In article >,
Julian Vrieslander > wrote:

snip
>
> Cindy was on one of the teams, and I will let her describe the Iron Chef
> experience. For me, choosing the secret ingredients was enough of a
> challenge. My choices were constrained by a pre-agreed budget ($10 per
> person), and by the dietary restrictions of some people who would be
> sharing the dinner. Some are vegetarians. We also had to avoid gluten,
> tomatoes, fish, walnuts, and dairy products from cows.

As could be seen from the photos, I was on a team with two guys. There
was a no-show, which meant we couldn't have a battle of the sexes this
time. Both Mike and Chris are seasoned, creative cooks with tricks up
their sleeves. Mike devised the cream puff recipe FROM MEMORY. Both of
them are also no drama. The three of us had serious zen going on.
OTOH, the other kitchen was giddy and fueled with "pinky drinkies"--our
term for mixed drinks that call out for cocktail umbrellas.

Each team had three cooks, a runner (someone to go to the grocery
store), and assorted kibitzers. The dietary restrictions took some
work, but we were able to accommodate everyone with at least two
courses. Since Chris's daughter has celiac disease, our runner went to
his house to pick up wheat-free tamari sauce and rice crackers. As a
result, we spent very little on other ingredients.

I highly recommend this exercise for team-building or just a good time.
Three hours is sufficient to get the job done without letting things sit
too long--if you time things right.

Cindy

--
C.J. Fuller

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