"This is crazy": MasterChef Australia 2024 winner crowned
MasterChef Australia has crowned its 2024 winner!
Nat Thaipun has emerged as the winner of the coveted title and took home a whopping $250,000.
In the intense finale, the final two contestants Josh Perry and Nat Thaipun had 75 minutes to cook up something spectacular for the judges using black peppercorns as the key ingredient.
While Perry went with a rib-eye with some brussels sprouts and peppercorn sauce, with a spin on the vegees and some pureed sauce, Thaipun went with a Thai twist on a hearty pub meal, the scotch egg.
In the first round, Thapun managed to secure a total of 36/40, while Perry walked away from round one with 33/40.
In the second round, the contestants were asked to recreate renowned British chef Claire Smith's "Core-teaser", an incredibly detailed version of the classic Malteaser, with 113 steps to follow.
Both contestants struggled with the dessert, but Perry ended up struggling the most with one of the dish's key elements which resulted in his malt sugar ball going "pear-shaped".
Perry "absolutely nailed it" despite missing an element of the dessert, and Thaipun was "pretty bang on" with the flavours of the dish, but the judges thought her texture was off.
Despite this, it was the extra points in the first round that gave Thaipun the advantage of winning the show.
Speaking about her huge win, she told the judges: “I feel so good. This is crazy, it feels like a dream, but it’s not!”
Former MasterChef winner Julie Goodwin congratulated Thaipun on her win on Instagram.
"Congratulations Nat and to all who competed. Best wishes for whatever adventures come next!" she wrote.
Fans also congratulated Thaipun.
"From the immunity pin winner to the Masterchef winner !!! 👏👏👏" wrote one.
"Omg, congratulations! She's so consistent and strong and clever innovative from start to the grand finale!🙌" added another.
"What a great finale cook!!! Truly enjoyed this season. So many talented cooks but so delighted Nat won 💛" a third wrote.
Images: Channel 10/ Instagram