Cooking Competition

[bubbamom]

Hi All!

Just wondering, have any of you ever competed in a food cookoff? If so, what was the main ingredient, what did you make and what (if any) were the pit falls?

[KYHeirloomer]

There's only one trick to entering cook-offs: read the instructions carefully.

Many---perhaps most---of the time there are serious restrictions as to how the food is to be prepared, ingredients that may or may not be used, etc. Often this means that contest food does not resemble the same dish made at home or found in a restaurant.

Other than that, remember the adage: It takes money to make money. Many cook-off contestents do nothing else for a living; or they represent professional establishments that are paying the bills. You have to determine if you can afford the time and money it takes to be a contestent.

But if it all sounds right, then go for it!

[bubbamom]

Thanks for the info. Guess I was pretty niave!

We've had some cook offs at work for various fund raising events and guess that some success there gave my visions of grandeur. Oh well, back to reality.

[KYHeirloomer]

I didn't mean to discourage you totally. Just wanted you to be aware of the realities.

You might start by exploring some of the state- and regional-level competitions first. Plus some of the national ones are wide open. Look at the Pillsburry Bake Off, for instance, or the Build A Better Burger competition. Both of those are based around real food. There are many others as well.