Pillsbury Bake-Off

Last updated

The Pillsbury Bake-Off is an American cooking contest, first run by the Pillsbury Company in 1949. It has been called "one of the most successful promotions in the history of the modern food business". [1]

Contents

History

The first contest was held in 1949 as the Grand National Recipe and Baking Contest and hosted in the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel. [2] One hundred entries were selected for the final competition (97 women and 3 men). Pillsbury paid all expenses to fly in and host the contestants. At the awards banquet, Eleanor Roosevelt presented the winner with a $50,000 check. [a] Every contestant received at least $100 for their recipe and took home the G.E. electric stove used in the competition. All of the recipes were published in a booklet distributed to grocers nationwide. [1] The only required ingredient in the early contests was Pillsbury's BEST Flour. [3]

The contest was held annually from 1949–1976, 2013 to 2014, and since 2017; from 1978 to 2012, the contest was held biennially. [4] There was no contest in 1965 because the contest was moved from October to February. [5] In 1971, Pillsbury trademarked the term "bake-off". [6] There was no contest in 2015, 2016 nor 2020. [7] The contest reverted to an annual contest in 2013 and 2014, after the previous 18 contests were held in even-numbered years. Although the 2021 contest was held virtually, the Food Network aired the contest from New York, NY.

From 1996 to 2014, the grand prize was $1,000,000. From 2018 to 2019, the grand prize was $50,000 plus a kitchen makeover from GE Appliances.[ citation needed ] Occasionally, there has been a male category winner (1978, 1990, 1992, and 2002). The only male champion was Kurt Wait of Redwood City, California, who won in 1996; that year, 14 of the 100 finalists were men.

In 2014, the contest added eight additional "Sponsor Awards" for a prize of $5,000 each. [8] Categories and winners included: [9]

The 2022 edition was the first in the competition's history in which the use of traditional ovens was prohibited; entrants were allowed to use any other cooking appliance. It was promoted as the "Pillsbury Ovens Off Bake-Off Contest". [10]

Grand prize winners

YearRecipeGrand Prize Winner/City
1949No-Knead Water-Rising TwistsTheodora Smafield (Detroit, MI)
1950Orange Kiss-Me CakeLily Wuebel (Redwood City, CA)
1951Starlight Double-Delight CakeHelen Weston (La Jolla, CA)
1952Snappy Turtle CookiesBeatrice Harlib (Chicago, IL)
1953"My Inspiration" CakeLois Kanago (Weber, SD)
1954Open Sesame PieDorothy Koteen (Washington, DC)
1955Ring-A-LingsBertha Jorgensen (Portland, OR)
1956California CasseroleHildreth H. Hatheway (Santa Barbara, CA)
1957Accordion TreatsGerda Roderer (Berkeley, CA)
1958Spicy Apple TwistsDorothy DeVault (Delaware, OH)
1959Mardi Gras Party CakeEunice G. Surles (Lake Charles, LA)
1960Dilly Casserole BreadLeona Schnuelle (Crab Orchard, NE)
1961Candy Bar CookiesAlice Reese (Minneapolis, MN)
1962Apple Pie '63Julia Smogor (South Bend, IN)
1963Hungry Boys' CasseroleMira Walilko (Detroit, MI)
1964Peacheesy PieJanis Boykin (Melbourne, FL)
1966Golden Gate Snack BreadMari Petrelli (Las Vegas, NV)
1967Muffin Mix Buffet BreadMaxine Bullock (Topeka, KS)
1968Buttercream Pound CakePhyllis Lidert (Oak Lawn, IL)
1969Magic Marshmallow Crescent PuffsEdna M. Walker (Hopkins, MN)
1970Onion Lover's TwistNan Robb (Huachuca City, AZ)
1971Pecan Pie Surprise BarsPearl Hall (Snohomish, WA)
1972Streusel Spice CakeRose DeDominicis (Verona, PA)
Quick 'n Chewy Crescent BarsIsabelle Collins (Elk River, MN)
1973Quick Crescent Pecan Pie BarsMrs. Jerome Flieller, Jr. (Floresville, TX)
Banana Crunch CakeMrs. Ronald L. Brooks (Salisbury, MD)
1974Chocolate Cherry BarsFrancis I. Jerzak (Porter, MN)
Savoury Crescent Chicken SquaresDoris Castle (River Forest, IL)
1975Easy Crescent Danish RollsBarbara S. Gibson (Fort Wayne, IN)
Sour Cream Apple SquaresLuella Maki (Ely, MN)
1976Crescent Caramel SwirlLois A. Groves (Greenwood Village, CO)
Whole Wheat Raisin LoafLenora H. Smith (Baton Rouge, LA)
1978Nutty Graham Picnic CakeEsther Tomich (San Pedro, CA)
Chick-&-Broccoli Pot PiesLinda Mowery (Worthington, IN)
1980Italian Zucchini Crescent PieMillicent (Caplan) Nathan (Boca Ratón, FL)
1982Almond-Filled Cookie CakeElizabeth Meijer (Tucson, AZ)
1984Country Apple Coffee CakeSusan F. Porubcan (Jefferson, WI)
1986Apple Nut Lattice TartMary Lou Warren (Medford, OR)
1988Chocolate Praline Layer CakeJulie (Konecne) Bengtson (Bemidji, MN)
1990Blueberry-Poppy Seed Brunch CakeLinda Rahman (Petunia, CA)
1992Pennsylvania Dutch Cake and Custard PieGladys Fulton (Summerville, SC)
1994Fudgy BonbonsMary A. Tyndall (Whiteville, NC)
1996Macadamia Fudge TorteKurt Wait (Redwood City, CA)
1998Salsa Couscous Chicken Ellie Mathews (Port Angeles, WA)
2000Cream Cheese Brownie PieRoberta Sonefeld (Hopkins, SC)
2002Chicken Florentine PaniniDenise J. Yennie (Nashville, TN)
2004Oats 'n Honey Granola PieSuzanne Conrad (Findlay, OH)
2006Baked Chicken and Spinach StuffingAnna Ginsberg (Austin, TX)
2008Double-Delight Peanut Butter CookiesCarolyn Gurtz (Gaithersburg, MD)
2010Mini Ice Cream Cookie CupsSue Compton (Delanco, NJ)
2012Pumpkin Ravioli with Salted Caramel Whipped CreamChristina Verrelli (Devon, PA)
2013Loaded Potato PinwheelsGlori Spriggs (Henderson, NV)
2014Peanutty Pie Crust ClustersBeth Royals (Richmond, VA)
2018Bejeweled Cranberry-Orange RollsAmy Nelson (Zionville, NC)
2019Dublin Cheeseboard-Stuffed Appetizer BreadMelissa Jollands (Hudsonville, MI)
2021Sugar Cookie Skillet PancakeJulie Holden (Austin, TX)
2022 [b] Air Fryer Greek Crescent NachosLaurie McKenna (Fairfield, OH)
2024Mini Beef Wellingtons with Smoked Gouda Dipping Sauce [11] Julie McIntire (Independence, MO)
  1. The grand prize was $25,000. Contestants could double their prize by submitting a Pillsbury seal from the flour that they used.
  2. In this year's contest, any cooking appliance could be used except a traditional oven.

