MasterChef Junior review: Dancing to success

In this review of MasterChef Junior, the kids get an extra surprise with their mystery box challenge, and then they must create a MasterChef level dish from a most common ingredient.

This MasterChef Junior episode begins when the top twelve young cooks enter the kitchen to find mystery boxes waiting for them. Before they can see the contents, they are directed to the back of the room to welcome special guests. The kids are delighted to see Kidz Bop come streaming through the doors to announce their 2019 tour season.

If you are old like me without young kids in the house, you may be unfamiliar with this group. Composed of talented young singers and dancers, they perform top charting songs but in a kid-friendly fashion.

As young Aaron explains, “I love how they take normal songs and they sing them without the bad words in it so I can listen to songs I like with my grandma.” This makes it sound like Kidz Bop is protecting Aaron’s grandma’s sensitive ears more than his, but you get the picture.

Before the mystery box is introduced, we are treated to judge Aaron attempting to dance what he calls the “chicken wing.” Christina attempts the running man dance, and then Gordon requests Christina’s help to do a ballroom dance. After the Kidz Bop kids show the judges how it’s done, we finally get to see what is hiding in the mystery boxes.

The ingredients in the boxes have been selected by Kidz Bop based on what they eat on tour. It makes for a weird selection including fruit, cheese, chips, cookies, kale, pork chops, chicken, and more. Some of the young cooks choose to go savory and some instead make dessert.

As usual, only the top three dishes are called up for further inspection. Jaala has created a no bake cheesecake with a cookie sandwich crust and strawberry-raspberry jam. Though she has never made a no bake cheesecake before, the judges love the texture and freshness of her dish. Her food dream is to open a bakery called Sugar, Sugar, and her love of baking has clearly come through in the dish.

When the judges visit Reid during the cook, he attempts to explain his dish. He tells Gordon he is making a “pan colata.” After mistaking what he was saying for pina colada, Gordon figures out that he is making a panna cotta. Reid says that he wants to show his range, that he is not just a “grill boy” and can make things that are fancy.

I have seen countless chefs fail at setting panna cotta in competitions, but Reid’s boldness has paid off. Called to the front, his cookies and cream panna cotta with a strawberry coulis is a hit, and his plating has greatly improved.

Che, just twelve years old, has made a chicken parmesan with a fresh tomato sauce, kale, and fried mozzarella. He has used chips in his chicken breading. The dish is inspired by his dad, who has passed away. He does his dad proud with his flavorful dish.

Reid, stepping out of his comfort zone, has won the day. Not only is he exempt from the pressure test, but he can save one other cook. He selects Aaron. Together, they go to the pantry for their final advantage.

When they get there, they spot a baby picture. Out comes Aaron, dressed to look like his sixteen-month-old baby photo. He is wearing coveralls with horses on the bib, a red shirt, socks but no shoes, and messy hair. Next up is Christina. She enters wearing a red dress with a large white yoke. The yoke features a large red flower right in the center. She is also sporting white tights and mary jane shoes as well as a bowl haircut. Reid notes that her hair is orange, “like an oompa loompa.”

MASTERCHEF JUNIOR: L-R: Host/judge Gordon Ramsay with judges Christina Tosi and Aarón Sánchez in the “Junior Edition: Kidz Bop Kitchen” episode of MASTERCHEF airing Tuesday, April 23 (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX. © 2019 FOX MEDIA LLC. CR: FOX.

Now it is Gordon’s turn. He comes out reluctantly, arms crossed and shoulders slumped. He too has a bowl haircut. He is wearing a red turtleneck and sweater set, shorts, white knee socks and brown shoes.

All this is to introduce the choice that the boys have. Each judge brings out a childhood favorite food. Aaron’s favorite is cheese. Christina’s is cereal. Gordon’s is canned tuna. After a little deliberation, the boys select canned tuna. They realize it is the toughest ingredient to elevate and want to make the most of their advantage.

