Then why don't you step right up and take part in our very first Quina's Cook-off extravaganza! There will be blood, sweat and tears going into this as you try and score that 'Best in show' ribbon! While there isn't actually a "prize" as such, take pride in the fact that you will be forever known as "Master of the fork". Who knows, you might even get a custom title if the administrators are kind enough!
Detailed in this opening post is all the information you will need to get involved in this lucrative enterprise!
The Sign-Up Phase
Starting from today (Monday 22nd) you will have until Sunday 28th to take an interest! One thing I should stress, is that everything is confidential. Do not post in this thread!! If you are going to take part, then PM me, and I will get back to you to confirm your lovely placement.
You can, however, post in this thread for general chatter about the proceedings, such as "Ooh, what a great idea for a contest" or "That's a great recipe, I wonder who created it". You cannot reveal that you are taking part as this may influence the judges.
I'm trusting you guys to post in this thread for spectating purposes only. I'm kind like that see. I do understand that you would want to discuss recipes and stuff, so I'm giving you that freedom to do so. Don't disappoint me on this one!
After I've gotten the sign-ups, what happens next is the cooking phase! Lovely! I'll send you all a PM at the end of the sign-ups phase to honour the start of the cooking phase.
The Cooking Phase
So you've signed up, and so Week Two (29th April - 5th May) is the cooking phase. You have to select a dish/recipe that you would like to cook. The dish can be dinner, dessert, breakfast...anything! Be aware that this is all being judged, so try to make it as original and exciting as you can. Push the boat out!
After your dish is cooked, you MUST take a picture of it that is of a reasonable quality and PM both the picture, and the ingredients list and recipe. Below is an example of what I expect to be sent to me via the PM to avoid any confusion:
Example Cooking Phase Response
Here's my dish guys! I hope you all enjoy it. It took awhile getting the whole thing together, but it's quite a cheap, yet effective recipe!
Thai Noodle Soop
- Add the paste to a large shallow pan and cook for a few minutes to release the aromas, stirring frequently. Roughly crush some coriander seeds with a pestle and mortar and add to the paste with a pinch or two of turmeric and the vegetable stock and simmer for a few minutes.
- Meanwhile, pour some boiling water over the rice noodles in a bowl and let them sit until they have softened, about 4-5 minutes, then drain and set aside.
- To soften the heat of the sauce, add the coconut milk to the pan and bring back to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for a few minutes while you devein the prawns by cutting along the back of the prawn with a small sharp knife and removing the black 'thread' using the point of the knife. Add the prawns to the pan and cook for 2-3 minutes, or until pink and tender, finishing off with splashes of Thai fish sauce, to taste, and more chopped fresh coriander, to your taste.
- To serve, divide the drained noodles between two bowls and ladle over the aromatic soup with the prawns and serve straight away. Chicken, scallops or mushrooms are a great alternative to the prawns.
Ingredients
Again, just an example of what I'm expecting. Any entries that do not include a picture, ingredients list or a decent recipe will not be accepted. Sorry if that sounds harsh!
Right, so you've cooked your dish, sent a picture, presumably ate it or given to a significant other as a romantic gesture... now what?
The Judging Phase
This is the most critical phase, and as such lasts three whole weeks. I have a panel of four experts who will take your recipes and try them out, and then report back to me via PM with their thoughts! It's all very exciting, so let me introduce them to you! We have:
- Lulu! She specializes in tropical Besaid dishes, though she's willing to venture out and try something more Lucarian in nature. She's a stern woman: it'll take a lot to impress her!
- Zell! This excitable teenage SeeD goes absolutely crazy about hot dogs. Try to wrench him away from his fast food favorites!
- Lightning! Her birthday meal didn't go down well, but here's hoping that when she tries one of your recipes, she won't frown! Who knows, maybe we'll make her smile for once!
- Gau! Well, he was tempted to join Sabin with some dried meat, but will he be tempted to give you high scores with your dishes? Only time will tell!
These judges will be cooking your dishes and taking pictures, and will send those in a PM to me together with their scores! There are five categories that are marked, you guessed it, out of five!
- Taste: Simply, how nice does it taste? A low score will involve Lightning making her characteristic frown, while a high score will make Zell go bananas and start jumping around like a small child.
- Appearance: Based solely on the image that you take, how nicely presented is the dish? Is it just slopped on like a hunk of dried meat, or is it arranged beautifully? This category makes your serving of the dish all that more important!
