> Features > MasterChef: The Professionals 2018

What we learnt from week four of MasterChef: The Professionals 2018

What we learnt from week four of MasterChef: The Professionals 2018

by Great British Chefs 30 November 2018

Our final set of contestants enter the Masterchef kitchen to take on some interesting skills tests and face a panel of restaurant critics.


View more from this series:

We’re into the final week of the heats! That means nine chefs are already through from the first three weeks, but there are three spots left with six remaining contestants waiting to run the gauntlet of skills tests.

This week’s chefs took on a wide variety of challenges – Marcus gave our chefs a very classic filled pasta challenge and a caramelised pineapple, whilst Monica surprised them with a couple of oysters – a dish using chicken oysters, and a tricky oysters Rockefeller test. Shucking oysters with shaky hands in front of a looming Marcus Wareing is a task we don’t wish upon anyone!

Check out a selection of things we learnt from Masterchef: The Professionals this week.

When making ravioli, don’t pre-cook your filling

How to make ravioli
Ravioli
Recipe Collection

A useful tip from Marcus in the first episode of the week, who challenged the first round of chefs to make a sausage ravioli with a chasseur sauce. Lots of the contestants chose to cook their sausage meat before filling their ravioli, but Marcus insists that you don’t need to do that – using raw meat inside your pasta gives a nice smooth finish, and makes the pasta much easier to work with.

Don’t rinse oysters in water – you’ll lose all the flavour!

How to open an oyster
Oyster
Recipe Collection

Monica challenged our chefs to make oysters Rockefeller – essentially an oyster with a herby gratinated topping. A few of our contestants rinsed oysters in water, hoping to make sure there was no shell in the final dish, but in doing so they washed all the flavour off the oyster. Learn how to shuck and prepare oysters here, and take a look at our recipe collection.

How to find the oysters on a chicken

How to joint a chicken
Roasted chicken oyster, smoked cod roe, hay-baked celeriac and egg yolks
by Adam Simmonds

Chicken oysters are the most tender, delicious bits of meat on a chicken – they would often be kept as a chef’s treat, though nowadays, we often see them used in restaurant dishes too. They’re nothing to do with normal oysters – other than being delicious and roughly the same size and shape! Knowing how to joint a chicken and where to find the oysters is an indispensable skill for a chef – find out more here.

Know how to make pomme purée

How to make mashed potato
Chicken wings with Reblochon pomme purée
by Daniel Clifford

Pomme purée is a one of the great luxuries in food – perhaps the ultimate humble ingredient, taken to lavish heights. Knowing how to make a really good pomme purée can make almost any dish – check out our guide, right here.

Know how to make crispy chicken skin

How to make crispy chicken skin
Chicken skin
Recipe Collection

Crispy chicken skin is a fantastic skill to have up your sleeve – it makes a superb, meaty garnish for dishes. The key points are to make sure your skin is pressed between two flat surfaces – Monica does this in a pan with another on top, but you can use two baking trays in the oven too – and to scrape the layer of fat from underneath to get it perfectly crisp.

Get in touch

What we learnt from week four of MasterChef: The Professionals 2018

 
 

Please enter text

The message must have at least characters

The message must be less than characters

Unfortunately, a problem occured and we are not able to send your comment. Please try again later.

Technical details:

You may also like

What we learnt from week four of MasterChef: The Professionals 2018
MasterChef: The Professionals 2018
What we learnt from week two of MasterChef: The Professionals 2018
by Great British Chefs
What we learnt from week three of MasterChef: The Professionals 2018
by Great British Chefs
What we learnt from week six of MasterChef: The Professionals 2018
by Great British Chefs
What we learnt from finals week of MasterChef: The Professionals 2018
by Great British Chefs
What we learnt from week five of MasterChef: The Professionals 2018
by Great British Chefs
What we learnt from week one of MasterChef: The Professionals 2018
by Great British Chefs
Alain Ducasse's pistachio and strawberry dessert for the Chelsea Flower Show
by Great British Chefs
Jeeves and rhubarb Collins
by Great British Chefs
Deconstructed three-chocolate brownies
by Great British Chefs
Peach Melba float
by Great British Chefs
Michelin Guide Results 2018
by Great British Chefs
Michelin Guide Results 2019
by Great British Chefs
Michelin Guide Results 2016
by Great British Chefs
Singapore Michelin Guide Results 2016
by Great British Chefs
NYC Michelin Star Results 2016
by Great British Chefs
Michelin Guide Results 2020
by Great British Chefs
Michelin Guide Results 2017
by Great British Chefs
How to make truffled cheese at home
by Great British Chefs
Japan Centre: a look at the new store
by Great British Chefs
The Great British Chefs NSPCC Dinner 2016
by Great British Chefs
The Great British Chefs NSPCC Dinner 2018
by Great British Chefs
The Great British Chefs NSPCC Dinner 2017
by Great British Chefs
Chefs on tour: Josh Eggleton returns to Zurich
by Great British Chefs
Pink Lady Food Photographer of the Year 2017: the winners
by Great British Chefs
Chefs on tour: Francesco Mazzei and Tom Brown in Croatia
by Great British Chefs
Picota cherries: the red diamonds of Spain
by Great British Chefs
In pictures: the Jersey Royals potato harvest
by Great British Chefs
Pink Lady Food Photographer of the Year 2019: the winners
by Great British Chefs
In pictures: the rapeseed oil harvest
by Great British Chefs
Pink Lady Food Photographer of the Year 2018: the winners
by Great British Chefs
What we learnt from week five of MasterChef: The Professionals 2017
by Great British Chefs
What we learnt from week one of MasterChef: The Professionals 2017
by Great British Chefs
What we learnt from week three of MasterChef: The Professionals 2017
by Great British Chefs
What we learnt from week two of MasterChef: The Professionals 2017
by Great British Chefs
What we learnt from week seven of MasterChef: The Professionals 2017
by Great British Chefs
Great British Menu 2012, Northern Ireland Heat Preview
by Great British Chefs
What we learnt from week four of MasterChef: The Professionals 2017
by Great British Chefs
What we learnt from week six of MasterChef: The Professionals 2017
by Great British Chefs
Chefs on tour: Merlin Labron-Johnson in Catalonia
by Great British Chefs
The Great British Chefs Cookbook: back us now!
by Great British Chefs
Nigel Haworth at Obsession 2015
by Great British Chefs
Fjord Trout: in search of the source
by Great British Chefs
London in the Sky 2015
by Great British Chefs
Obsession 2016: Craig Bancroft and the wines of Northcote
by Great British Chefs
Sous vide at home: barbecue masterclass
by Great British Chefs
Sous vide at home: cocktail masterclass
by Great British Chefs
Sous vide at home: chocolate masterclass
by Great British Chefs
Skrei: Norway’s jewel of the sea
by Great British Chefs

NAVIGATE

© Great British Chefs 2020