MasterChef Australia returns with the best group of home cooks the competition has ever seen. In the first episode, our potential contestants are given one hour to cook their best dish and secure their spot in the top 24.

Just 10 aprons remain for the 18 remaining aspiring home cooks.The contestants are put through their paces in a core skills invention test, then, contestants must recreate George Calombaris' superb lemon lime and bitters dessert.

The top 24 contestants enter the MasterChef Australia kitchen for the very first time. First up tonight, the contestants face the classic mystery box challenge, but there's a surprise in store.

In tonight's elimination episode, 21 contestants face elimination for the first time with a three-round challenge. The contestants are given just 30 minutes to cook a perfect Chinese fried rice. Who will be the first contestant to go?

The 21 contestants enter the kitchen to find a mystery box at their bench. They have one hour to cook a dish using at least one of the ingredients.

The three contestants with the least impressive dishes from the invention test face off in the pressure test. They are given the challenge of re-creating guest chef Shannon Bennett's fillet of beef with a bone marrow crust.

In the season's first off-site challenge, the contestants split into two teams for a lunch service challenge at two popular St Kilda restaurants. The team with the most money in the till at the end of the challenge wins.

The losing team from last night's challenge are all facing elimination and have to plan three dishes from one snapper. In an unexpected twist, one contestant takes the biggest risk in the history of MasterChef Australia. Will it pay off?

In a special episode, the queen of the Australian kitchen, Maggie Beer, returns to the kitchen for the Mystery Box challenge. Who will impress the judges in the challenge?

The bottom three contestants from the Invention Test face off in the Pressure Test. Who will be hanging up their apron and leaving the MasterChef kitchen for the last time?

The three best performing contestants in the Invention Test get to compete for immunity. Competing against chefs Ollie Gould and Kylie Kwong, who has what it takes to win the immunity?

In this challenge it's all about strategy, memory, communication, pace and teamwork as the contestants are split into two teams. However, as always, there's a twist.

The losing team from the latest challenge now face off over three rounds. By the end of round three, one of the 10 contestants will be eliminated from the competition.

A mystery box challenge quickly becomes a nightmare for some; while an invention test goes like a dream for others.

The bottom three contestants from the invention test face off in a pressure test where they have three hours to replicate a complex dessert. The worst dish will be eliminated from the competition.

The contestant playing for immunity must cook off against Benjamin Cooper from leading restaurant, Chin Chin, even with a 15-minute head start, have they got what it takes to out-cook a professional?

The contestants are tasked to create a four-course dessert menu, with each team needing to prepare 10 serves of each dessert to the judges. Which team will go head to head in the elimination?

The contestants from the losing team compete in a blind taste test. They must taste a mystery dish while blindfolded then recreate the dish. The worst dish will be hanging up the apron forever.

The contestants enter the kitchen for another Mystery Box challenge, but there's a twist...The top three dishes will compete for immunity while the bottom three will face elimination.

In an intense pressure test, the three contestants must recreate a dish made by the co-head chefs from leading Melbourne restaurant Saint Crispin. Who will be safe from elimination?

With immunity up for grabs the three contestants battle it out with cheese. Who will get the chance to cook for immunity and go up against celebrated chef Matt Stone?

The contestants arrive at Melbourne's Queen Victoria Market and are tasked to work in teams at four different stalls. The team with the lowest profit will face off in the elimination challenge.

The losing team from the off-site challenge will compete in a time-auction elimination challenge and one contestant's dream will be over. Also, we end with a sweet Masterclass that's all about dessert.

In the invention test, each team has to produce one sweet and one savoury dish using chocolate, showing their versatility. The team that impresses the judges the most will win a chance at immunity.

In a pressure test like no other, internationally acclaimed chef Nobu Matsuhisa sets a challenge for the losing team from the invention test in one of the toughest cooks yet.