Anyone Ever Use the Stir Crazy Game?

[sunnygirl in nd]

I've been looking at it online. You divide people up into teams and they create a recipe using the game. I have my first couple's show coming up and am wondering if this would be good to use.

 

[cindylpal]

Sorry...I've never heard of that! I've done "cook offs"...guys against the girls!

 

[BlueMoon]

I've been looking at it online. You divide people up into teams and they create a recipe using the game. I have my first couple's show coming up and am wondering if this would be good to use.

I just looked at this on Amazon.com. How cool! It sounds like something I'd enjoy as a guest, anyway! If you try it I hope you report on it, I think it could be a big hit, esp if you can stay on focus with product knowledge as people use things---or wait! after the game you can ask people to share what tool they loved, what surprised them, what tool turned out to be a secret weapon...or something like that

Please let us know how it all comes out!

Marghi

 

[zmom58]

Exactly how does it work?

 

[BlueMoon]

I found out this game is out of print, only available on Amazon.com and ebay I don't know how it would work for a PC party, I have never played it, but from the description on Amazon.com, I think my friends would like it. I also think if we looked at one, we could make up our own after that.

this is the link to the http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00000IVT4/?tag=pfamazon01-20, but there are others, too.

Marghi

 

[pampchefsarah]

Here's the Product Description (from Marghi's link):
Editorial Review
Finally, a dinner party that's easy to prepare for! All you have to do is buy this kit, shop for some groceries, and tidy up the house. Your guests will prepare a Mexican feast and have a blast doing it. Simply divide your guests (from 4 to 20) into 2 teams. You provide a variety of Mexican ingredients from the included shopping list and each team spins for which ingredients they get. Your chefs then create a Mexican meal without the help of recipes or cookbooks. After a delicious meal, everyone votes on the best appetizer, entrée, dessert or side dish, food presentation, table presentation, invention of food names, and overall creativity. A special award is also given for "the dish the dog wouldn't eat." The kit contains 12 invitations, a cassette tape with instructions and theme music, 12 disposable aprons, 2 chef hats, a spinner, 2 ingredients lists, team menu cards, 12 voting forms, 1 tally sheet, team nametags, a shopping list, and plenty of helpful instructions. This party pack is the perfect formula for a Mexican fiesta that's easy on the host and an absolute riot for all involved. --Tami Horiuchi

Here's an excerpt from a review:
First your guests are divided into two teams. Each team has their own kitchen. Before your party you go out and purchase the groceries on the list. Your guests play a game to win and steal ingredients. Once all the ingredients have been divvied the cooking begins. Each team has a set amount of time to create their meal without using recipes. They must create an appetizer, main course, side dish, and dessert.

My thoughts:
Instead of "no recipe or cookbook" the Consultant would provide hints (and, of course, the ingredient list) for one of our Theme Shows. The "win and steal ingredients" could be based on answers to questions about products, the business, or booking a show ie, "what's your favorite way to use the Food Chopper?" "How do you NOT wash a Stone?" "What's the best way to earn FREE product?" etc. You, as the Consultant, get to ask the questions, and the guests benefit from answering them!

 

[cookingwith_tara]

sarah, I like you're idea .. so you're saying take turns with each group, asking questions. If they get it right they can proceed to the next step? If not, then what? Maybe give the other group a chance to answer? Once they get the answer right then the consultant will hand them the next step?

it's sounds like something we could definitely play around with to find a way to make it work for us

 

[BlueMoon]

My thoughts:
Instead of "no recipe or cookbook" the Consultant would provide hints (and, of course, the ingredient list) for one of our Theme Shows. The "win and steal ingredients" could be based on answers to questions about products, the business, or booking a show ie, "what's your favorite way to use the Food Chopper?" "How do you NOT wash a Stone?" "What's the best way to earn FREE product?" etc. You, as the Consultant, get to ask the questions, and the guests benefit from answering them!

