"CookingCompetition" news and stories

Photo: Jessica S. Ralat.

Is there anyone whose grandmother hasn't served a casserole surprise, cobbled together from leftovers or the contents of the cupboard, and topped with cheese, potatoes and/or fried onions? And is there anyone who hasn't winced when it reached the table?

On Monday, the State Fair of Texas held the All-American Casserole Contest. Sixteen competitors -- mostly of the geriatric set -- entered casseroles in three categories: vegetable, chicken and meat.

The panel of judges, at first, gobbled entry samples with gusto. Once the initial excitement waned, however, the judges paced themselves for the long haul. Then the power went out.

Lest you think technical difficulties might have impeded the culinary tête-à-tête, Slashfood is here to remind you that cooking competitions are serious business at fairs nationwide. No dysfunctional lightbulb was going to halt these casseroles and their creators! Find out who won and see photos from the fair after the jump.

Starting this Friday, October 3rd, Food Network will be holding tryouts for the next season of The Next Food Network Star. They'll be auditioning people in the flesh over the next four weeks in Washington, D.C., New York, Los Angeles, Charleston, S.C., Portland, OR and Philadelphia. For those of you who don't live in one of the cities they'll be visiting, you can also apply on online by filling out the application form and uploading a short video, stating why you want to be TNFNS.

Complete details about the casting calls is after the jump.

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The embeddable video from last night's Top Chef isn't quite available yet, but I thought I'd find some food video content to keep you guys busy while you wait. So here we have episode two of Hell's Kitchen (if you missed the first one, you can find it here), the American version of Gordon Ramsay's show (which bears several similarities to Top Chef) that gives him an opportunity yell and scream at aspiring chefs.

Check back tomorrow for the complete Top Chef episode.

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