Home cooks needed for Emergency Kit Cook-Off

PHOENIX—In August, the Arizona Emergency Information Network (AzEIN) asked the public to help determine the ingredients for its inaugural family Emergency Kit Cook-off, a new National Preparedness Month activity held in cooperation with the Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Scottsdale and inspired by the 72-hour emergency kit.

The public reported to www.AzEIN.gov and voted. The survey is now closed, the ballots have been tallied, and AzEIN is excited to start phase two of the Kit Cook-off—highlighting your original recipes.

“AzEIN and the Le Cordon Bleu thank everyone who voted,” said Arizona Division of Emergency Management (ADEM) Director Lou Trammell. “We’re excited to see the recipes the public submits using the ingredients they chose.”

The public has until Friday, Oct. 7, to submit an original recipe using some or all of the “black box” ingredients. Home cooks are also free to use some basic pantry items, include a manual can opener, select seasonings, condiments and a gallon of water. Visit http://bit.ly/pmeOaX for a list of approved pantry items and submission guidelines.

Le Cordon Bleu Chef Jon-Paul Hutchins will create dishes using the nominated black box ingredients on live television later this month.

“The Emergency Kit Cook-off is about doing a lot with little,” said Chef Hutchins. “It’s a good challenge for creative home cooks and a hands-on way for youths to interact with the preparedness message. I hope folks take an interest in the cook-off and invent some unique but tasty dishes.”

Visitors to the Kit Cook-off website, http://bit.ly/pmeOaX, voted for two ingredients in each of the five categories—proteins; starches, grains and nuts; fruits and vegetables; and beverages. The winning ingredients are:

• Proteins: creamy peanut butter; canned chicken
• Starches, grains and nuts: canned black beans; rice
• Fruits and vegetables: applesauce; dried cranberries
• Beverages: instant coffee; evaporated milk

News from the cook-off, including the time and date of Chef Hutchins television appearance, will be posted to the Emergency Kit Cook-off webpage and Facebook (www.facebook.com/ArizEIN) and tweeted (www.twitter.com/AzEIN) using the #KitCookoff hashtag.

Visit the Arizona Emergency Information Network (AzEIN) website at www.AzEIN.gov for real-time emergency updates, preparedness and hazard information, and multimedia resources.