Cook's Information Page

Attention!!

Thanks to Sysco Foods for their contributions.

Basic Food Safety videos that can be downloaded for free at the Central District Health web site located at http://www.cdhd.idaho.gov/EH/food/train.htm   

There are six parts total, with each part approximately 5-8 minutes long.  Please view these videos to educate yourself on proper food safety and handling.

Key information for cooks:

Store food at 41F or below

Prepare food at the event as much as possible

Don't handle raw food

Use gloves when cooking and handle cooked food with tongs, or other clean utensils not having been in contact with raw food.

Bring multiple sets of tongs to ensure plenty of clean utensils

Ensure chicken temperature reaches 165F

Do not participate in the event should you become ill

Bring a bleach bucket and rinse bucket

Bleach bucket is a tub capable of holding a gallon of water mixed with one teaspoon of bleach to sanitize utensils

Rinse bucket (contains clean rinse water)

Booth Orientation

The following site plan is for planning purposes only, and does not reflect actual cook location. 

Booth locations are not assigned, and are available on a first come first serve basis.

A reasonable clearance will be maintained between booths and the shelter.

Fire code:  All grills must be placed a minimum of 10ft outside booths.  No grills allowed under canopies.

A 12ft space (fire break) will be maintained between every 700 ft² of booth area! 

We will have folks on hand to help ensure 12ft of space between each group of 7 booths (based on 10' x 10' booth).

Site plan (coming)

Our judging panel consists of 9 individuals this year, determining winners in the following categories-                            

Best Overall

Most Original

 Hottest

People's Choice

Scoring Criteria for Wings:

                 PREPARATION and APPEARANCE -- 25%

Was appearance the intended color, and uniformity?

Was the wing over/undercooked?

Was the wing unintentionally dry* or too greasy/soggy?

*Dry rubs would qualify as intentionally dry

Was the wing free of unintentional* burning?

*examples of intentional burning would be grill marks or searing

Was skin in tact?

Is the overall look of the wing appetizing?

             OVERALL TASTE -- 75%

Was flavor and texture acceptable?

Was the sauce overwhelming, or barely noticeable?

Did the sauce contain the right amount of intended kick*?

*kick can be defined as flavor or spice…and everything nice

Did it have an aftertaste (desirable/undesirable)?

Most importantly: Did you want to eat the entire wing, and ask for seconds?

     Each judge will also be able to select eligible wings for the Hottest, or Most Original categories, but these categories will be evaluated independently using a mixture of the above criteria.

     Judges will not discuss their opinions until after the event (although some opinions are sometimes expressed via the universal choking gesture).

     For those of you who have not judged before, there is a People’s Choice category for all food items (brownies, deep fried goodies, wings, etc.)

Here is how the People’s Choice will go down:

         1^st           Each cook will get a brightly colored sticker with a number on it for each food item they would like to compete in the People’s Choice category.

2^nd          We will have blank tickets (with a number sign on them) at the judging booth. People can cast their vote by writing only the number for their corresponding favorite food item on the ticket and putting it into the voting box (also located at the judging booth).

3^rd           The rule will be that each attendee can vote for their favorite food item (once). The judging panel will monitor this to the best of their ability, but it won’t have to be something that we sternly regulate (usually the winner is by a landslide).

4^th           We will also make announcements to remind people to pick up a voting ticket, but ultimately the cooks will need to be the ones encouraging folks to vote (via any means necessary) for their various food items that are competing for People’s Choice.

There is no cost for cooks to enter the competition.

A list of recommended items for our cooks -

Cooking platform of your choice (grill, smoker, Dutch oven, hibachi, etc...) 

Portable generators are allowed at the park for grills requiring electricity. 

Park electricity is not available for grills as it is dedicated to other equipment, and is not in proximity of the grilling booths.

Fire extinguisher (if you have one)

Horn or some type of notification to let guests know when your latest batch is ready. Order up!!! (Optional)

Multiple sets of tongs/utensils (one for handling raw food items, and another for serving cooked food items)

Gloves are required for handling food according to the Central District Health Department.

Matches

Spare cooking fuel

Spray bottle of water (for those occasional flare ups)

Apron

Camera to help us document the various perspectives of the event (please e-mail us your pics and we'll upload to the site).

Wet wipes

Shade canopy (most folks use a standard 10' x 10' canopy), and don't forget the stakes to secure your booth!!!  We've had a number of booths overturned due to wind, so be prepared!!

Chairs

Blankets

Coolers (store food items at 41F or below)

Sunscreen (or a big floppy hat if so desired...)

Table (prep & serving)

Tablecloth/s

Serving boats/plates/bowls/platters (or maybe a chaffing dish if you're so inclined).  Many cooks use cardboard boats to serve individual food items.

Did I mention wet wipes?!?!?

Tums...

Signage to identify your recipe (along with any food ingredient warnings you need to extend to guests including extreme heat, peanut products, etc...).

SPECIAL NOTE!!  If you have a HOT recipe, please ensure it's clearly identified on your signage to inform guests.  Thank you.

Side sauces, dips, or other special topical additives

Napkins

Ice

Trash can & bags (park cans fill quickly)

Foil or large Ziploc bags for any leftovers (yeah right!)