Top recipes reflect changes

Deseret News (Salt Lake City), Jul 7, 2004 by Valerie Phillips Deseret Morning News

Some say the Pillsbury Bake-Off is a barometer of how Americans cook and eat. Others say it merely reflects what contestants hope will appeal to the food company and its judges.

At any rate, this year's 100 final recipes flew in the face of the low-carb food trend, with enough starch and sugar to make Dr. Atkins roll over in his grave. Ten of the recipes were some form of pizza, and there were myriad biscuit-y puffs, pinwheels, braids and sandwiches.

One category winner, Inside-Out Taco Salad Wraps, were a nod to the lettuce wraps appearing on low-carb menus. But with 1 1/2 cups of crushed tortilla chips, it's hardly low-carb.

Some of the entries caught the celebrity-chef trend, with the use of such "foodie" ingredients as mango, chai and coconut milk. There were a lot of spicy black bean-and-corn combos. Two sandwiches used a waffle iron. At least nine entries were some type of egg casserole/ quiche. Only a handful of the desserts used chocolate -- contradicting the image of rich, complex chocolate desserts from past Bake-Offs (such as the Cream Cheese Brownie Pie of 2000, and the 1996 winner, Macadamia Fudge Torte).

This year's crop of recipes reflected how the contest has changed in the past decade. In 1996, the grand prize ballooned from $50,000 to $1 million, bolstering Pillsbury's image as the premier cooking contest. In 1998, the contest changed to a "Quick & Easy" format and did away with flour as a qualifying ingredient. The recipe had to contain one of a list of Pillsbury products. Since Pillsbury was sold to General Mills in 2002, this year's qualifying ingredients included such products as Cheerios, Yoplait yogurt, Betty Crocker fruit snacks, Pop Secret microwave popcorn and Nature Valley granola bars.

So the emphasis has shifted from cooking skills to creative use of convenience products -- thinking outside the Hamburger Helper box, as in the case of the Curry-Crab Chowder from a Tuna Helper mix. Or Chocolate Chip-Popcorn Bars with Pop Secret. Also, the American Dairy Association became a sponsor this year. With prize money awarded for recipes that used cheese, about 40 varieties ended up in the finals.

Contest officials say entries were up by 80 percent over last year. They wouldn't reveal exactly how many entries came in but said nearly three-fourths were entered online. Home economists from an independent judging agency who weed through the recipes noted that many used sophisticated terms straight off the cable-TV Food Network. Yet, a large number were disqualified because they left out baking instructions or ingredient amounts. A Pillsbury press release said this demonstrates a decline in knowledge of cooking basics. It could be that more people watch cooking shows, yet don't do as much of it themselves.

The winner is chosen in a complex process. Long before the actual cooking event, researchers fan out to grocery stores across the country and survey shoppers. From a photo of the finished dish and the recipe, the shoppers rate how likely they would be to make the dish themselves. These "consumer-research" points aren't revealed by company officials. In her book, "Cookoff: Recipe Fever in America," food writer Amy Sutherland writes that the ratings make up 50 percent of the final score.

On June 28, the finalists marched into the ballroom of the Hollywood Renaissance Hotel, where 100 work stations were set up. From 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. they prepared their recipes under the watchful eye of wandering reporters, TV crews, food executives and VIPs. The finalists can make their recipe three times: one for judging, one for display and one for sampling. The first two preparations are required, but if you goof up or run short on time, you can forego the third.

The finished dishes were taken to 12 judges -- cookbook authors, food writers and consumer-affairs officers for supermarkets -- and sampled behind closed doors. When asked about the judging afterward, most didn't volunteer details, although past judges have stories about their experiences.

Janet Keeler, food editor at the St. Petersburg Times, shared one tidbit when asked about this year's GE Innovation Award: She and some of the other judges thought the two waffle-sandwich entries were the most innovative, but they canceled each other out. Hence, the Rustic Chicken Club ended up the winner.

At 7 a.m. the next day, while the contestants were breakfasting, Bake-Off officials announced the winners in a closed-door press conference. It's a leap of faith on the part of Pillsbury, which swears the food writers to secrecy. It makes it easier for journalists to meet their deadlines, but they have to remain poker- faced while sitting next to anxious contestants during the awards ceremony.

There's always a "name" host who awards the prizes -- this year it was Dick Clark. Past hosts have included Ronald Reagan, Marie Osmond, Art Linkletter and Alex Trebek. This year, there were four categories: "Dinner Made Easy," "Fast Snacks and Appetizers," "Breakfast Favorites" and "Weekends Made Special."