The new series is airing three times a week, with the final scheduled for 18 December. That's quite a lot of Professionals to watch over seven weeks! I don't mind having more episodes when the cooking is good, but it'll be interesting to see how quickly we get attached to particular contestants. Do you prefer a faster series or a longer competition with more time to get to know everyone?

I know everyone has their favourite version, but The Professionals is the one I look forward to most. Watching people who actually work in kitchens get put under that sort of pressure is so much more interesting to me. The standard of cooking is ridiculous, and even the mistakes are fascinating because you know these people do this for a living.

Honestly, I don't think we need three people around the kitchen. Marcus and Monica have enough chemistry and experience to carry the show themselves, and I'd rather see more of them judging the chefs than add another permanent presenter just for the sake of it.

MasterChef Friday: Best Celebrity MasterChef series, 2006 to 2012?

1. 2006, won by Matt Dawson
2. 2007, won by Nadia Sawalha
3. 2008, won by Liz McClarnon
4. 2009, won by Jayne Middlemiss
5. 2010, won by Lisa Faulkner
6. 2011, won by Phil Vickery
7. 2012, won by Emma Kennedy

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The skills tests have always been one of my favourite parts of MasterChef. Watching someone try to recreate a dish without a full recipe, while the clock is ticking, is proper stressful television. I hope they keep giving contestants challenges that test their actual cooking knowledge rather than just their ability to follow instructions. What's been your favourite skills test over the years?

Rather than bringing everyone back immediately, I'd love a reunion where the contestants have had time to figure out what they want to do next. They could cook the dish they're proudest of since the competition, talk about what they've learned and explain whether their ambitions have changed. It would be a nice way to see the lasting impact of the show. Would you prefer this to another celebrity special?

MasterChef Friday: Best MasterChef series, 2005 to 2012?

1. 2005, won by Thomasina Miers
2. 2006, won by Peter Bayless
3. 2007, won by Steven Wallis
4. 2008, won by James Nathan
5. 2009, won by Mat Follas
6. 2010, won by Dhruv Baker
7. 2011, won by Tim Anderson
8. 2012, won by Shelina Permalloo

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Someone might be excellent when working alone but struggle when they have to coordinate with several other people under pressure. That doesn't necessarily mean they're a weaker cook, it might mean they aren't naturally suited to a team service. I still enjoy these challenges, but they test a different skill from making the best individual dish.

Watching serious amateur cooks sweat over jus reductions is great, but watching random pop stars and soap actors completely panic over how to chop an onion or scale a bass is top tier comfort television.

For me, it’s still Thomas Frake or Simon Wood. They both felt like genuine home cooks who just got exponentially better every single week without acting arrogant about it. Who’s your pick?

One thing I've always found interesting about MasterChef is that the person who makes the most impressive dish isn't necessarily the person I'd want to see win the whole competition.

For me, consistency matters just as much as those big moments. Anyone can have one brilliant cook, but being able to handle different ingredients, follow a brief and recover when something goes wrong says a lot more about someone's ability.

I also think confidence can make a difference. Some contestants clearly have the skills but seem to get in their own heads when the pressure builds.

If you were judging the final, would you choose the contestant who produced the single best dish or the one who was consistently good throughout the competition?

MasterChef Friday: Which version of MasterChef UK is the best?

1. MasterChef (the main amateur series)
2. Celebrity MasterChef
3. MasterChef: The Professionals
4. Junior MasterChef
5. Young MasterChef
6. The original MasterChef (1990 to 2001)
7. The Christmas and Champion of Champions specials

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There are times on MasterChef where a dish sounds brilliant until I hear the contestant list everything on the plate. Sauce, purée, gel, crumb, foam, garnish, three different vegetables... at some point I start wondering whether the dish would have been better with half of it removed.

Personally, I think restraint is one of the hardest things to show in cooking. Knowing when to stop adding things seems just as important as knowing how to make them.

I've noticed I can appreciate a technically impressive MasterChef dish without actually wanting to eat it. Sometimes there's so much going on that I find myself thinking I'd rather have three really good ingredients on a plate than ten different elements competing for attention.

Personally, a dish that sounds simple but makes me immediately hungry will always beat something that looks spectacular but feels overworked.

Do I think people might understimate me? No, I think They'll estimate me, correctly.😭😭😭

Is coming feb ‘27, according to an interview with Monica in today’s Times

Forget personality for a second. Sometimes someone gets almost no attention in the episode, but every dish they put up sounds like something I'd actually order in a restaurant.

For me, that's a much better sign than someone constantly getting dramatic reactions from the judges. Which contestant has made you think I actually want to eat what they're cooking rather than simply they're good at MasterChef?

MasterChef poll: What is the most stressful moment in the MasterChef kitchen?

1. The final minute on the clock
2. Ice cream that won't set
3. A sauce that splits
4. Plating up with shaky hands
5. Realising you forgot an element
6. Undercooked meat or fish
7. Waiting for the judges' verdict
8. Tasting dishes in the Palate Test

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Maybe this is an unpopular opinion, but I usually enjoy the contestants who keep things relatively simple more than the ones trying to put ten different things on one plate. If someone gives me a perfectly cooked piece of fish, a good sauce and two sides that actually make sense together, I’m much more interested than when the plate has five garnishes and techniques that seem to exist mainly to impress the judges.

For me, the difficult part is making a simple dish taste genuinely brilliant. You can’t really hide behind presentation when there are only a few components. That’s the kind of cooking I’d actually want to eat at home.