Senate estimates cooks up a teaser

Joe Ludwig is obviously not a Masterchef fan.

The Labor stalwart used a Senate hearing on Tuesday to quiz Government House officials about a tender for a host of new kitchen appliances for the official residences of Governor-General Sir Peter Cosgrove.

Among the list of stick blenders, food processors, a Kitchenaid mixer, a freezer, a deep fryer, and a pasta machine was a Thermomix, which has featured prominently on the Masterchef cooking show.

Thermomix? What was that, Senator Ludwig asked.

The governor-general's official secretary Mark Fraser didn't know either, but said the tender was part of a routine management matter to maintain proper functioning kitchens.

Senator Ludwig was none the wiser, asking again for an explanation.

Senate committee chairman Cory Bernardi was aghast at such ignorance.

"They are very popular among the home masterchefs of today," he explained, asking the senator where he had been.

"Queensland," Senator Ludwig replied.