It returns on Sky on Thursday 1 January MasterChef. In the Masterclass the race continues and no distractions are allowed.
The chefs still competing
For the 18 amateur chefs still competing, the episodes of Thursday 1 January 2026, always exclusively on Sky and streaming only on NOW, will start in the name of green and sustainability: the trio of judges Bruno Barbieri, Antonino Cannavacciuolo and Giorgio Locatelli will in fact welcome Chef back to the station Chiara Pavanwhich will be the protagonist of the brand new Green Mystery Boxes, the special Mysteries which, for the first time in the world, will focus on ingredients that help sustainability and reuse.
Chef Pavan, who with his Venissa on the Venetian lagoon – a Michelin Star in addition to a Green Star – carries forward his belief that there are many ways to safeguard the planet through cooking (reduction of waste, the use of invasive species to protect those in danger of extinction or collaboration with small farmers capable of providing zero-mile food), will ask the competing amateur chefs to prepare a dish that respects this philosophy: up for grabs is a precious Golden Pin, the “wild card” from to use in subsequent tests, but also a very useful and new Green Pin for the person who has prepared the “greenest” dish, who will have the right to ask for 10 more minutes to complete their cooking in one of the next challenges.
Next, in the Invention Test the protagonist will be Antonino Cannavacciuolo who will bring one of his most famous and technically complex signature dishes, the liquid salad, to the class.
The first external
Those who have passed the first part of the evening unscathed will then be able to access the first outdoor test of this season of MasterChef Italia, which will take place – on the evening of Thursday 1 January 2026 from 9.15pm exclusively on Sky Uno and streaming only on NOW, with the two episodes always available on demand and visible on Sky Go – in the homeland of one of the most loved, versatile, popular and well-known products of Italian cuisine in the world, Parmigiano Reggiano.
The aspiring chefs, in fact, will go to Rivalta, a hamlet of Lesignano de’ Bagni, in the province of Parma, in the land of this inestimable heritage of Italian food and wine culture: they will speak with the local cheesemakers, they will listen to the history and processes linked to this wonderful cheese, but above all they will divide themselves into the two Brigades, the Red and the Blue, to cook for 50 people – including cheesemakers, beaters and tasters – who work and live between the forms of Parmigiano Reggiano.
The members of the Brigade who have conquered their very demanding palate will go to the balcony, while the others will have to face the Pressure Test wearing the dreaded black aprons. Unfortunately, however, some of them will have to take it off forever and return home, abandoning their path in the kitchens of MasterChef Italia.
Last updated: Thursday 1 January 2026, 10.14am
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