Author: Ben Starr
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MasterChef Top 9: Scallops and Pigs
I think, by now, we’ve established the fact that I hate mystery boxes. So you can imagine that I’m less than thrilled that it’s time for another one. We lift our boxes and I see 3 massive, gorgeous scallops, still in their shells. “Diver’s scallops,” announces Gordon. That means these scallops are each foraged, by…
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The RoboStir: FAIL!
We’ve all seen this outlandishly stupid commercial for the RoboStir…an automatic spoon robot that stirs your pot for you, while you’re away doing other things. I can’t count how many times I’ve laughed that commercial off the air. Then yesterday, as a birthday gag gift, my neighbor Sharon gave me one! This RoboStir has 3…
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MasterChef: Mothers and Benedicts
So they drive us to Pasadena and drop us off at this MASSIVE swanky hotel, and I’m immediately afraid. If I have to cook cuisine that matches the sophistication of this place, I’m screwed. It’s a team challenge with Tracy and Giuseppe as team leads. I couldn’t be more conflicted about whose team I want…
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MasterChef: Giant Lobsters and $500 Truffles
If I’ve learned anything on MasterChef, it’s that you can be on top one day, and out the door the next. So even though I’m coming off a pretty triumphant week, winning the catfish challenge, being a team leader, and making a 6-layer pumpkin carrot cake that Gordon Ramsay said was one of the best…
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Birthday Musings
Today I turned 34. Birthdays are usually introspective for me. When I think back on the past year, of course, it is completely dominated by MasterChef…which has taken up almost every bit of time and brainpower since late Fall. While I fully plan on delving into the changes I’ve undergone from MasterChef after the show…
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MasterChef: Celebrities and Cake
Did all that just REALLY happen? Watching it felt like a blur. These were easily the two most intense and personally trying challenges I experienced on MasterChef. I’ll try to condense them into words, but I’m not sure it will work. Team leader. That’s nothing new to me. I’ve been president of this or that…
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A MasterChef 4th of July
Many of you have been asking about the relationship between the contestants during and after the show, and I’m happy to report that we all pretty much adore each other. We grew VERY close during the filming and have remained extremely tight since. Just in the past month, I’ve been to LA to visit Adrien,…
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MasterChef: Veggies and Catfish
The only difference between de-ja-vu and mys-te-ry-box is that one of them has 4 syllables. I am sick of mystery boxes. I hate them. My only consolation is that you can’t be eliminated on a mystery box. I lift today’s mystery box and underneath is a treasure trove of veggies. I may be a Texan…
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MasterChef: Harleys, Sausage, and Steak
So we get in the van and we drive and drive and drive. We pull over for a bit. Then we drive some more. Where the heck are we going? I guess it doesn’t matter. We’re driving the Pacific Coast Highway along the rugged beaches and coastline north of Los Angeles through Malibu toward Santa…
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MasterChef: Baa Baa Black Sheep
Another day…another mystery box. Man, I hate mystery boxes. I don’t know why, I guess it’s the pressure and the time limit. But last week, I was the worst of the bunch on the mystery box challenge with my strawberry-balsamic glazed salmon and pistachio crusted fennel and potato cakes. This week, I’ve got to redeem…