Loaf-Off 2006

The question isn't, “Why have a loaf-off?” The question is, and shall forever remain, “Why are we the first people to think of this?”

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• The Contest
• The Rules
• The Competitors
• The Judges
• The Play-by-Play

The Rules

People love contests. Unfortunately, contests need rules. And rules, you’re probably aware, need to be written. So they will be written.

Each competitor will prepare a full meal and present it to the judges in a blind taste test. Each competitor will complete a full meal: 1 to 2 slices of meatloaf, 1 vegetable side dish and 1 starch side dish.

The competitors will go shopping together. They will have 2 hours to complete their shopping adventure. Preferably, they will shop at a natural foods co-op, because they’re geeky like that. Yes, they will photograph the event.

Each competitor will purchase two pounds of ground beef, at least 75% lean. Vegetables and starches will be purchased as appropriate. Basic kitchen utensils (loaf pan, spoons, spatulas) and ingredients (spices, oils, butter, etc.) will be provided by the cooking locations.

Each competitor will have at least 5 hours to prepare a full-scale meatloaf assault on the taste buds of the judges. Competitors will cook in a “neutral site” kitchen, which is to say that neither competitor will cook in the kitchen in their house. Atom will cook at Jim’s house, Richard will cook at Dave and Mindy’s house. Atom will leave Jim’s house no later than 4:30 PM, so as to facilitate the transportation of his meal to the eating site.

Serving and Judging

Dinner will be served at 5:00 PM on Sunday, June 26th, 2006 at Dave and Mindy’s house. Each place setting will have 2 plates: one of Atom’s complete meal, one with Richard’s complete meal. The meals will be placed on the table before the judges enter the room, and the judges will not be made aware of which competitor’s meal is which. Judges will have 45 minutes to consume their servings and record their observations on the flavor, quality, presentation and overall effectiveness of the meals they’re eating.

At 6:00 PM, the winner will be announced. At 6:05, we’ll have to leave for the softball game, or we’ll be really late.

Prizes

If Atom wins, each time Atom gets a hit or catches a ball during the softball game, Richard will have to yell: “ALL HAIL THE MEATLOAF KING, ATOM!”

If Richard wins, each time Atom gets a hit or catches a ball during the softball game, Atom will have to yell: “ALL HAIL THE MEATLOAF KING, RICHARD!”

As Atom is a really crappy softball player, it is unlikely that there will be any yelling.

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