Broadcast

Year(s)HostNetworkNotes
1949–1957 Arthur Godfrey CBS
1958–68 Art Linkletter
1970–84 Bob Barker Placed in the same hour as a half-hour episode of The Price is Right (except 1970–1972, when Bob Barker was only hosting Miss USA and Miss Universe pageants for the CBS Network prior to his Price Is Right days)
1986–88 Gary Collins
Mary Ann Mobley
1990–1992 Willard Scott Willard Scott became the only NBC contracted person to host the Bake-Off for CBS in 1990.
1994–1998 Alex Trebek This was Alex Trebek's second time on the CBS network, he was last seen on the Network 17 years earlier hosting the Goodson-Todman Game Show Double Dare .
2000 Phylicia Rashad The first woman to host.
2002 Marie Osmond
2004Not airedN/A Dick Clark hosted the bake-off in 2004, but it wasn't shown on television.
2006
2008 Keegan Gerhard Food Network Aired as an episode of Food Network Challenge
2010 Oprah Winfrey SyndicationWinner was announced on The Oprah Winfrey Show
2012 Martha Stewart Hallmark Channel Winner was announced on The Martha Stewart Show
2013 Padma Lakshmi SyndicationWinner was announced on The Queen Latifah Show
2014 Carla Hall ABCWinner was announced on The Chew
2018 Ree Drummond Food Network Winners are announced on the Food Network television show The Kitchen
2019 Sunny Anderson and Jeff Mauro
2021- Donna Kelce (2024); virtual

-

Location held

Notes

    References

    1. 1 2 Shapiro, Laura (2004). Something from the oven: reinventing dinner in 1950s America. New York, N.Y.: Viking. pp. 34–40. ISBN   0-670-87154-0. OCLC   52471805.
    2. "The Incredible True History of the Pillsbury Bake-Off® Contest". Pillsbury. August 15, 2017.
    3. "The 1950s: Postwar Boom in the Kitchen". Pillsbury. Archived from the original on April 3, 2009.
    4. Larson, Linda. "The Pillsbury Bake-Off". Archived from the original on 2015-11-21.
    5. "The 1960s: Mom Goes to Work". Pillsbury. Archived from the original on April 3, 2009.
    6. Remley, Hilary Wheelan (April 23, 2025). "The Baking Company Behind The Great British Bake Off's American Name Change". Yahoo Life. Retrieved April 23, 2025.
    7. "Are changes rising for Pillsbury Bake-Off?". Cape Cod Times. October 12, 2016. Archived from the original on April 14, 2019.
    8. "The 47th Pillsbury Bake-Off Contest is Refreshed and Now Accepting Entries" (Press release). February 13, 2014. Retrieved March 19, 2023.
    9. "47th Pillsbury Bake-Off Contest Announces Four Recipes Vying for $1 Million Grand Prize" (Press release). November 4, 2014. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016.
    10. "The Pillsbury Bake-Off Contest returns with an unexpected twist" (Press release). General Mills. July 18, 2022. Retrieved July 30, 2023.
    11. Gutierrez, Lisa (November 15, 2024). "KC-area cook wins Pillsbury Bake-Off hosted by Donna Kelce. Here's the winning recipe". Kansas City Star. Retrieved January 25, 2025.