Paper Chef #11 Starts October 7
T
he always-busy Owen, of Tomatilla! has asked me, as last month's winner, to not only judge the Paper Chef competition this month but also write the roundup for the 11th edition of this now-classic foodblogging web event...and I'm really looking forward to it!
Paper Chef #11 has ended - CLICK HERE to go to the round-up and results!
The Paper Chef Competition was founded by Owen and the first of these monthly events was in December 2004. Owen explains the rules and runs down the history of the event HERE.
To see the current list of nominated ingredients, please see the update posted 10/4. If you want to contribute to the list, please leave a comment on this post with your additional suggestion before next Friday, October 7 (one per player, per Owen's usual rule).
I'll be posting the final ingredients list and theme at Noon Pacific Time on Friday, October 7, and the entries, subject to Owen's lax rules about about lateness, will be due on Tuesday, October 11 at Noon Pacific. (There's a holiday in the US on Monday -- Columbus Day, in honor of our "discoverer" -- so in keeping with Owen's tradition, an extra day is allowed for the competition.)
I'll post the winner and the round-up on Friday, October 14.
A Note on the Judging....
Since I'm wearing the judge's hat this month, I'm going to try a "scoring" approach, which I've been bugging Owen about in emails over the last couple of months. I think this will enhance the competition by making it more of a learning experience for all of the competitors, but of course I'm looking forward to hearing what people think about it when it's all done.
By the way, I'd like to recruit a couple of other judges to broaden the scope of the judges' point of view, so if you'd like to help with that (and disqualify yourself from this month's competition) EMAIL me as soon as possible. I promise that, as is done with DMBLGIT, the scores will not be attributed to a specific judge, and judges may remain anonymous if requested.
Judging Criteria...
Clearly, judging this competition is a purely subjective exercise, which means that the judges' food experience, cultural outlook, and personal likes and dislikes are the major determinants of the outcome. Given that understanding, I came up with the following two major criteria, each of which will be scored on a 1 - 10 scale:
Eatability (borrowed from the DMBLGIT photo competition). How strongly am I feeling that I would like to cook this dish, or perhaps have it placed in front of me on a plate?
Creativity. Originality of recipe or presentation or both. Degree of surprise, whimsy and/or esthetic achievement.
Extra Points... 1 - 4 points may be awarded for each of the following:
Use of ingredients. Using the four target ingredients in one dish in a natural or inspired way; or, if more than one dish, the pairing or grouping makes particular sense.
Integration of the food and presentation with the theme of this month's version of the competition.
Degree of difficulty. I like labor-intensive cooking and slow-food approaches, so I'm rewarding more difficult, involved approaches. I know, some people like quick and easy, but they're not the judges this month!
Anyway, enough words! As Owen has decreed, the Paper Chef is "for absolutely only the fun of it and for no other reason whatsoever," so let's all get ready to get into the kitchen and have fun with it.
Perhaps in deference to those who don't bow at the slow-food altar, you might award equivalent points for the extraordinarily simple ... not just easy but sublime in its very simplicity ... it may require even more imagination, more creativity, than a long, complicated, involved recipe (of which there are ka-billions). Just a thought. You ARE da judge!
Posted by: Alanna | September 30, 2005 at 10:38 AM
Stephen,
I nominate apples as an ingredient.
Posted by: Kevin | September 30, 2005 at 11:33 AM
Hey! I get to nominate this time!
I nominate red peppers (I have about a million from my CSA box at the moment)
Posted by: Owen | September 30, 2005 at 03:06 PM
I notice you specify EMAIL the ingredients.
I miss the fun of seeing what others had nominated before adding to the list.
Posted by: sam | October 01, 2005 at 03:10 PM
Thanks for the note, Sam. I've changed the instruction, requesting suggestions by way of comments...which reminds me: Sam suggested seaweed in an email...
Posted by: Stephen | October 02, 2005 at 08:44 AM
I nominate rice. Can't wait to start experimenting again ....
Posted by: 2-minute Noodle Cook | October 03, 2005 at 01:08 PM
hmmm...
how about...tofu?
Posted by: sarah | October 03, 2005 at 09:22 PM
Stephen,
You might want to post an update/reminder on the current ingredient list.
Posted by: Kevin | October 04, 2005 at 12:04 PM
Fish sauce. Stinky rotten smelling stuff but a essential for anything Asian. A real challenge with some of the ingredients.
Posted by: Ed Charles | October 04, 2005 at 07:31 PM
I would like to nominate butternut squash, which I think should be widely available lots of places now.
Posted by: Jennifer | October 05, 2005 at 01:30 PM
Hi, I'd like to nominate scallions.
Posted by: Lady Amalthea | October 06, 2005 at 05:09 AM
Because I'm not good at reading. I'm repaeting this comment from a later post...
I would like to nominate another ingredient that I've been dying to get on a Paper Chef for months now.... Quinoa!!
The best grain on earth!
Posted by: Chopper Dave | October 06, 2005 at 10:47 PM