by Thinus Ferreira
Viewers will be surprised to discover that Pick n Pay can source quail eggs and that gleaming Beko appliances now line the walls, when the 5th season of MasterChef South Africa starts on SABC3 on Saturday 13 July at 19:30 with 20 new South Africans competing in this TV cooking competition.
With the drama in the kitchen moving from the Cape Town harbour and M-Net to a custom-build kitchen and pantry at Atlantic Studios and SABC3, Primedia Studios is bringing the localised version of the Banijay format to a lot more South African viewers' homes on Saturday evenings from next month.
I recently did a day-long set visit while the MasterChef SA contestants behind their cooking stations had to conjure up delicious delights for the three judges - Katlego Mlambo, Zola Nene and Justine Drake.
Across the massive two-studio space that incorporates a lounge area, the cook-off workstations with a clock, as well as a beautiful Pick n Pay pantry furnished in black and brown panelling, the MasterChef SA producers, crew and cameramen captured every angle and every soundbite - hours of footage per day that will be edited to 45 minutes per episode.
From baking and basting to seafood and curries the 20 contestants from across South Africa will once again be given big tasks to perform behind the pots and pans inside the state-of-the-art and pressure-cooker kitchen. The winner gets R1 million.
Besides stressful
invention tests, there will again be mystery
box challenges, limiting them to a mixed bag of ingredients and viewers will also occasionally see world-renowned local chefs visit the MasterChef SA kitchen.
"The contestants are only as good as their last plate, and anything can happen," says Katlego Mlambo. "It's a constant race against the clock and one flop or sub-standard presentation could cost them their MasterChef apron."
Justine Drake says "The competency of
this season's home cooks is much higher than in the previous season. Zola Nene adds: "I was surprised by their clear understanding of advanced cooking
techniques and knife skills. These people can cook. The question is, who will
continue to improve their know-how and rise to the top?"
Inside the pantry
The Pick n Pay pantry set includes the first-ever half-moon gantry, with the design matching those of current stores and focusing on line rhythm but also allowing curves to soften the
space.
The shelves have everything from fresh produce to
grocery basics like eggs, coconut milk, spices, pasta and also hide delightful surprises like quail eggs.
Double-door fridges stock all types of dairy and cheese, charcuterie,
red meat and chicken, while a freezer section contains ice cream, frozen
berries, and seafood, including prawns and mussels.
Included here are products
from the Pick n Pay Innovations range as well as its healthy food Live Well range. Notable in the pantry is the packaging-free section which
carries everything from nuts and goji berries to bulgur wheat to help limit waste as contestants can take the exact quantity
they require.
"Every time I walk
into the Pick n Pay pantry, I'm blown away. It's a chef's dream come true," says Katlego Mlambo.
Also notably visible alongside @home, Mervyn Gers bespoke crockery and Wüsthoff knives will be Beko appliances during the 5th season of MasterChef SA - the first time this company is sponsoring a South African TV show.
