Top 5 Thursday: Chefs

I really love to cook and I like trying new things. I have some awesome cookbooks. Sometimes I try their dishes. I know I will never be as good as them, but I love cooking for people. Here are my favourite chefs.

5. Maggie Beer

She reminds me of my mum: rustic and homemade food. It’s very clear she loves cooking and she puts that love in her food.

 

4. Heston Blumenthal

Heston Blumenthal is a more complicated cook, he uses cool techniques. But I just love his style. It’s a pleasure to watch him cook.

 

 

3. Matt Preston

Technically he’s not a chef, Matt Preston is a food critic. But he can also cook very well and I just love his books. His books I actually use the most, because his recipes are quick and easy with not too many ingredients.

 

 

2. Jamie Oliver

People say British people can’t cook. Well, that’s not true. Jamie Oliver’s food might not always look appealing, he always makes a bit of a mess, but it’s very tasty. And simple. I also love his book “Save with Jamie” which can make everyone a good home cook.

 

 

1. Nigella Lawson

I really think this is home cooking to the max. Nigella really is a domestic goddess. Her food is simple, though very elegant and really tasty. Her Italian cookbook was the first I ever cooked from and I was hooked. Nigella is a wonderful cook.

 

 

They Almost Made the Top 5: Curtis Stone, George Calombaris, Gary Mehigan, Matt Moran, Marco Pierre White, Annabel Langbein

Top 5 Thursday: Products to Cook with

This is a complete different top 5 then you’re used to from me. It’s about food and cooking, something I’ve started to love ever since I live on my own. I choose to share with you my favourite products to cook with.

5. Onions

The shallot is my favourite onion, because of the sweet flavour. But I have all sorts of onions in my pantry, always. They bring so much flavour to you dish and for some reason, I never cry when chopping them.

 

4. Garlic

I think, of all the days in the week I cook a meal, I use it in five dishes. I love garlic!! Cooked and raw. A bit of garlic can change the entire dish for the better.

 

 

3. Cheese

Parmesan is fantastic, but I also love mascarpone, cream cheese, mozzarella, goats cheese. You might say I’m a cheese fanatic! And it’s so versatile, you can use it in so many different ways.

 

 

2. Lemon

I use lemon a lot. With pasta, fish, pastry, salads. It’s always great to give your dish an extra kick.

 

 

1. Pasta

All sorts of pasta, I just love them all. I’ve come to love the Italian cuisine and I cook pasta at least twice a week. I’ve also made it myself a couple of times, which I would do more often if I had the time.

 

 

They Almost Made the Top 5: Chocolate, zucchini, chilli, capsicum, mushrooms

Top 5 Thursday: My Kitchen Rules Teams

“My Kitchen Rules” is one of my favourite cooking shows, I just love the fact that all the contestants are cooking in teams of two. I didn’t enjoy the first season, but ever since season 2 I’ve been a fan of the show. Here are my favourite teams of all the season so far.

5. Bill & Alex (Season 2)
They did best during the instant restaurant round, because they weren’t very consistent after that. But I always liked to see them race through the kitchen.

4. Sammy & Bella (Season 2)
The winners of season 2 and they were known for taking risks. I think it’s wonderful to see that two young sisters can produce such lovely food.

3. Dan & Steph (season 4)
The winners of season 4. They are such a sweet couple and they were very kind. Their instant restaurant didn’t blow anyone away, but they did their jobs later in the show.

2. Esther & Ali (Season 2)
They were my favourite couple of season 2. Two sweet girl, who are cops in their daily life, cook their asses of. They also took risks, but they didn’t always work in their favour like it did for Sammy & Bella.

1. David & Scott (Season 3)
These two soldiers surprised everyone and I didn’t like to see them leave. I loved those guys. They were funny and produced good food. They lost in the cook off against eventual winners Jennifer & Leigh.

They Almost Made the Top 5: Mick & Matt (season 4), Luke & Scott (season 4), Leigh & Jennifer (season 3), Emma & Andrew (Season 3), Anne-Marie & Nick (Season 2)

Top 5 Thursday: Masterchef Australia Contestants

I’m not a very good cook, I’m ok at it, although I love to bake. But I also really enjoy to watch “Masterchef”. To be more specific, the Australian version. It brought forward some great cooks and these five are my favorites over the five seasons.

5. Rishi Desai (4th place, series 5)
He was considered the favourite, so it was a shock when Rishi got eliminated. He had so many great dishes, that also looked stunning. And I loved Rishi’s sense of humour.

4. Justine Schofield (4th place, series 1)
I didn’t like it when she was eliminated, but everything turned out great for her. I love her TV-show, “Everday Gourmet”.

3. Dani Venn (4th place, series 3)
She was always very cheery, but could get flustered whenever the pressure got to her. Dani was very inventive and she knew a lot about Asian cuisine. Do you remember her rice burger?

2. Hayden Quinn (6th place, series 3)
He was the first one that year who won an immunity pin. Hayden was also the kindest contestant, who you didn’t think was such a gifted cook.

1. Lynton Tapp (2nd place, series 5)
When Lynton came to this competition, he wasn’t as experienced as the other contestants. He really grew and he made it to the final. I think he should have one, because he grew so much and he got three tens in that final!

They Almost Made the Top 5: Daniel Churchill (8th place, series 5), Poh Ling Yeoh (2nd place, series 1), Adam Liaw (winner, series 2), Emma Dean (winner, series 5), Ellie Paxton-Hall (5th place, series 3), Kumar Pereira (11th place, series 3)