[Sca-cooks] Planning a Siege Cooking Event

[iasmin at comcast.net]

Friends,

I was recently asked if I would consider hosting a siege cooking competition for this coming summer at a local event. I've heard several ideas on the theme of this topic and was wondering if people had heard of other ways that this was approached. Here are the major variations that have been talked about in the big cooking email lists. The rules involved in these variations are even more extensive, so I haven't listed them, just the bare bones ideas (pun intended). Have you tried these before? What worked and what didn't? Are there other variations you saw or heard about that were particularly good or intriguing? Why were they so?

Cheers,

Iasmin

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Event Provides All Ingredients: The event staff creates a scenario under which the cookery competition happens. All ingredients are supplied in premeasured amounts and contestents are not allowed to add to what they have been given. They must bring their own cooking equipment, but nothing that will be consumed. One variation on this that I've seen is that while the event provides the ingredients in measured amounts, competitors can choose from a list. For example, choose 3 of the 5 spices listed.

Event Provides Main Ingredients: The event staff supplies a single main ingredient or series of ingredients that must be used and provides them in premeasured amounts. Additional supplies of any kind can be brought by competitors with no limit on amounts.

Event Provides Main Ingredient, Competitor Brings Specified Infredients: The event staff supplies a single main ingredient and competitors are told they may bring supplies of a specified type or amount. Several variations on this have been used. Competitors can bring whatever will fit into a specified size box. Competitors can bring no more than specific measures of a list of ingredients.

Competitors Supply All Ingredients, But Event Staff Require One: The event staff suggests a scenario and tells competitors to bring a specified list of ingredients, among which one in particular must be included. Usually the common ingredient is something easily obtainable from any grocery store in midwestern america.