I started this website over a decade with this concept in mind, “You have to eat, so why not learn to cook and eat well?”

I have really lived by that ever since, so when the wonderful people from LG contacted me about their “Taste of Something Better” cooking competition, where they celebrate top notch home cooks, it was right up my alley.

The three US finalists competed in New York, NY on September 28, for a trip to Bangkok, Thailand to compete in LG’s Global “Life Tastes Good” Cooking Competition.  As far as I know, there were no ingredient restrictions as there are with other cooking competitions (having to use/not use certain brands or ingredients).  This competition was strictly about making the most mouth-watering, judge-pleasing dishes using LG major kitchen appliances, nameley the LG radiant cooktop, wall oven and over-the-range microwave with warming lamp technology.

The three finalists had only thirty minutes to perfect their recipes using the LG equipment.  And each of the dishes definitely sounded worthy of winning.  Up for the grand prize were a Caesar bacon brie burger, a blood orange jerk chicken dish served with spiced rice (which the contestant named “Hakuna Matata rice,” in a nod to The Lion King) and Caribbean Cream, and the eventual winner, a mahi mahi and shrimp dish flavored with soy, lime and cilantro.  I don’t know about you, but I would love to get my hands on those recipes and am working on it!

As with other prominent cooking competitions, the LG Taste of Something Better competition was judged by the only female Iron Chef, Cat Cora, who is also the executive chef of Bon Appetit Magazine.  Chef de Cuisine of Bon Appetit Magazine, Jonathan Lindenauer, and Top Chef, Season 4 runner up and chef/owner of Flip Burger Boutique, Richard Blais, rounded out the judging panel.

For her winning Mahi Mahi recipe, Kristine Snyder of Maui, HI won a trip for two to Bangkok for the Global Life Tastes Good Cooking Competition, a complete kitchen makeover including top of the line LG products and $1,000 spending money while in New York.  The runners up also won great prizes. Jamie Miller from Napa, CA, who came in second won an LG four-door French door refrigerator, double wall oven and gas cooktop as well as $1,000 spending money.  Third place finisher, Lindsey Weiss of Kasas City, KS, won an LG double wall oven and $1,000 spending money.

All in all, it sounds like it was a great competition.  I can’t wait to see who wins the global competition November 10-12 in Bangkok.  LG plans to make this an annual event with a different theme every year, so if you think you have what it takes, check out LG’s Life Tastes Good for news and entry information.