There’s nothing like having your childhood dream crushed before you hit your teens. But that’s what’s going down on the new season of MasterChef Jr. Gordon Ramsey is warm and nurturing, at least compared to how he gets on with his Hell’s Kitchen wannabes. These kids come with skillz, but they’re gonna need more than grandma’s oatmeal cookie recipe to win. Olivia and Remy are the first sisters ever to compete on the show, and they talked with the Cocktail and gave us their recipes for success.
Meat & Greet
20 boys and 20 girls started the season last Friday and their prepubescent futures rested on how well they could cook chicken breast or filet mignon, respectively. Our sisters came each came in with their own strategies, but also took some advice from the OM (Original MasterChef), Gordon Ramsey.
Remy shared the advice: “Gordon taught me when I made it on the show that you can feel your palm. And if you press the middle right here (pressing the palm of her hand) then a medium rare filet mignon that’s perfectly cooked should feel like that.” Olivia followed up, saying “Make sure you let it rest before you cut it because then all the juices will come out of it.”
Excellent tips. We had no idea. The humbling thing about MasterChef Jr. is that it reminds us that no matter how good we think we are with a grill and a spatula, we’re just culinary pikers.
Simmering Sibling Rivalry
Oliva and Remy aren’t competing as a team, they are each individual contestants, meaning one could win the $25,000(US) prize while the other gets a life of bitterness and resentment good life experience. “I’ve got a couple tricks up my sleeve,” Olivia told the Cocktail. “I really love having my sister with me in the competition because she is my best friend in the whole world. But it is a competition, so I’m in it to win it.”
Wow. These girls definitely have competitive streak just below their super sweet personas! We asked them about their plans for when they get older. “We’re definitely going to open up something related to food when we grow up,” Remy told us. But they have different recipes for success. “I wanna open up a place called Pop, which sells cake pops. And it’ll be a pop up store that sells pops. I wanna open that with my sister but she wants a restaurant.”
That’s when we got a first hand glimpse into their sibling rivalry. Olivia generously offered “You could have your pop thing inside my restaurant” with Remy clapping back “Or you could have your restaurant inside my pop thing.” Luckily neither are teenagers yet so they’ve got time to figure it out.
The Critic’s Cocktail Recommendation
There’s only one drink that makes sense: Cooking Sherry. We are never going to be as talented in the kitchen as these elementary kids are. So we might as well accept it and gulp down the kitchen cocktail.
As the wise cocktail napkins on our bar say: I love cooking with wine. Sometimes I even use it in the food!
Cheers!
Critic's Cocktail 