Six New London High School students recently participated in the Indian Hills Community Colleges Iron Chef competition. The event aimed to promote creative cooking skills among high school students, challenging teams of four to six participants to prepare a three-course meal with surprise ingredients. The competition took place twice this academic year, with the most recent one being held on April 15th, 2023.

Competition Format and Challenges

The competition’s format this year was new and much more challenging than previous years, as teams were not aware of the ingredients until arrival at the event. The first course required a salad or vegetable-forward appetizer, and the second course included a mystery basket. Going into the competition, the students knew they would receive either a pork tenderloin or chicken thighs for their main course protein, along with asparagus, green beans, zucchini, or yellow squash as the vegetable. Every team also prepared a dessert for the competition.

Team Experience and Feedback

The New London students found the competition challenging due to the time constraints and surprise ingredients. They had only two hours to cook and 10 minutes to consult with their instructor. Freshman Landon Lair reported that their team struggled with overcooking the pork and seasoning the vegetables correctly. Despite the team not feeling confident about their cooking skills, they received feedback from a panel of three judges from the Indian Hills culinary department.

The Benefits of Participating

Despite the difficulty of the competition, the students found the event to be an excellent learning experience. Landon Lair mentioned how he learned to cook pork slowly to avoid dryness, which was a valuable skill for him. Lair, alongside his classmates Annie Sines, Izzy Dusenberry, Naomi Haynes, Brigham Porter, and Carter Benjamin, enjoyed the experience and is open to participating again in the future.

Conclusion

Overall, the Indian Hills Community Colleges Iron Chef competition was a success in promoting creative cooking skills among high school students. The New London students enjoyed the experience, despite not placing in the competition, and learned valuable skills they can use in their future culinary endeavors.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Who are the New London high school students that participated in the Indian Hills Iron Chef competition?

  The New London high school students who participated in the Indian Hills Iron Chef competition are Annie Sines, Izzy Dusenberry, Naomi Haynes, Brigham Porter, Landon Lair, and Carter Benjamin.

• Where is Indian Hills Community College located?

  Indian Hills Community College is located in Ottumwa, Iowa.

• What is the Indian Hills Iron Chef competition and who can participate?

  The Indian Hills Iron Chef competition is a cooking competition designed for teams of four to six high school students to practice creative cooking skills. The competition is held twice a year at Indian Hills Community College in Ottumwa, Iowa. Any high school student team can participate.

• What was the format of the competition and what did the New London team have to cook?

  The competition format required each team to cook a three-course meal within a two-hour time frame. For the first course, the teams had to prepare a salad or “veggie-forward” appetizer. For the second course, the teams were given a mystery basket of ingredients to work with. For the main course, the teams knew they would be given either a pork tenderloin or chicken thighs as their protein, and asparagus, green beans, zucchini, or yellow squash as their vegetable. The New London team received pork for their main course, which they found challenging to cook. They also had to prepare a rice side and a dessert.