Cooking Competitions

Cooking competitions are contests during which individuals or teams of people prepare dishes that subsequently are evaluated or judged according to predetermined guidelines or rules. A primary objective of these competitive events is to determine a winner or winners. A judge or panel of judges determines the winners by evaluating and ranking the prepared foods according to predefined criteria. Among the many other possible objectives are media attention for sponsors, judges, and/or contestants; product promotion; career advancement for judges and/or contestants; and entertainment for participants and audience members.

There is much variation within the genre of cooking competitions. The nature of the competition may be friendly or fierce. The contestants might be professional chefs or nonprofessional cooks. Contestants may be amateur cooks, food hobbyists, or dedicated ...