- Value: Food costs money, for the ingredients and stuff. Even Zell had to cut back on his daily hotdog intake! Basically, is the dish worth the money it took to produce? If it's an expensive dish, does it taste expensive and high-end, and if it's quite cheap and simple, does it still taste great even with a low-budget?
- Difficulty: Subjective category, I agree. How hard is it to make this dish? The easier the dish, the better, because no one would want to be tearing their hair out getting that sauce juuust right, or getting that steak to the optimum rarity. Bear in mind that simply sourcing the ingredients can be a part of difficulty, so if your ingredients list includes exotic fruits such as Rambutan, Lychee or Dragon Fruits, then expect difficulty to rise and your score to lower!
- Originality: Anyone can whip up a hotdog. Anyone can bake some simple cookies. But it takes skill to make a judge go "Oh Snap!" and gaze upon a wonderfully inventive and unique dish. This isn't about how exotic a dish is (though that is one option), it's about taking something common and putting your signature on it, a certain twist to the old. You know what I mean right?
These criteria are what you need to think about if you want to claim that top spot. Remember, these are out of 5, so 5 x 5 equals... 25! Yup, it's out of 25, with the highest score being the winner! It's so simple.
Unless you are a judge reading this, you shouldn't worry too much about the judging phase, as that's their task. You contestants can sit back, relax and enjoy the ride while I slowly trickle information through. As I get the results back from the judges, I'll slowly start to compile them in this here thread as the tension grows... and grows... until a winner is crowned!
A serious note with judges, if there is an ingredient in the recipe that you are allergic to, then for goodness sake don't consume it! Instead, if you can, omit that from the recipe, or find an alternative if you can as well. If there's any problems at all with any dish, then by all means, drop me a PM!
The Cooking Phase, Redux!
The judges have three weeks to judge, so that's from May 6th - May 26th. After that phase, I will reveal who was eliminated, and who wasn't eliminated and went into the final! The finalists will be based on the scores, of course, and it will be the top half who goes through! It's capped at 6 finalists however. As it stands, there's 11 contestants, so it's the top 5. 12 or more will be top 6 to go through. Don't worry so much about that though. Just do your best!
If you're one of the lucky ones who got through, great! You have to cook again! This final dish will be based on a theme that I will announce at the start of this final round. You again have a week to cook this final dish. This is from the 27th - 2nd of June. Again, same entry requirements apply here. Send me a PM, with a picture of the dish, a recipe and ingredients list. You know the drill here by now!
So, after that, what do you think will come next?
The Judging Phase, Redux!
Yup, the judges will mark and cook your final dish. Again, this is out of 25 as per normal. Now that there's less dishes to mark, the judges will pretty much have a week to do the dishes, though if needed, time can be added onto this phase.
Now, the key here is that the winner will be based on both this final dish AND the qualifying dish scores! Basically, it's:
Qualifying Score + Final Score = Overall Score
The overall score is the key one here and makes your qualifying dish all the more important. A weak final dish can be supported by a strong qualifying one, and vice versa. Of course, try to get both up to an A grade standard!
At the end of this phase, then the scores will be revealed, and the contestants! The winner will be crowned "Master of the Fork" and such. Yay!
The "No-Brainer" Step By Step
Below is a no-brainer step by step if you've been inflicted with "Wall O' Text" syndrome and haven't taken in everything.
- Between Monday - Sunday, PM me, stating that you want to be included. I will get back to you to confirm.
- During the second Monday - Sunday, begin cooking your dish. Take a picture of the finished product, write an ingredients list and recipe, and PM me all of that information.
- Wait for three weeks while the judges, you know, judge...
- Eliminated contestants revealed, finalists begin cooking their final, themed dish, and you have a week commencing the 27th of May.
- After the second round of cooking, judges judge again. The first round and final round scores will be added together to make up a final score out of 50.
- Winners crowned, celebrations and stuff. Yay!
The process seems complex, though really I've summed up a good page of writing in that four step process. Seriously, it's that simple!
Anything Else?
Not that I can think of. If there are ANY questions whatsoever regarding the process, then by all means, send me a PM and I'll be happy to help.
Remember, the whole point of this is to have fun! I really am proud that I've been chosen to host such a prestigious event in Quina's Kitchen, and I hope to make it a fantastic one. So, what are you waiting for? Get messaging me!
Do you enjoy cooking? Do you like competition? Do you like winning?!
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Originally Posted by sharkythesharkdogg
