MasterChef Australia - Would you buy Julie's cookbook or visit her restaurant?

I was disappointed Poh didn't win. She had lovely fresh new ideas and presented her dish very tastefully. But the judges know best.

No, I will not go to her restaurant, but I'll probably BROWSE through her book/s.

Sorry.

Of the two finalists, I agree Julie was the deserving winner - that said, I think Chris should have been there and would've won.

Would I buy her cookbook? Probably not. I have dozens of cookbooks and do not feel Julie's book would add anything new to the collection. Would I eat at her restaurant? Maybe. I honestly do not believe she could run a busy restaurant and neither could Poh. Julie has shown the country that a good home cooking mum can mix it with the best. Several of the eliminated constestants could easily run a restaurant - with a lot of training and mentoring.

The best restauranteurs and chefs of the world have mastered their craft through many years of dedication and hard work. A couple of months of reality show drama and pressure does not a chef make.

Well done to Julie for achieving what she did. I am sure she will host many dinner parties and make money from celebrity appearances.

ANY person in Australia can also be taken, mentored and guided through Masterchef as was Julie and Poh.

Yes, I would go to Julie's restaurant and buy her cookbook. The restaurant will be in my area and there is nothing similar to her idea around here. I have no doubt that her restaurant will be successful however I wonder how she will cope with the first few weeks of business because I am sure that her restaurant will be flat out for a while. Last night, she dealt very well with her emotions after burning her potatoes so she is getting better with dealing with stress.

Poh was my favourite all the way through so I would have bought her cookbook as well. However I probably wouldn't have tried out any of her recipes as she is a very technical cook and the things she makes look really hard but also really pretty. I would read it and perhaps retire it to a coffee table book.

Poh's restaurant probably would have been the kind of thing I would go to for my birthday or something like that, whereas Julie's is more the kind of restaurant I would go to on the spur of the moment if I just couldn't be bothered cooking.

Her cookbook idea is amazing! After all are we not all home cooks? As the mum of two little boys, the oldest (4) who is currently taking a real interest in cooking - thanks to masterchef by the way!! - food is a great way to unite the family and spend quality time together. And everyone's idea of home cooking is different!

And also, to those who feel that eating & cooking home cooked food is somehow beneath them, do not understand her style of cooking at all. Not once during the series did she cook what most people think of as home style food. ie meat and three veg. No, she doesn't do fine dining. But seriously, who wants to eat fine dining food every night of the week? It looks nice, sure. And to go to a fine dining restaurant once in a while is nice. But it is generally overpriced for what you actually receive.

If Poh had of won I would have visited her restaurant given an opportunity too. I love Asian food. I also love Italian, French and, well, pretty much any style really!

This down to earth lady won the competition fair and square. She passed every challenge thrown at her along the way. The judges (including several world class Aussie chefs) felt that she was a worthy winner. I am almost willing to bet that if the gorgeous Justine was the home cook everyone would have been over the moon for her to win! I wish her nothing but the best and i hope she opens her little restaurant and her book is at the top of my Christmas wish list! YAY JULIE!

Maybe overall someone else was a better chef than Julie. But it all came down to how you did in each particular test, and in the final, Julie answered one more ingredient than Poh, and in the final test Poh chose to ignore the recipe by putting the chocolate in the freezer, making it too hard and not shiny like it should have been. Her sorbet was also too grainy. So despite the fact that I think there may have been a few better chefs in the contest than Julie, unfortunately they may have had a bad day, and made some bad food or mistakes which led to their elimination and Julie pulled through when she needed to. And Masterchef even gave three people a second chance, so Poh Tom and Justine did get a fair chance. I find it stupid these people saying there is some controversy or that it was rigged when it clearly wasn't. Did anyone see that women on Today Tonight saying Julie should have been kicked out because she said onion whilst she was holding a shallot?!! Too bad! There were still onions in it! As for Julies book, I think its a good idea that will appeal to alot of families. Her restaurant, I'm sure it would be lovely if you were going for homely food, however when i dine out i like to dine somewhere with a bit more interesting food that you wouldn't get at home.

Firstly, my congratulations to both finalists. However, I would flip through Julie's cookbook before buying it to see whether there were any new recipes that I did not know about. If there aren't what's the point of buying it? Isn't the whole point of buying a cookbook to learn something new? However, if there were some interesting dishes, I would buy it. There is no way I will buy a cookbook that has dishes I know how to make just because of the Masterchef title - it contributes to the shows producers revenue!

And I'm sorry to say, that whilst Julie's dishes do look nice (when they are actully plated!) I wouldn't go there to eat. I wouldn't mind going out to eat home cooked meals but during the show, when Julie was under pressure, you could see sweat dripping off her head into her food. Sorry, but that has just put me straight off even if I live a couple of hours away.