ooh Sarah, I like this! I was thinking about this a lot as I was out waling the dogs just now, and I notice in the picture of the game, their is one silly paper chef's hat in the box. I think we can get these at party stores--might be a fun way to get people excited. Or maybe little disposable aprons. Have you noticed that when people get "in costume"--whether it's a hat or some other thing, they feel a little freer to relax and "act up."
Marghi

 

[pampchefsarah]

I was giving this some thought - and would love to see this thread continue so we can 'perfect' the game. Instead of winning/earning an ingredient, how about winning/earning the use of a tool? If you answer the question wrong, you have to chop up that onion with a knife. Answer correctly, and you get to use the Food Chopper. Washing lettuce? Earn the opportunity to try out the Salad & Berry Spinner, or wash and dry those leaves by hand!

What are some other suggestions? How about a name (since Stir Crazy is probably copyrighted)?

 

[Melissa78]

Just came across this link - this game was HIGHLY recommended by Nancy Jo Ryan and we did it at our Weekend Retreat with her in Oct and it was hilarious (I didn't participate as we were having a directors training with NJR). All of the C-TL's played it and it turned out FABULOUS.

 

[BethCooks4U]

We did it at our director retreat last year and it was a blast. I'm so glad I had realy creative cooks on my team. We WON!

 

[esavvymom]

Did you play it with the actual book/game from Amazon, or did you make up your own version?It reminds me alot of the Amazing Race theme that was around a few years ago. I wasn't a consultant at the time, but went to my Director's show and that's what they did. It was a couples party....we divided into teams as we came in by getting pieces of candy randomly....one of two colors. When we split- there was a team "captain" who was in charge of keeping the recipe card steps. The rest of us cooked/prepped the food. At certain points in the steps, there was a whistle-cue and that was the consultant's que for a Commercial Break sort of thing. at one point, we had to switch recipes part way through. It was fun and engaging, that's for sure!

 

[ChefBeckyD]

Just came across this link - this game was HIGHLY recommended by Nancy Jo Ryan and we did it at our Weekend Retreat with her in Oct and it was hilarious (I didn't participate as we were having a directors training with NJR). All of the C-TL's played it and it turned out FABULOUS.

We did it at our director retreat last year and it was a blast. I'm so glad I had realy creative cooks on my team. We WON!

Beth & Melissa - could you give a bit more detail as to how this was played? I would LOVE to do something like this...but I'm having a little bit of a problem fleshing out the details myself.

~Did you use PC Recipes?

~If so, did you have the recipe there, or did you just have the basket of ingredients like the game talks about?

~Were the products divided up by team, or were they in a location for them to grab what they wanted?

~How were teams decided?

 

[lisa717]

I found this online----I think I am going to do this..I have a group of re-booking girls that would have a HOOT with this!!
The game actually comes with very detailed instructions as well as invitations. Your guests come thinking that they are going to a party themed around a specific ethnic food--either Mexican or Asian depending on the theme of your party. This is true but what they don't know is that they'll be responsible for the cooking!

Once your guests arrive, they divide into two teams and then you divide up a list of ethnic ingredients by lottery--or more specifically a spinner. (Read that to mean it's not guaranteed that you'd get exactly what you need--you'll have to be creative!) Each team also gets a set of ingredients that are typically used in the type of cuisine that you are going to cook.

The game comes with tons of tips on how to function as two teams in one kitchen, tips on cooking and a very easy to follow hostess guide.

Personally, I've always wanted to throw some type of dinner party of this nature. I think the trick to making it succeed is having people who enjoy food and enjoy each other. I could see this being a good activity to get to know people. I should also note that you could throw the dinner party more than once since what you cook is dependent on what ingredients you draw at the beginning of the evening.

