Neue 'Kitchen Impossible'-Staffel startet

COLOGNE - The tenth season of Ktichen Impossible starts today at 8.15pm on VOX. To kick off the anniversary season, Tim Mälzer enters the culinary ring with his sights firmly set on the cookery Olympus. But the road to the top leads through Cologne and begins with a duel against his long-time rival Philipp Vogel. Between carnival, Michelin-starred cuisine and a box in camouflage colours, Tim Mälzer is on top form. But the megalomania takes its revenge. His retort? Duck in all its forms - until Philipp Vogel despairs of his dumplings. Season 10 is not just about winning, but about nothing less than the throne of cookery. And Tim is confident of victory: "If I doubted myself, I wouldn't have to compete against all these outstanding top chefs." Is he not rejoicing too soon?

The challenges

Tim Mälzer in Velbert: In season 10, Tim Mälzer takes on the challenges in Philipp's hometown of Cologne and in the Rhineland with his favourite rival and friend Philipp Vogel. Philipp, who has made a name for himself in Berlin and throughout Germany with his Peking duck, picks Tim up from Cologne-Bonn airport in a red duck. Their journey takes them to the Bergisches Land region to visit a much-loved member of the "Kitchen Impossible" family: Sascha Stemberg, who competed with his father Walter in season 8. To overcome Mälzer's trauma in front of the black box, Philipp serves him his dish in a different coloured box. A novelty that Tim does not leave uncommented. Between Rhenish cheerfulness and Berlin snark, it becomes clear whether Mälzer is up to the challenge in the box.

Tim Mälzer in Cologne: Tim receives a special honour in Philipp's home town of Cologne. The Blaue Funken, the second oldest corps in Cologne's carnival, gives Tim an insight into the heart of Cologne and Philipp. After this excursion into the world of carnival and revellers, they explore Cologne with the Hot Rods and end their tour in Philipp's favourite pub in the Ehrenfeld district. There, Philipp serves him a dish that has made it into the "Archive of German Cuisine" for the preservation of culinary memory: The red mullet from the renowned restaurant "Le Moissonnier". Awarded a Michelin star, it is considered one of the best addresses for French haute cuisine in Germany. The discerning jury will ultimately decide whether Mälzer can fulfil the high standards.

Philipp Vogel in Cologne: Tim Mälzer is on a special mission in this programme. He wants to overload the head chef of Orania.Berlin, famous for his duck, with duck in the most diverse forms and variations à la Mälzer style to such an extent that he ends up throwing his restaurant concept overboard. Tim pulls out all the stops to see Philipp fail and distracts him during the boxing analysis with duck accessories and duck dances. But that's not all - the ingredient duck is also hidden in the dish in the form of duck blood. In the established Chinese restaurant "Great Wall", Tim confronts him with Szechuan cuisine. The twist: Philipp knows a thing or two about Chinese cuisine and has even worked in Shanghai himself, but can Philipp do justice to Chinese cookery under Tim's constant presence?

Philipp Vogel in Odenthal: Philipp Vogel takes on his second challenge in the idyllic town of Odenthal, around 25 kilometres from Cologne. In the Michelin-starred restaurant "Zur Post", Philipp Vogel, as a Peking duck specialist, will be confronted with THE traditional challenge par excellence: Peking duck with dumplings, red cabbage and orange jus. Tim takes his confusion about the main component of the dish to the extreme. Even during the analysis, Philipp Vogel starts to ponder and is unsure until the end of the box whether he has a duck or a goose on his plate. When he arrives in Odenthal, Tim takes the opportunity to visit Philipp, but that's not all. The real disaster still awaits Philipp: preparing the dumplings.

Philipp Vogel in profile

Age: 43
Place of birth: Cologne

Philipp's culinary journey has had a profound impact on his cooking: he has learnt to cook classic European and Asian cuisine at the highest level. Sophisticated Michelin-starred cuisine was once his world, especially after his star success in Vienna. Today, however, he takes a new approach at Orania.restaurant - the focus is on the essentials. He creates a relaxed living room atmosphere, as if you were a guest at a good friend's house, and has consciously moved away from traditional Michelin-starred cuisine. Instead of conjuring up exclusive dishes for a few guests, he prefers to delight a larger number with his authentic cuisine. Philipp's philosophy is clear and precise: he only uses three ingredients per dish, which he refines in a distinctive way. This principle is also reflected in his signature dish, the reinterpreted Peking duck from his own oven, served with sweet hoisin sauce and vegetables.
- Philipp was a contestant on "Kitchen Impossible" in season 8 and cooked in a duel against Tim in Norway and Serbia, narrowly winning with 12.1 points against Tim (11.9 points).
- In the Best Friends Edition in season 9 (Mälzer, Amador and Mraz), "Orania.Berlin" was the boxing location and Philipp hosted Lukas Mraz and Juan Amador there. He was also the bearer of Lukas' box himself.