Everyone says Gordon Ramsay is ruthless on television.
But on MasterChef, American restaurateur, winemaker, author, and television personality
Joe Bastianich makes Ramsay look like a lovable caring angel!
Joe has become a household name for his role on the hit reality TV show.
His signature persona has always been that of a cool, poker-faced restaurateur who could
kill anyone with his acerbic, and sometimes wounding comments.
Once in a while, however, as if breaking out of character, he’d give the home chefs and
their dishes a compliment, maybe even two.
Curious to know what these dishes are?
Stay tuned!
Tracy’s Truffled Halibut
Masterchef has been one of the most-watched American reality TV shows for the past eight
years.
It’s the most intense culinary competition on earth for talented home cooks.
The prize?
Cash, a cookbook contract, and of course, the coveted title of Masterchef!
But before earning their place in history, the home cooks must endure heartbreak, fierce
competition, time constraints, and three culinary judges who could be really generous with their
praises and merciless at the same time.
If you think Gordon Ramsay takes top prize for nasty, restaurateur Joe Bastianich takes
second.
There is no pleasing this guy!
But once in a while, he quits the mean card and genuinely likes a dish.
When he does, he isn’t stingy with the praises either.
Take Tracy’s truffled halibut.
What does the winemaker and author (who just happens to own 30 restaurants worldwide) think
about it?
Her “excellent fish” which was “perfectly cooked” and “very well done”, could
very well be the Masterchef trophy.
Earlier on, she botched her chances with cupcakes, but looks like this perfectly cooked fish
is her ticket to the finals!
Profiteroles with Lemon Vanilla Cream
By now, the home chefs know that the key to enduring the long trek to the finals is to
impress both Gordon and Joe.
The Mystery Box Challenge for Season 2 Episode 5 had the home chefs preparing a dish using
only Mystery Box ingredients.
One home chef impressed the judges.
With Christian as the frontrunner, he was now in control of the Elimination Challenge.
The theme?
Christian chose French cuisine.
With one hour on the clock, how would these home cooks fare?
French cooking is generally respected as the backbone of many cuisines in the Western world.
The influence it has over so many cooking techniques is legendary.
In fact, savory and sweet as the dishes may seem, it can be a little intimidating for
beginners to learn.
But one dish managed to catch Joe’s sweet side.
Giuseppe Morisco’s Profiteroles with Lemon Vanilla Cream!
His baking was spot on and for a multi-awarded Italian restaurateur to praise a fellow Italian
for excellent French cooking?
Well, that sounds like a winner to us!
Frank’s Apple Pie
Masterchef contestants know that the words “good job”, “excellent”, and “well
done”, are compliments that are not taken lightly.
These simple words of positive feedback can spell the difference between getting to the
next round or having to give up your apron.
But when Joe Bastianich says... then you might as well have won the gold.
The pressure test for this episode is to bake an apple pie – a seemingly easy pastry that
is all too easy to mess up!
Apple pie is the most American of desserts.
Stunning crust, immaculately firm, crisp base underneath, and delicious apples in the center.
The perfect one offers a balance of sweet and tart – as well as apples that don’t
break down.
To be honest, Frank’s Apple Pie didn’t look like much.
But his creative twist of adding walnuts and pecans to the flour added so much flavor and
character.
Chef Gordon loved it… and not only that, he also thought that Frank’s apple pie was.
As for Joe, he thought that Frank’s apple pie had a lot of.
Thai Crab Trio with Curry and Rice, Crab Cake, and Salad
When you’re one of the lucky few plucked from a thousand hopefuls, your confidence
level goes up a hundred notches.
But then once in, you also know that the challenges won’t be easy.
With two seasons done, the third season is no exception to the fierce competition and
rivalry in the kitchen.
Everyone is a talented home cook.
Everyone wants a shot at earning the Masterchef title.
And at one point or another, no one escapes the blistering tongues of Chef Ramsay and
Joe.
For this episode, Joe decided to break character with home cook, Josh Marks.
Josh Marks’ Thai Crab Trio with Curry and Rice, Crab Cake and Salad, looked like a winner
but was it?
Joe found it quite spicy for his palate.
But then.
The dish “rises to the top”.
Joe is quite tight-fisted with positive feedback, but who minds?
Certainly not us, and certainly not Josh!
Broccoli Rabe Ravioli with Pecorino Cream Sauce
You know how failure, oftentimes, leads to success?
Well, that couldn’t be more evident than the winner of Season 4’s Masterchef, Luca
Manfe!
Luca fell short of making it to the final stages of season 3.
But grit, determination, and the resolve to do even better catapulted him to Masterchef
fortune and fame!
Hold on, we’re getting ahead of ourselves…
Episode 2 of Season 4, was an episode to remember.
We just love this guy!
Imagine telling Gordon Ramsay to his face how he broke everyone’s heart by not letting
him into Season 3!
