Iain ‘Huey’ Hewitson has insisted that reality cooking shows such as MasterChef and My Kitchen Rules have slowly pulled the rug out from under the viewing public.
Speaking to A Current Affair on Thursday, the 69-year-old television stalwart said the high-rating shows have devolved into ‘pretentious rubbish.’
‘They started off simple, and the next minute you turn around and they’re doing deconstructed rubbish with smears on the plate!’ he said.
Blindsided! Iain ‘Huey’ Hewitson insists reality cooking shows such as MasterChef and My Kitchen Rules (MKR judge Manu Feildel pictured right) have slowly pulled the rug out from under the viewing public
Huey’s interview with A Current Affair Reporter Tineka Everaardt started out as a discussion about his new Youtube series, but veered off course quickly.
After unleashing on fads such as deconstructed dishes and microscopic smears of expensive food on expensive plates, he got stuck into the judges.
‘This new thing when they start talk to contestants and they go ‘now please tell me about your philosophy for this dish?”
What happened? Speaking to A Current Affair on Thursday, the 69-year-old television stalwart said: ‘They started off simple, and the next minute you turn around and they’re doing deconstructed rubbish with smears on the plate!’
His voice shifted from a growl to a yell as he continued: ‘Who gives a [stops himself from swearing]… I won’t continue with that.’
In response, Tineka asked: ‘Some people might say, ‘Well, Huey’s just got sour grapes, that he’s jealous of their successes.’ What would you say to them?’
The chef said he had ‘no axe to grind’ with personalities such as Pete Evans, Manu Fieldel and George Calombaris, but rather the way the shows are sold to viewers.
No axe: The chef said he had ‘no axe to grind’ with personalities such as Pete Evans, Manu Fieldel and George Calombaris, but rather the way the shows are sold to viewers
‘I object to what it is doing to people at home, [who are now] making their fancy pants food.
‘They’d do a hell of a lot better roasting a chicken in the oven with some nice root vegetables, instead of trying to make pickled ducks bums with truffle oil!’
The interview soon got back on track as Huey gave Tineka a tutorial on how to make a simple banana tart.
Tineka joked: ‘Are you going to be deconstructing that banana and putting it back in later?’
‘Don’t bother’: He said viewers would do a hell of a lot better roasting a chicken in the oven with some nice root vegetables, instead of trying to make pickled ducks bums with truffle oil!’ (pictured is a dish from the current season of MasterChef)
‘I’m not going to pick on shows like MasterChef, I really am not,’ he began, ‘I don’t even hate the presenters… much.’
‘But I think the problem with the shows is they do a terrible disservice to the public because they make all the food look so complicated.’
Huey’s new Youtube series is called Huey’s Fabulous Fast Food for One or Two
No hate here! ‘I’m not going to pick on shows like MasterChef, I really am not,’ he began, ‘I don’t even hate the presenters… much’ he concluded