MasterChef
Position Paper - George Hill and Pauline Margetts
This position paper is explores the reality of MasterChef as a TV program that some believe is representative of the commercial cookery industry.
1. Masterchef is a deception that degrades the commercial cookery industry.
Masterchef is one word, and subconsciously interpret the name as Master Chef, which as two words, and has a completely opposite meaning.
The reality show, MasterChef bears no resemblance in presentation, narration, or outcome to associate it with the real world of commercial cookery and the occupation of a cook or chef.
In effect, the program does substantial damage to the professional industry particularly by its blatant insulting and misleading title that takes advantage of the gullible general public who are inexperienced in genuine culinary industry titles.
The public believe contestants are representative of qualified cooks and extraordinary in their cookery skills. This perception alone is decimating the quality and quantity of candidates that is being attracted to the industry.
MasterChef implies it represents a Master Chef, however this is impossible,A genuine Master Chef status is achieved after extensive, accountable and unequivocal peer driven practical and theoretical examinations that can only able to be attempted by qualified chefs in a few countries of which Australia is not one. A Master Chef program requires recognised commercial chefs to undergo (initially an update training program that is immediately followed up by) extensive culinary examination that entails days to complete. The examinations include practical and theoretical testing and assess much more than just cookery skills.
There is similar less vigorous assessment programs named “Master Chef” in many countries that imply they award a Master Chef, however they are not globally recognised as a fully fledged Master Chef. Chefs awarded the title master chef without undertaking extensive examinations, obtain a locally recognised title and while these are good chefs their title does not warrant the global creditability of the full examinable program.
In addition, to authenticate chefs who claim the title Master Chef must identify where they obtained the qualification with post nominal letters (The institution initials that conferred the award e placed after the award) to show if their title is a local or a global recognised award. Furthermore, some chefs claim to be a Master Chef without identifying the awarding institute alongside their title and thus are basically fraudulent.
In Australia commercial cookery is not a regulated trade, consequently anyone can call themselves a Chef, Master Chef. Grand Master Chef or avail themselves to any grand title without solid evidence of their culinary qualifications or industry experience. I can, if I wish call myself a brain surgeon, but would be laughed out of town, yet anyone can call themselves a chef, and no one questions their morale right to do so. MasterChef plays on this simple irony.
2. Contestants prove they are not commercial by the absence of branding.
Trained professional commercial cooks and chefs know they need to brand their vocation in public, especially when competing in a professional cookery competition, usually by wearing a classical chef’s hat, to conform to international culinary codes of conduct.
Wearing a chef’s hat is a symbol that identifies a unique artisan; the symbolic hat demonstrates a wearer has successfully completed culinary training, graduated as a qualified cook, has substantial commercial kitchen experience, and is fit and proper to be a cook/chef. MasterChef contestants show by not wearing a chef hat, they are not a professional cook or chef, nor participate in a professional cookery contest, nor associated with commercial cookery.
3. Judges demonstrate that MasterChef has no relationship with commercial cookery.
The judges also endorse the amateur status of the program; globally a professional culinary competition requires the contestants to wear the correct classical white cook’s uniform. Under International cookery competition rules judges are required to do likewise in respect of the competitor, and to demonstrate their superior expertise in commercial cookery.
Either the judges are inexperienced, which is doubtful, or they visibly endorse the recreational nature of the program. Masterchef is a good entertainment program basically aimed at the thoughtless public.
Culinary professionals do not consider the program as a representation of the commercial cookery world. In reality, MasterChef is professionally equated as the Gilligan’ Island reality TV program of domestic food preparation.
4. The way the contestants perform , inevitably demonstrates they are not commercial cooks or chefs.
Dress standards of participants in short sleeves, t -shirts and bib aprons aside; the way the contestants speak, lick fingers, hold a knife, use their equipment and apply culinary techniques clearly demonstrates amateurism.
In the main contestants, would not be able to hold a job down a job as a cook or chef in a real commercial environment. Even contestants start to believe in their own propaganda. While they may show potential to become a cook they are however, a long way from that status. This applies to the winners who may well be good at domestic food preparation, however delude themselves if they believe they are commercially viable as a chef and able to manage a hotel kitchen with a full brigade. A few even may have opened their own catering business, however are extremely limited in their mobility and broad knowledge as a qualified cook.
5 The program’s is only focused on practical preparation, which is contrary to the holistic occupation of a chef.
Akin to one applying a plaster to a cut and calling themselves a heart surgeon, someone appearing on a reality cookery show does not qualify them to be a commercial cook or chef.
Just about anyone can cook a good domestic meal, and anyone with normal intelligence can quickly and easily learn to produce a very limited number of dishes. Especially with the many basic products are readily available in supermarkets with recipes and directions to prepare and serve the meal, besides thousands of recipes and methods that may be easily sourced on Google and recipe books.
The preparation of food is only a part of being a chef; however the show encourages an artificial perception that chefs only cook foods. Planning, management, procurement, costing, budget control, with ingredients, are just a few of the supporting knowledge and competencies required to be a commercial cook/chef. Masterchef only spotlights food preparation for a domestic environment and evidence shows there is no relationship with the complete knowledge and working conditions required for food preparation in a commercial food environment.
6 Is being a chef all glamour and spotlight?
MasterChef with its incorrect link to commercial cookery gives a very wrong impression that cookery is all glamour and spotlight. Impressionable youth often supported by their parents see contestants cooking on TV and believe it to be representative of an industry and career.
They are indoctrinated to believe that cookery is an easy occupation and one that quickly leads to fame, however do not realise the effort and training required to organise the environment in which commercial food is prepared. Viewers believe they only need to act and dress like contestants and they will be highly successful, that is, until they encounter the huge awakening of the real world of a commercial kitchen and subsequently then leave the industry disillusioned. This has an enormous detrimental effect on limited training resources by adding to the high attrition rates in cooks.
7 The show attracts the wrong people to the industry.
Viewers are mesmerised with the ease in which contestants produce a dish. They do not realise the training and experience required in planning, and the complex issues involved to bring together the products, and equipment to produce the dish and the subsequent clean down required after production.
A further simple question of the unreality of the reality show is, how can in real life most, if not all contestants consistently complete the task at the same time? In any real situation there would be considerable variance in finishing.
8. What then is MasterChef? - The final conclusion
In the final analysis master chef is a good reality show that focuses on domestic food preparation and basically aimed at the non thinking masses. The program does not reflect the professional world of commercial cookery. The show concentrates on only food preparation for a domestic environment and does not portray the skills and knowledge required to consistently produce large quantities of meals within cost constraints.
Yes, contestants sometimes can cook, but in reality no better than thousands who prepare an evening meal for the family by using a little intelligence and Goggle to prepare a recipe.
If you are considering becoming a qualified cook, and eventually a chef, that is great, you should however apply for an apprenticeship in cookery, and do not be fooled into believing the unreality of the show Masterchef with its grossly misleading statement that the show represents an apprenticeship as stated in recent advertising blurb.
And to be industry acknowledged as a genuine professional chef apply for license to show your creditability at http://technicalchef.com Link title