Turns out, his Broccoli Rabe Ravioli with Pecorino Cream Sauce will change all that!
And when told that broccoli rabe stuffed in pasta was risky, he simply said...
Joe was first to scrutinize Luca’s dish.
And Joe just gave Luca, probably the BEST compliment of his life!
That was enough to know that Joe actually LIKED his dish!
And yes…
Luca’s win was well-deserved!
Eggs Benedict
Masterchef episodes would generally begin with a team challenge.
To be honest, team challenges are a great way to get everyone’s nerves on fire!
It’s time pressure, rivalry, and team building that could either make your fellow home chef
a friend or a foe!
The losing team, of course, takes the pressure test – another nerve-wracking challenge
that drives even the most hardened home chefs to tears!
Season 4 Episode 7’s pressure test was a classic – eggs benedict!
Eggs Benedict is a classic breakfast meal that looks effortless but actually requires
serious skill and precision.
Natasha almost crumbled under Joe’s blunt comments.
And at this point, Natasha, who was such a strong contender, seemed to have lost her
chances with Joe.
It also seemed that there was no way to please this guy!
But then this happened.
Krissi’s eggs benedict were divine.
Joe thought that the muffin was crunchy, everything was seasoned just right and simply perfect.
That one word from Joe is more than enough for these home chefs to keep fighting for
the title!
Breakfast Lasagna with Artichoke Heart Salad
As the episodes of every Masterchef season progress, the contestants simply want nothing
more than a kind word from the judges – particularly Gordon Ramsay and Joe.
Those little words can make or break their lifelong ambitions.
And more often than not, they also spell the difference between giving an apron back and
advancing to the next level.
Did Joe take his nasty level down even just a tad?
We think not!
And we don’t think he ever will.
But just when we thought that nothing ever pleases this guy, this happened.
Joe thought Elizabeth’s Lasagna was amazing!
For Joe, the dish demonstrates great use of bechamel ingredients from other products.
Oh!
And Joe’s praises didn’t end there.
Imagine Restaurateur Joe whose palate knows the best Italy has to offer, saying that!
Well, somebody could have gone to Masterchef heaven just about now!
Caramelle with creamy tomato and pork sauce.
Through Masterchef history, nothing gives home cooks so much anxiety as much as eggs
and stuffed pasta.
Joe is Italian!
And if that doesn’t make contestants shake in their aprons, we don’t know what will!
For the elimination test, the remaining home cooks were tasked to create Chef Graham’s
Caramelle.
The perfect Caramelle looks like little bonbons, twisted on the outside, filled with mozzarella,
and finished with a simple tomato sauce.
Who made it to Joe’s special list?
That moment when Joe took his first bite could really send shivers down these home cooks’
spines!
Fortunately, Jaime clinched the perfect interpretation of the dish!
Joe thought it was great.
The addition of sausage made the sauce richer.
To be honest, it was the perfect homage to Jaime’s father, Michael!
But the best compliment hadn’t been said.
What did Joe just say?
He’d be happy to serve it at his restaurant?!
That’s just as great as winning the Masterchef title!
Way to go, Jaime!
Bowen’s Papardelle
Standing in front of judges whom are culinary geniuses in their own right, can be one of
the most harrowing experiences in a home cook’s career.
Having your dish poked, prodded, judged, and rejected after an hour of intense pressure
is certainly not for the fainthearted.
If you’ve gone through Chef Ramsay’s sarcastic comments and Joe’s cynical remarks, but
manage to emerge in one piece, you got some kind of courage!
Bowen, in particular, is one brave guy.
The first in Masterchef history to not have tried pasta in his life, he was tiptoeing
on raw nerves – Joe’s raw nerves in particular!
How can you not try pasta before joining the Masterchef competition?!
But Bowen’s dishes would pull a surprise.
Two of his dishes did not make the cut with Joe.
His third pasta dish, however, saved him!
Gordon and Aaron, on the other hand, felt that apart from the pasta, everything else
was good and well-seasoned.
So what was the verdict?
Bowen’s pasta saved him!
Farhan’s Halibut
Does Joe run out of praises for any dish?
Nope!
We don’t think so.
Inside the Michelin star restaurateur’s tough persona is someone who knows talent
when he sees it.
He knows great cuisine.
He can distinguish dishes that could make or break a good restaurant.
Naturally, his thoughts and opinions matter to all the home cooks on Masterchef!
For this particular elimination challenge, the remaining contestants had been given just
45 minutes to make a dish with halibut they had just fileted.
Whose halibut dish took home Joe’s commendation?
For a minute there, we thought Joe would chop Farhan’s head off!
But this dish turned Joe into a poet!
Who in the world describes sauce as provocative!?
The fish was also a triumph – flaky, light, and on another level!
With those words coming from one of the toughest people to please, Farhan just moved closer
than ever to clinching that Masterchef title!
We hope you like the video!
Are there any moments where Joe Bastianich loved the food on Masterchef that we missed?
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