmly in the realm of no comment. At the end of the day, my major gripe with the competition portion of the affair is that the judges often lie about how food tastes, to push forward an bad chef who makes good television, or a good chef that makes bad television (or doesn't fit the narrative they want to push, which was my case).

Yeah...kinda knew that part.
I am a professional...I knew that they weren't exactly telling the truth about the food at times. It's television and not reality. They might want people to believe that it's reality...but it isn't.
It's entertainment.

A reasonable person has to sell their soul to get the prize. My soul is already bought and paid for.
Wolfgang Puck...you know that he can't really cook right? The man owns several restaurants (at least in name) and he really can't even perform in the easiest position in any of his places. He was cussing and throwing things after someone else sweetheart set up the station for him...batcave labeled everything too...it would have been a cakewalk to do the salads...but he can't cook. He is a face and a prop...not a chef. He talks a good game...and that's all. The man is all image without substance. You are a Christian man. You are about substance over image. I don't imagine that you would be promoted to the top. Your soul has already been bought and paid for.

But Kudos for getting on and doing respectably. That's not a bad thing at all. You got a chance to play. So many people don't. You won by showing up and participating.

In the meantime you and I can help those who want to learn how to cook now that most of the restaurants are closed.

I've been playing with everything from bread to sausages. It's been very fattening around my place...and I just finished with Christmas too.
Here's last year's...I did similar this year but a bit better...
Christmas candies and cookies
Nothing like it.

I have never understood why any of those types of shows are are called reality TV when they are
all set-ups to bring out the worst in human behavior. I suppose that is the reality aspect to it.

I don't find them interesting or entertaining, either

Appreciate it, guys! Frankly, I'm grateful to just be able to share my real voice on my own platform rather than becoming a patzi for the show.

I see recipes to use dry wine for recipes. What is the best wine to cook with. I only like drinking the sweet wines so I'm not use to baking with them. I love alfredo sauce and i like steak.

I tried cooking with wine a few times and was not pleased with the result, looking forward to some input on this as well.

If you aren't a wine fan to start with it's going to be "hit or miss" with cooking with wine.
(I don't know Gordon personally but I have worked a lot with his classmates)

What about wine is it that you don't like? It's usually not a stand alone beverage unless it is a sweeter wine.

Most Wine goes with food. Not really enjoyable by itself unless it's extremely well aged and smooth, which is not an american habit. Americans tend to drink very young wines. Young wines tend to be relatively inexpensive vx older well aged wines that the tannins have been relegated to becoming mud in the bottom of the bottle. The wine is decanted into a flask and served from the decanter then.

We are then talking about hundreds to thousands of dollars per bottle.

But for the younger wines full of spirit and tannins they are used for cleaning your palate so the food you are eating tastes as good as it did with the first bite.
Pairing food and wine together is almost an art form. Lighter or heavier wines (can be red or white) can be determined as to all the odors and flavors that compliment the dish you are eating.

Pineapple, hay, citrus fruits, or other fruits and flowers tend to be in dominance with white wines. Even a spicy Gawerstraminer or Riesling (various spice flavors and odors) will have some sort of fruits and flowers inhabiting those grapes)

Big huge Barollos and Cabernets and red Zinfandel will go with extremely rich fare. And the sauces made from the exact wine served with the dish will compliment perfectly.


No matter what, I don't cook with wine unless it is fit to drink. If it's undrinkable leave it alone. Don't put it in food. And of course the key thing is that when cooking with wine the wine must be reduced to syrup in the saucepan, sauteed pan, or roasting pan as used for deglazing the tasty bits.

Wine's spirit is the first to evaporate off...then goes the water. The acids go dead last. But you do need some left but definitely not all. So usually syrupy wine stage is when the stock or mother sauce is added. Then the flavor of the wine will enhance the sauce and not overpower it with vinegar flavors.

Sherry is unique. A sweet wine used to enhance a sauce as a finishing wine. It's fortified so it's not like the others...and for budding culinarians not recommended for them to spread their wings on.

But when making pot roast gravy... I'll use the three dollar per bottle wine. Because it will take the whole bottle but it will perform fine for a pot roast that's going to be cooked for two hours in the gravy. (I'm looking for a particular flavor and color depth with it's use)

Sweet wines usually aren't used (generally speaking and not specifically) for sauces. Not saying that it can't happen as I have done it myself for Robert sauce with pork cutlets. But it's just not commonly done on a popular basis.

OK, Thank you !