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Cookoff: Recipe Fever in America
Product Group: Book
Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics) (2004-05-25)
ISBN: 014200474X
EAN: 9780142004746
Dewy Decimal #: 641.5973
Paperback: 352 pages
Release Date: 2004-05-25
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Editorial Reviews
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Product Description
Competitive cooking isn’t limited to Iron Chef. Across America, amateur chefs cross spatulas at more than a thousand competitions covering numerous states and a pantry full of ingredients. Following a small group of contestants for a year on the contest circuit, journalist Amy Sutherland introduces us to well-known cookoff luminaries as well as some of the most bizarre cooks and recipes at local and national contests across the country—from the Great Garlic Cookoff to the National Chicken and National Beef Cookoffs, from the World Champion Jambalaya Cooking Contest to the Pillsbury Bake-Off®, the Holy Grail of competitive cooking. When the fanatics gather—be they chiliheads or barbecue fiends—and hunker down at the hot plate, it can be a recipe for delight or disaster as attitudes get spicy and tempers flare. Bursting with humor, Cookoff is an entertaining and in-depth look at a quirky, cutthroat, and (sometimes) delicious world.
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Customer Reviews
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A fun look at the world of cookoffs
Rating  (3)
Date: 2007-07-10
I loved the glimpse I was given into the cookoff world. I had a hard time keeping track of all the different contestants in the various cookoffs, but the author did a good job keeping my interest.
A good read.
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must-read for cooking contesters!
Rating  (4)
Date: 2005-09-08
0 out of 4 customers found this reveiw helpful
The author is snippy and unflattering to her subjects, but she provides valuable information for anyone who wants to try their luck in a cooking contest.
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And you thought competitive cooking was boring.....
Rating  (5)
Date: 2005-05-02
I admit it. I am not much of a cook. I rarely ever cook, and my husband and kids are better for it. Nonetheless, I loved this book. I read the stories of culinary expertise with great envy, yet with great fascination. The dedication and the creativity of the so-called "contesters" who live and breathe the competitive cooking lifestyle astounded me. This is a great study of average people who find their skill in not-so-average arenas. I actually found myself tensing up as the contests covered would come to an end, hoping my favorites would do well (and the snobbish ones would not). Piece of advice: if you like the suspense of it, don't flip ahead to the end of the chapter, as the winning recipe is there in plain sight. I expected to bump into some slow spots, but there were none to be found for me. This book kept my interest through to the end. There are personalities to love, and there are personalities to hate, just like any good book. Who knew a book about competitive cooking could be so thrilling? And who knows? I may just attempt to whip up one of the winning dishes. Maybe there's a chef somewhere in me, after all. Read this book, and you will never watch "The Food Network" the same way. I may even create my own recipe to enter into the competitions. Pickled Eggs and Spam, anyone? No? Maybe I'll stick with fast food for now.....
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Delightful
Rating (5)
Date: 2004-06-12
7 out of 8 customers found this reveiw helpful
Cookoff: Recipe Fever in America is a delightful book, especially for readers who enjoy cookbooks and cooking magazines. Amy Sutherland, a journalist from Maine, got invited to the Pillbury Bake Off rather serendipitously and decided to go, pretty much as a lark, figuring that it would prove an amusing piece of Americana. Sutherland was surprised to discover an entire cookoff subculture, with an entertaining cast of characters and no shortage on drama. Her experience at the Bake Off inspired her to spend over a year traveling around the country, spending time at cookoffs and time with contesters: cookoff professionals, some of whom have won substantial sums of money for their devoted cooking efforts. Each chapter focuses on either a particular cookoff, or a particular aspect of cookoffs, such as what happens when cheating occurs. Sutherland is a wonderful writer, able to keep you in suspense (and actually make you care!) over who would actually each cookoff. I really enjoyed reading this book; it is pretty much a refreshing change from anything I have read in a long time. I highly recommend this to anyone who enjoys reading about food. Enjoy.
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contestant observations
Rating (3)
Date: 2004-03-15
7 out of 17 customers found this reveiw helpful
An otherwise interesting book is marred by the author's snippy and mostly unneccessary comments about the contestants and/or their spouses. It did nothing to add to the book-but detract it did.
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Retail Price: $14.00
Amazon.com's Price:$0.01
That's 100% Off!
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