Starter?
If the Twitterati are anything to go by, Season Two of MasterChef SA is going to keep armchair audiences and foodie followers in gastronomic anticipation over the coming months. Episode 2, after the much-anticipated launch of Season 2 on Tuesday night, didn’t disappoint, and the dishing out of white aprons to contestants last night set the tone for MasterChef bootcamp. Again, contestants had 50 minutes to slice, dice, broil and boil their way into the culinary hearts of the three judges, Pete Goffe-Wood, Benny Masekwameng and Andrew Atkinson. It was game on!

Mains?
The show got off to a great start with three resounding yesses from the judges for a grilled hanger steak. A what? A hanger steak, folks, is a cut of prized beef and is derived from the sternum of a young steer. Must be a first for a MasterChef audition to prepare such an audacious cut of meat for a white apron and Pete Goffe-Wood wasted no time in giving Johannesburg video store clerk Tiron a grilling about whether he knew what he was doing. Some impressive dishes followed but not without some quirkiness thrown in for good measure, like pink-haired “Monkey” aka Linda, who prepared a Thai trio (she got two yesses); 19-year-old Khumo’s sticky toffee pudding that had Andrew and Benny jostling to get a taster past Pete Goffe-Wood, who was hogging the dish; Tumi (34), the financial analyst from SARS who had our judges swooning with his seafood fettucine in a creamy mushroom sauce and the “best curry” Benny has ever eaten.

But it wasn’t all sugar and spice for those who had high hopes of walking out of the audition with an apron: a collapsed chocolate fondant dashed Izak’s dreams, and Benny’s pet hate of “little or no seasoning” sounded the farewell gong for several others. The polished skills of the amateur cooks bode well for a thrilling and decadent season and it seems that the contestants have certainly done their homework!

Dessert?
A box of tissues was probably a good idea for this episode as there were tears awash from winners and losers of the opening round – and we haven’t even got to bootcamp yet! The judges made the usual grunts and smacks of approval, coupled with charm and empathy, as they tasted their way across the final batch of hot auditions, and seemed quite pleased with their choice for the Top 50. Let’s hope they’re as friendly at bootcamp!

By Priscilla Urquhart

Tune in to Eat Out next Wednesday morning for a run-down of Tuesday’s episode, and check out our MasterChef SA page, sponsored by Nederburg, for weekly updates.