One of the biggest mysteries surrounding MasterChef Australia has finally been answered, as a former contestant revealed what happens to the leftover food. Juan De La Cruz, who competed in the 2024 season, shared insights into how the show works behind the scenes to reduce food waste.
Season 17 of MasterChef Australia has started on 10Play, featuring 24 returning contestants from across 16 seasons. Get ready for wild challenges and surprising flavour combos, with new episodes airing weekly! Viewers outside Australia can still watch all the episodes by using a VPN to access. Check out our guide to the best VPNs for 10Play now!
He explained that the production team actively takes steps to preserve unused food through different storage and preservation methods.
Advertisement Lots of food is donated and also the staff behind the cameras take some,
he told Chattr
He mentioned that at the end of each week, any leftover food items were freely distributed to the cast and crew.
Sometimes by the end of the week all the fresh food from the pantry such as veggies, fruits and even some meat was up for grabs,
Juan said
So we would take ingredients to practice ideas during the weekend,
he continued
Juan explained that there was a practical reason why each contestant used a brand-new bottle of oil during kitchen challenges.
Opening a new package gives a same start level to everyone. Think humidity in the flour, or even contamination from other ingredients that could ruin recipes, Ultimately the judges will eat this food and they want to prevent any type of contamination.
he said
The 40-year-old board game designer was the seventh contestant to be eliminated from last year’s season of the long-running cooking competition. This follows Celebrity chef Shannon Bennett’s much-anticipated return to MasterChef Australia on Wednesday night, which proved to be an emotional moment for viewers.
The 49-year-old Melbourne-born chef appeared on the popular Channel Ten series for the first time since 2023, assisting contestants with making a pea purée.
Just a little bit of cooking. Show you a couple of things!
Shannon said as he guided them through the dish
His impressive culinary skills left the contestants amazed, with Callum Hann commenting: “I’m loving watching Shannon cook! Every time you watch one of these guru chefs, you always learn something.” Emotional viewers took to social media to express their joy at seeing Shannon back in the kitchen.
“I was so teary seeing him back in the studio. He is a hero and in my mind should have been one of the new judges last year,” one person wrote.
“He has all the skills and is empathetic. Hopefully he will be a judge one day if that is what he wants.”
“You learn from the legend,” another person added.
Meanwhile, last month Shannon’s former partner Madeleine West welcomed her seventh child — her first not fathered by him.
Source: DailyMail