Last Chance to Enter Million-Dollar Pillsbury Bake-Off® Contest

(BUSINESS WIRE)--The heat is on for home cooks to come up with a recipe idea that could be worth $1 million, as the April 20, 2009, entry deadline for the 44th Pillsbury Bake-Off® Contest is quickly approaching. One hundred finalists will earn a trip to Orlando, Fla., next year to vie for the million-dollar grand prize and the glory of winning America’s most prestigious cooking competition.

This contest marks 60 years of recognizing and rewarding home cooks’ creativity, a history that began when the first Pillsbury Bake-Off® Contest was held at the Waldorf=Astoria in New York City. Pillsbury will celebrate this 60th anniversary at the contest finals April 11-13, 2010, at the newest Waldorf=Astoria property—the Waldorf=Astoria Orlando and Hilton Orlando Bonnet Creek hotel in Florida.

Entrants must submit their original recipes at www.bakeoff.com or the Spanish language site www.quericavida.com for preliminary judging.

“The recipes that make it into the final 100 are dishes families across the country will love. They’re new ideas that look tempting and taste great,” said Kim Anderson, Pillsbury Bake-Off® Kitchens Manager. “Finding inspiration for a simple recipe idea can be as easy as experimenting with new flavors or watching your favorite cooking show on television.”

Whether the idea comes from leftovers in the fridge or the desire to try a new product, Anderson shares these tips from the Pillsbury Bake-Off® Kitchens for creating an original recipe:

* Create a contemporary version of a traditional recipe by streamlining preparation techniques or by substituting a convenience ingredient for several ingredients.
* For inspiration, browse your grocery store aisles or visit a new restaurant and order a dish you’ve never tried.
* Adapt a recipe for a different serving occasion, such as turning a main dish into an appetizer. Try adding a new flavor twist.
* Think about a recent vacation and take cues from the new foods and flavors you tried.
* Challenge yourself to whip up a new dish from foods that are already in your fridge and pantry.
* Once you have a good idea, ask yourself, “Does it look attractive? Will it appeal to the whole family? Would my friends ask me for this recipe?”
* As you test your recipe, ask yourself, “Does it taste good? Are the seasonings too spicy, too bland or just right? What can be done to make this taste even better? Does the texture complement the recipe?”
* Remind yourself what the judges are looking for: taste, appearance, creativity and consumer appeal, and ask, “Will my recipe stand out?”

How to Enter

Creative cooks must enter online at www.bakeoff.com (or at www.quericavida.com). Only entries submitted via the electronic entry form provided on these web sites will be accepted. All entries must be received by 11:59 a.m. (central daylight time) on April 20, 2009.

Cash and Prizes

Four recipe categories define the kinds of recipes consumers should submit for the Bake-Off® competition. These include Breakfast & Brunches, Entertaining Appetizers, Dinner Made Easy™ and Sweet Treats. One of the four category winners will win the $1 million grand prize and a GE Profile™ Induction Free-Standing Range, plus the winner chooses $7,000 in additional GE Profile™ kitchen appliances. Combined retail value of Grand Prize is approximately $1,010,300. The three remaining Recipe Category Winners will each receive $5,000 and a GE Profile™ Induction Free-Standing Range. Combined retail value of each Category Prize is approximately $8,300.

Three additional awards will be presented to winners chosen from any of the recipe categories who have not already won another prize. The most innovative recipe will receive the GE Imagination at Work Award and its winner receives a GE Profile™ Induction Free-Standing Range, plus the winner chooses $1,700 in additional GE Profile™ kitchen appliances. Retail value of the GE Imagination At Work Award is approximately $5,000. The Jif® Peanut Butter Award recognizes the finalist who has the best recipe using at least ¼ cup of Jif® Peanut Butter. The winner will receive $5,000. The Crisco is Cooking™ Award recognizes the finalist who has the best recipe using at least 1 tablespoon of Crisco® Cooking Oil. The winner will receive $5,000.

Eligible Products

Contest officials have created two lists of eligible products. Contestants must use two or more different eligible products in their recipes, with at least one ingredient from the primary list of products and a second from either the primary or secondary list.

The primary list features returning eligible products to the contest, including Pillsbury® Refrigerated Crescent Dinner Rolls, Classic Pizza Crust, Cookie Dough and Ready to Bake Cookies, Grands!® and Golden Layers® Biscuits, Cinnamon Rolls, Breadsticks, Crusty French Loaf, and Pie Crusts; Pillsbury® Brownie Mixes and Pillsbury BEST® Flour. Pillsbury Refrigerated Crescent Recipe Creations™ flaky dough sheet and Thin Pizza Crust are new products on the primary list.

The secondary list features Green Giant® Frozen Vegetables, Jif® Peanut Butter, Smucker’s® Jams, Jellies, Preserves, Fruit Spreads and Ice Cream Toppings, Crisco® Cooking Oil, Eggland’s Best Eggs, LAND O LAKES® Stick Butter and Fisher® Nuts. Eagle Brand® Sweetened Condensed Milk and Hershey®’s cocoa, baking chips or bits and baking chocolate are new eligible ingredients also on the secondary list.

Many of the eligible ingredients are familiar to home cooks and come in a variety of flavors, so people can choose their favorite ingredients from throughout the grocery store to use in their recipes. The official contest rules are available at www.bakeoff.com (or the Spanish language site www.quericavida.com) and list the specific eligible products and the amount of each that must be used in a recipe entry.

The upcoming 44th Pillsbury Bake-Off® Contest is sponsored by General Mills, General Electric, The J.M. Smucker Company, Eggland’s Best, Land O’Lakes, Inc., Fisher® Nuts and The Hershey Company.

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