Short Cuts to Glory: Matt vs Food

The kitchen doesn't need to just be for toast! Matt gets advice from Giovanni Pilu and Mark LaBrooy on how to master the basics - Spag Bol and Poached Eggs - while Katherine Sabbath puts the finishing touches on store bought cake. Also, Alice gives the lowdown on cooking pasta, and Mitch Orr tells Matt about knives. Forks not included.

What's not to like about super tasty meals that are healthy, guilt free and good not just for the hip pocket but also the hips. Matt visits food legend Neil Perry who creates a super quick and easy pan fried fish, the 'Godfather' of modern Italian cuisine Stefano Manfredi makes minestrone and Alice Zaslavsky roasts all things veggie, as well as telling you what you need and don't need in the pantry. Finally, chef Annaleise Gregory shares her tips on how to buy the freshest fruit and veg.

Christine Manfield, Martin Boetz and Daniel Wilson show Matt how to create our takeaway favourite's in your own kitchen. On the menu; veggie curry, beef stir fry, and burgers. Meanwhile Alice Zaslavsky shows you how best to store delicious leftovers, and the secret to cooking perfect rice, time after time.

Dinner parties can send you into a meltdown, days before your guests have even walked through the door. Matt finds out how to take the stress away with Miguel Maestre's paella, Adriano Zumbo's epic chocolate brownies and Bridgette Hafner's easy as beef stew. He then catches up with Jemma Whiteman to learn all about essential frypans, while Alice Zaslavsky shares her slicing and dicing secrets.

Matt lives the caveman dream with meat experts Hayden Quinn, Jill Dupleix and Anthony Puharich cooking up pork crackling, roast lamb, and the perfect steak respectively. Meanwhile Alice Zaslavsky beefs up the episode with instructions on just how to carve a roast, and tells you all that you need to know about beef cuts.

Fast food doesn't have to be bad food. Gregory Llewellyn, Bernard Chu, and Dan Hong each show Matt that a last-minute pasta, an instant 'cake in a mug' and pimped two minute noodles can all be whipped up in a flash. Lillia McCabe and Matt take a closer look at pots and saucepans, whilst Alice Zaslavsky shows you how best to store produce.

It doesn't matter if you are suffering from a big night out, or simply wanting to treat the family the answer always is comfort food wins the day! Matt learns how to make sticky lamb ribs with Colin Fassnidge, lasagne with Anna Eoclidi and chocolate chip cookies with Daniel Wilson. Sarah Glover lays out the details of oven trays and Alice Zaslavsky gets up close with Ovens 101.

If food is the way to the heart, then Matt is sorted! Justine Schofield gets the mains and dessert sorted with classics that are sure to impress; chicken schnitzel and creme caramel. Mark LaBrooy presents the lighter side of things with a pumpkin salad. Jake Smyth shares all about Australia's favourite meat; chicken and Alice Zaslavsky gives the lowdown on those slippery pantry staples; oils and vinegars.

Matt learns how to get bang for his buck in the kitchen. Monty Koludrovic, Gregory Llewellyn and Brigitte Hafner give mussels, mac N cheese, and pancakes the top chef treatment. Josh Niland also teaches Matt about the basics of seafood and Alice Zaslavsky takes the mystery out of cooktops.

What's not to love about the traditional family dinner. Matt hangs out with Nathan Sasi's and a roast chicken, Jill Dupleix's mashed potatoes are pure magic and Bernard Chu's berry crumble is a guaranteed winner. Sarah Glover helps separate essential kitchen tools from the fluff, while Alice Zaslavsky talks about the pointy end of handling a knife.