With a lacklustre season five, the franchise rallied last year for season six, getting back to basics and regaining audience numbers.

“One of the things we all spend our professional lives doing is trying to get it right. We saw it last year; the show got it right - the magic formula that made it such a loved popular show. The idea this year was to build on that formula and not bugger it up,” Preston says.

The formula key is keeping the things the viewer’s love, but Preston tells of changes, both large and small, for the 2015 incantation.

“A major change will be having Shannon Bennett and Kylie Kwong as mentors, but there will be subtle changes too such as bringing in big overseas names early on.  We really wanted to re-calibrate contestant’s expectations this year,” he says.

The expectation being, MasterChef is a challenge not for the faint hearted, but the awards are immense for those who thrive and survive he says.

Italian culinary genius and restaurateur, Massimo Bottura, is one of the special guests who make an early visit to the MasterChef kitchen ensuring the pressure stays amped up. The contestants will never know who will be coming through those doors and what they’ll have to do Preston says.

To thrive and survive he says contestants need to be flexible with their recipes and have the ability to eat pressure, especially as the show goes on.

“What’s interesting and the irony is, that the people who are in more pressure tests tend to go on for longer.  Following a recipe without pressure it is quite easy, but with pressure it becomes much harder.”

He describes the contestants as colligate, as even as they compete they are supportive of each other.

Preston insists this season’s group have been cast on cooking ability rather than character.

“We want people who have a tangible dream. In our case we’re talking about the dentist, the civil engineer, these people are not playing in their chosen career and the idea of them going from graphic designer to running a street café or taco truck, it’s a whole new world for them,” he says.

Charismatic, eloquent, self-effacing, talking to Preston it becomes evident he is in a good place both professionally and personally. Appreciation for the perks his many roles afford him is never far away.

“Season six was such a pleasure. The cooking was amazing and we really got the sense of what a privilege it is doing this show when it’s good,” he says. We’re enjoying each other’s company and the process of making the show much more than perhaps early on,” he adds.

The ‘we’ Preston refers to are his judging partners in crime, Gary Mehigan and George Calombaris, who he describes (himself included) as 'a team of brothers.'

“It (the friendship) is part of the joy of doing the show for us. There’s not a doubt if the three of us had not done the show together we wouldn't have lasted nearly as long.”

While they complement each other, they are not averse to a little gentle ribbing.

“We tease each other, like when one of us is grumpy the other two are extra happy. As the day wears on that mood is passed on to the others and the one who was grumpy isn’t any more.”

Preston has many strings to his bow including his media gig as a food journalist, his cook book publishing career - at last count three books to his credit - and of course his contribution to Australian male fashion.

Having written about food for the past 17-years, he loves the immediate response via technology and social media from people trying his recipes.

“That response from people when they’ll make the dish and send it back with pictures and comments about the recipe and what they liked and didn't like - that is incredibly exciting. That absolutely fires up the desire to find out more and find better simpler ways of doing things.”

At home Preston’s well-tuned taste-buds also need satisfying and he is handy in the kitchen with quick, tasty food.

“A new dish we’re making is ricotta gnocchi. All it is the ricotta comes together with a little bit of flour and is then is poached in water. You toss it in a pan with burnt butter in with some bacon, brussel sprouts, spring onion or whatever.”

From home cooking to fashion statement, Preston doesn’t miss a beat and promises viewers of MasterChef, not only new cravats, but a whole new wardrobe.

“I’m just going to say two words; frock coat. I love the longer silhouette you get with a morning coat. Longer jackets for men, that’s my big prediction.”

But not only are frock coats on the menu with Preston promising to push a patterned pant that is set to divide the audience.

“The idea is fancy pants with a plain jacket and plain shirt; I don’t want to overload the camera.”

Fashion aside, this self-confessed food nerd thinks the real star of MasterChef 2015 will be the food.

“Everything is about the food. The food provides the drama and the food provides the answers and the food, in the end, provides the winner as well.”  

MasterChef Australia  2015 starts Tuesday May 5 at 7.30 on Ten.