Anyone who gets involved in a duel with Tim Mälzer knows that the fight will be dirty. Berlin chef Philipp Vogel experienced this first-hand in the truest sense of the word. Mälzer sent the competitor on a mission impossible in the wilderness, as it is in the book. But he set the even bigger traps for himself.
Philipp Vogel trundled through the kitchens of half of Europe and Asia and cooked himself a star before he opened his Orania Hotel and restaurant in Berlin. His signature dish: Peking duck. The top chef is not lacking in self-confidence, he went into the Kitchen Impossible match with a swollen chest, where his limits were shown to him. In the end, however, it was Mälzer who had a bone to pick.
Those were the tasks
In Norway, Philipp Vogel is dealing with a dish by Sven Erik Renaa, who can call himself the best chef in the country: lobster with pumpkin puree and sea buckthorn foam.
Tim Mälzer has to cook brutally regionally in Nuremberg with star chef Felix Schneider in the Etz: white onions
Philipp Vogel meets Youtuber Boban Boki Almazan in the forests of Serbia and has to prove his boy scout skills: Beef Wellington in a black coat with salad and dip.
A traditional Scottish dish by Tom Kitchin forces Tim Mälzer to perform at his best in Edinburgh: grouse with game sauce, game chips and bread sauce.
Bankruptcies, bad luck and breakdowns
The worm was in there. In episode five, Tim Mälzer developed into a bankruptcy, bad luck and breakdown maltster. First the chef in Nuremberg stumbled over a step in front of the jury and spread the topping of his dish over the restaurant floor. The man from Hamburg almost didn’t make it to the second task after Scotland. Because he had forgotten his passport and thus missed his flight, only a private plane saved him in the end. In Edinburgh, Mälzer’s huge delay caused little joy. As a result, he was so ashamed of himself in front of the original chef that he did everything in his power to win back the goodwill in the kitchen – not an easy task.
That was fun
If anyone can crack a joke, it’s Tim Mälzer. Philipp Vogel, however, stood up to him – linguistically less coarse, but just as cocky. The Berliner made fun of everyone, fought in Norway in knight’s garb and slipped into the role of the wood sprite in Serbia. Sometimes he scolded like a reed sparrow, but he didn’t let the fun take him away. That left an impression on the original chefs. Vogel is a “great guy, super positive,” summarized Sven Erik Renaa. “I’m impressed with his work.” He wasn’t alone in that.
That was unexpected
Tim Mälzer always finds something to complain about. Sometimes the tasks given to him are too easy, sometimes just outrageous. This time, too, the chef’s face fell asleep when it became clear that Vogel was sending him to Nuremberg. There, of all things, he got to deal with a kitchen that he doesn’t really know what to do with. According to Mälzer, brutal regional cuisine is often irrelevant to the guest, too intellectual, too much ego on the part of the chef. In the two-star restaurant Etz, however, he was taught otherwise. When tasting the dish from star chef Felix Schneider, the superlatives practically gushed out of the hamburger’s mouth. At the end of the task Mälzer was converted. He really had fun and learned a lot: “I hated the brutal regional cuisine, but I experienced something here that turned me on.”
The cheekiest task
After seven years of Kitchen Impossible, Tim Mälzer has mastered the game inside out. The tasks he chooses are aimed directly at the opponent’s Achilles’ heel. Philipp Vogel has a problem with dirt and – shall we say – experimental kitchen arrangements. In the Serbian forest he has to cook over an open fire and with homemade equipment. He whines and cries, but fights. In the end, even the original chef, Youtuber Boki Almazan, can hardly believe how brilliantly the Berliner masters the task.
The winner
Vogel managed what few can: Mälzer really enjoyed cooking again. The man from Hamburg wanted to prove what he was made of, especially in Scotland. After the original chef, Tom Kitchin, initially threw up his hands over his head because the maltster’s handling of the grouse was causing the chef visibly pain, the result in the end caused impressed praise. However, Kitchen Impossible rookie Vogel snatched victory.
Also read:
– Episode 1: Two against one at the “Kitchen Impossible” opener – and Mälzer flattens the Stembergs anyway
– Episode 2: Tim Mälzer shows his greatest weakness
– Episode 3: Tim Mälzer has to deal with the German national team – and writes TV history
– Episode 4: In the end, love wins: Why Tim Mälzer lost his analytical skills
The eighth season of Kitchen Impossible started on February 12th and will be shown on Vox every Sunday from 8:15 p.m. This and later all other episodes of “Kitchen Impossible” can be streamed on RTL.