The kids have one hour to create a dish featuring canned tuna. Fox should really post their recipes because I think home cooks would love to recreate the many ways these kids worked with such a cheap and accessible ingredient.

Malia is up first for judging. She has created tuna sushi rolls with vegetables, fried tuna, and fried avocado. Her sushi is beautifully made and sliced and she has arranged everything on a black slate plate. Her dish looks stunning, and the judges love the flavor. They immediately tell her she’s made it to the top ten.

MASTERCHEF JUNIOR: L-R: Contestant Malia and host/chef Gordon Ramsay in the “Junior Edition: Kidz Bop Kitchen” episode of MASTERCHEF airing Tuesday, April 23 (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX. © 2019 FOX MEDIA LLC. CR: FOX.

Kyle is up next. When Gordon visited his station, he told Gordon he hates tuna. When pressed to try a little, he gagged and spit it out. He has created a handmade tagliatelle pasta with puttanesca sauce, tuna, and ricotta cheese. I am amused by his sauce choice, given its supposed history of being cooked by Italian…ladies of the night. I am also impressed by his choice. Puttanesca includes anchovies, so replacing that with tuna fish seems like a good way to incorporate the required ingredient.

Unfortunately, he has over-spiced the sauce. He attempted to recover by adding a large dollop of ricotta on top, but this has only further hidden the tuna. Thinking about it further, anchovy in puttanesca is not a really distinct and separate flavor, so perhaps this choice was less clever than I at first thought.

MASTERCHEF JUNIOR: L-R: Contestant Kyle and host/chef Gordon Ramsay in the “Junior Edition: Kidz Bop Kitchen” episode of MASTERCHEF airing Tuesday, April 23 (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX. © 2019 FOX MEDIA LLC. CR: FOX.

Che, inspired by salads he makes for his mom, has created a well-received nicoise salad with a tuna cake. Sadie is up next. Her tuna croquettes with malt vinegar and Dijon aioli, frisee salad, and fried vegetables is deemed the most elegant dish ever made from a can of tuna.

Sadie’s cooking continues to be very sophisticated, but I love her plan for the money. Telling Gordon that she aspires to be a crazy cat lady, she will buy nineteen cats with her winnings. She explains that nineteen is her lucky number because that is the amendment that gave women the vote.

Matthew has created a pan-seared tuna cake with southwest salsa. Gordon questions his choice of pan-searing instead of frying and tells Matthew the cake needs more color. His salsa also lacks seasoning. Jaala’s tuna cakes with bean-corn salad and salsa and chipotle aioli is up next and is well-received. Her only comment is that the judges want more of her aioli which she has merely dotted around the plate.

As Ben carries up his dish for judging, I am worried. He has made the odd choice of creating a Thai tuna curry with coconut jasmine rice. Not only does this sound like a weird place to put tuna, but it is nearly impossible to make curry look elegantly plated. To be honest, his plate makes me thinks of Sadie’s cats and what happens when they are not feeling well.

Ben admits he has never eaten tuna- canned or not- in his life. Aaron gently tells him the dish does not look appealing. He also finds the flavor muddled and lacking freshness.

Brielle is our last young cook to review. With just fifteen minutes left to cook, she realized that she never put tuna in the filling for her pot pies. Frantically, she removes her crust with a spatula, plopping it into a bowl. When she goes to put her crust back on, it falls apart so she has to patch it together. She gets her pot pie in the oven as quickly as she can, but when she later removes it, her dough is obviously still very pale.

Unsurprisingly, her tuna pot pie does not look appealing with its repaired crust. Her pastry is still raw, and the roux that she used to thicken her sauce has disappeared, so her sauce seems mostly non-existent.

Malia’s beautiful tuna rolls win the day. Kyle, Ben, and Brielle are called forward. Like last week, Ben is saved by the judges. Poor Brielle weeps as she says goodbye to the judges. I hope Kyle and Brielle keep cooking as it can only go up from here.

Next week looks to bring us another team challenge, this time trying to make the longest rolled pasta sheet? Time will tell. With only ten kids left, everyone will have to step up their game.