MasterChef Australia viewers up in arms over contestant Laura Sharrad's 'disgusting and unhygienic' act
The moment came as contestants were preparing their courses for the service immunity challenge at Melbourne 's Vue De Monde.
As contestant Laura Sharrad flamed a handful of delicious looking wagu steaks, the 29-year-old from Adelaide was seen to blow on the food - a gesture that sent viewers firing off alarmed comments online.
'What's with Laura blowing all over the steak?' moaned one fan, while another added, 'Laura stop blowing on food.'
And to add more drama to the issue, Executive Chef Hugh Allen was seen doing exactly the same thing - cooling down a dish by blowing on the food.
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'Totally fine if you're only cooking for yourself, but not if you're going to serve the food to others,' someone else said.
'I really don't want someone else's saliva in the food I'm going to eat. That's disgusting and unhygienic.'
Another viewer agreed with the critical comments on the thread before adding, 'no one told Laura not to, then along comes Hugh and does the same.'
'All that saliva Laura is blowing over those Wagyu cubes,' said another MasterChef enthusiast.
Most viewers complaining about the 'food blowing' saw it as a hygiene risk.
'I'm not eating anything that the chef has continually blown over. That's a no-no, and I'm surprised nothing was said to Laura. But then Hugh blew over it too. Yuck,' explained one fan on the thread.
It's not the first time viewers have had a whinge about 'kitchen crimes' this season.
Fans blasted contestant Theo Loizou back in May for tasting his dish with a spoon and then returning the utensil to stir his saucepan.
The faux pas sent viewers into an uproar, with some taking to social media to blast the fan favourite for dropping the show's high hygiene standards.
'Anyone else notice Theo tasting his purée and then putting the same spoon back into the pot?' one viewer wrote on Reddit.
'I mean… don't tell me I'm the only one! I always catch myself watching out for this and it drives me nuts when contestants do it. Total pet peeve of mine. Yeesh.'
Another viewer claimed the practice of 'double-dipping' was rife among the contestants on the cooking show.
'They all do it!! And what's with the lack of hygiene when it comes to hair being open or in your face? That's the biggest ick!' they said.
According to 2024 MasterChef Australia contestant Sumeet Saigal, the cast is informed of the hygiene standards ahead of filming.
'You're always briefed about hygiene and you're always reminded,' she told Yahoo Lifestyle last June.
She said the 'rules' included no 'double-dipping', no re-using of spoons and any food that hits the floor goes straight in the bin.
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