However, for Poh's cookbook, I would look through it first, but most probably buy it. I don't believe that there will be a cookbook like hers and I'd love to get the recipe for her Chocolate orange christmas dumplings that she made. The judges even hailed her, so it's got to be good! And it's something NEW! I'd also like her recipe for the Chocolate hazelnut Rhubarb pie. So yes, I'd buy her cookbook. I would probably go insterstate to try her food too. She creates interesting dishes which is what chefs do people!

So good luck to both of them, but I would only be interested in something new and innovative that you really can't find anywhere else. That's why we go to restaurants, to eat something we could never attempt to do at home.

I am so surprised there is so much hoo haa over this whole thing. Would I buy ANY contestants cooks books NO. Am I going to race out to visit ANY contestants restaurant NO......

WHY YOU ASK

It was just a freaking TV show guys. I don't get all the passion about who won and who lost. Get a grip and get over it............ Our country is in an absolute mess at the moment and people are getting all excited about a cooking show........ Amazing!!!!!!!!

The only reason the winners book will sell is because of the Master chef Brand..... Its all about marketing.

As for visiting the restaurant. She may have a surge at first because of the new found fame, but running a good restaurant is not all about the food. If Chris or PO won instead there is still no guarantee the restaurant will work. It;s as much about business as good food. You dont need good food to succeed, just look at Sizzler or many of these style eateries. Success has little to do with the quality of the food.

Its exactly the same with the cookbook. For the record, any of the top 4 would sell. That's what its all about guys. For the producers, it does not matter who won and who lost. The show was a success. It rated higher than any other show, and the nation is going nuts because their favorite did/ didn't win.

I wouldnt... my mum is still the best cook in the world.... :-)...

i wonder why everyone says it was rigged.

Poh didnt get more ingredients than julie, so how was that rigged? It was a classic french dish, which i may add Julie nearly bombed out on her 3rd guess by naming a shallot an onion....

The invention test was pretty much even, both dishs were very good, if not too adventuors for either contestant....

And Julie pretty much nailed the last by FOLLOWING THE RECIPE THEY WERE GIVEN. Poh didnt and thats what lost her the comp. Poh likes to invent and create.... she is not very good at following directions, and by her own admission, she doesnt like cooking laarge peieces of meat...

both cooks have thier weaknesses, and Pohs were exposed more in this challenge.... everyone also seems to forget that she was already elimintated once and she can only cook malaysian, chinese food.... which she does very well. I would like to eat Pohs Mums food, because thats really where all the recipes have come from.

Poh didnt show any new skills she learnt during the show.... sure she can plate a pretty plate of food, cook with her mums recipes... but can she cook anything that isnt malysian, chinese style??? No she cant.

In my opinion Justine is probably the best chef candidate anyway. She will go on to be a real chef is a hat restuarant due to her organistional skills etc.... could you imagine julie or Poh acutally cooking up dozens of qulaity dishes every night??? i cant....

Yes, I would visit Julie's restaurant and purchase her cookbook. Alot of people are bagging her for the way she cook's and also saying that Poh should have won. It seems to me that everyone has forgotten that Poh was an eliminated contestant brought back by the judges. Julie has never been voted off! Wake up people the best person won!

I wouldnt pay for a meal I'd cook at home...and her food doesnt appeal to me. When I go out to eat at restaurants its generally without the kids so a family restaurant wouldnt appeal to me. I would definately visit Poh's restaurant as she offers unique food which is worth going out for.

The cookbook sounds boring with home style cooking - i only use cookbooks if I want to cook something different and interesting and I dont think her cookbook would suit.

I am happy Julie won - its a great 'aussie battler' story and I think Poh already had her chance before she was eliminated the first time. She didnt deserve the win for that simple fact.

I still think Justine should have won....

Yes I would visit Julie's restaurant, she would cook food I would enjoy well.

I would have a look at her cookbook to see if it fits into what I need in a new cookbook. ie tasty recipes, affordable, not too long to cook or full of obscure ingredients that will sit at the back of the cupboard after I've used 5mL out of a half litre bottle.

I would visit Poh's restaurant. I probably wouldn't jump to buy her cookbook as there is a shelf full of Malaysian and Chinese cookbooks behind me I have inherited from my mother-in-law. My hubby would be the one to surprise me with that one. I think this would me the cookbook he'd buy for me that's really for him.

I wouldn't eat at Chris's as he always looks so grotty even if his bench work seems so tidy. He also seems to want to cook with as much beer as he can. I think the last thing Australia needs is an increase in alcohol and beer consumption. Even though I don't like Chris I still think he shouldn't have been eliminated in the second last week.