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The three Michelin-starred chef and godfather of the hugely successful Masterchef reality cooking competition, Marco Pierre White, sat down with the Young Lim, editor of Home & Décor Singapore, for a chat on kitchen appliances and the things that make him tick. 

1) What’s your favourite kitchen appliance?

Well, the truth is I don’t really have one. I don’t really like gadgets. I like knives and I like pans, I like things that are handmade, but the greatest gadget in my opinion ever created for the kitchen was the old-fashioned Robot Coupe, sensational, or the old-fashioned Kenwood chef, basic but really good.

I’m not a gadget person, give me a knife, give me a pan, give me a chopping board, I like things which are made by hand. It’s like when I go and see the man in the chicken shop, with his cleaver chopping up the chickens. Ingenious! Why do you need a gadget?

 

2) One thing you hate doing in the kitchen?

I like all jobs in the kitchen, including washing up.

 

3) What gets you mad when you’re in the kitchen?

Incompetence.

 

4) What gets you happy when you’re in the kitchen?

Silence.

 

5) Name an Asian dish you’ve never cooked but would like to try.

Geoduck with XO sauce. I love Geoduck.

 

6) Associate one word with each of these three men you’ve worked with before…

  1. Raymond Blanc: Genius.
  2. Nico Ladenis: Genius.
  3. Mario Batali: Genius.

 

7) One thing you always have in your fridge?

Butter.

 

8) Gas or induction cooker?

Gas. When you work with gas on a solid top, it’s like playing on the piano. When you work with induction, where’s the feeling? Where’s the flame? You know, the flame is the most important. Induction, you can play with it, but no no no, what you want is the heat from the stove.

If the kitchen is too cold, the food goes cold. That’s why you shouldn’t have air-conditioning in your kitchen, just an extractor, because you want the kitchen to be hot so the food goes out hot.

The problem with induction kitchens, they are cold, so food goes cold. Before it gets to the customer, it’s cold. Just imagine, it’s like drinking an espresso, it’s delicious when it’s hot, or a cup of tea when it’s freshly made it’s delicious. You allow it to cool, you allow it to stew. It’s not nice is it. Food is the same, it dies. Once it leaves the pan, it’s dying.

 

9) Silliest thing you’ve seen on Masterchef.

Too many of them to mention. I once saw a man put a banana in an aioli, which was rather bizarre. He was… eliminated.

 

10) The most memorable moment on Masterchef?

I think the most memorable scene on Masterchef was when we did Masterchef: The Professionals and the final dinner was for 120 of Australia’s top chefs and just watching them all walk into the Masterchef studio with their chef’s hats and chef’s whites, it was a very powerful image. Even for me the emotional impact was massive. And there’s my team of contestants, wowed. You have to tell them to look at that and now tonight you are flying the flag for Australia, prove to them that you’ve learnt something, prove to them that you are not intimidated by them. Feed them well.

 

Marco tries a chwee kuey…

I am quite fascinated… looks like an egg. Number one I love the texture, number two I like the flavor. It’s truly delicious. Allow me to feed you! It’s gvery good, is that breakfast food? That’s delicious. That’s the best thing I’ve eaten tonight! Really good. Is that a classic Singaporean or Chinese? The food’s good here.

 

 

 

Marco Pierre White appears courtesy of Masterchef Dining & Bar Singapore.

About Masterchef Dining & Bar

The world-renowned chef and restaurateur Marco Pierre White and top MasterChef personalities from around the world such as US, Australia and Asia, will come together to craft bespoke menus that will feature some of the finest MasterChef creations. Lunch and dinner will be served daily in the 15-day MasterChef Dining & Bar Singapore. This is the first time Marco Pierre White helms the MasterChef Dining & Bar pop-up restaurant with MasterChef personalities. MasterChef Dining & Bar Singapore runs from 25 November till 9 December at Ash & Elm, InterContinental Singapore. Tickets available from Sistic.