 

[Melissa78]

I honestly wouldn't do it as a PC show - I'd do it if I was having my friends over for an evening for some fun. The description above does explain it well. When we did it 2 other directors put all of the ingredients on one table and then as listed above, you 'play for ingredients'. You develop the recipe, name it, decorate table etc. BUT you are not given the recipes, ideas, tablescapes etc. Everything our teams made was DELICIOUS. I was simply amazed. I didn't watch for the 'playing' part as we were outside with NJR - i saw the beginning and end result. Ours played the Italian theme. They give you a CD to play as you go along that explains step by step what to do.

 

[mountainmama74]

How funny that this thread was started! I've been brewing an idea like this in my head for a little while now - I mentioned it to a host just the other day! I think it would be a GREAT show for battle of the sexes!

At our Director Christmas party this year, we had the guys make us dessert and that's where the idea started forming for me!My thought was that there would be two recipes prepared - one a main dish and one a dessert. There would be several ingredients on the main dish table, and several ingredients on the dessert table. Each team would have to come up with a recipe using all but one or two of the ingredients! I think it would be so much fun!!

 

[lisa717]

I am going to do it...just need ideas on pairs of recipes that would work well together? Any ideas??????? Pair any 2 Pc recipes together!

 

[kcmckay]

WOW! This sounds like a lot of fun! I really want to figure out a good PC variation to do as a competition show?? So if anyone is brewing the idea please share! I'd love to do it as a game/ dinner party as well as I've got lots of friends that like to cook and would probably enjoy this but just haven't been willing to do a PC show or I've exhausted that angle with them!

But I do like this and will think of ways to present it and offer it as a show. But I need some guidelines myself!

 

[flemings99]

Found the following in my files. I'm sure they came from here at some point.

..…Have two paper bags with the 2 different recipe ingredients. Divide the group in half (you can do this any way you want). Give each team a bag of groceries. One group has the directions/ingredients but no measurements. The other group has no directions/ingredients but the measurements needed for each ingredient. The first to finish the closest to what the recipe should be like wins the game.

..…Race with the Twist. One group could do the Pepperoni version and the other can make the Apple/Cranberry. (Besides racing, they can see which group manages to keep the seams from coming apart!!)

..…Do a skit with two people - one person stands there as the body and puts their hands behind their back and they do the talking. Then the other person is behind them, but can't see and their hands do the work. Have the husband and wives be teams and you can decide who does what or they can. Pick a fairly easy recipe with many steps (i.e. the cool veggie pizza). Have the crust pre-made. Then the first couple would have the job of getting the cream cheese mixture into the bowl. Team 2 would have to add garlic, dill, etc. and mix the mixture and spread it onto the crust. And so on with the remaining teams and steps in the recipe.

 

[BethCooks4U]

My director got lots of ingredients (she used Mexican cooking as the theme). There were 3 teams - she gave us plastic aprons with 3 different stickers on them to determine which team we were on. We took turns getting ingredients and theme decorations that we'd use. We had to do something or other to decide who went first and there was some opportunity to steal I think. There were no recipes. We had to put together appetizer, soup, main dish and dessert with what ever ingredients we ended up with. There was a time limit. AND the tools were all PC tools if someone else had a tool we needed (or even space on the stove) we had to barter to use them so there was sharing of some ingredients to get to use certain tools. We also had to set our table and decorate it.

The winner was determined by a vote by everyone as to the best presentation and best taste of each course so there were 5 votes and the winner was the team that won the most. Our team won 4 of the 5 areas.

It was fun. I don't think I'd even consider it for a show but it's a great team meeting activity if you have at least 12-15 people.

 

[Melissa78]

It was fun. I don't think I'd even consider it for a show but it's a great team meeting activity if you have at least 12-15 people.

My thoughts exactly! I mentioned previously that its a ton of fun but something more suited for either a mtg to work on team work as well as cooking skills or a great get-together game for friends/family. Since there are no recipes - it could turn into a disaster as a show (potentially) or be a real hoot but I think its risky and it took a LONG time (at least the game) vs we are all taught to keep our shows short and sweet. All just my opinion after seeing it in action.

Perhaps a modified version would work but the game as is is not something for a show. Again, my opinion.

 

[ChefBeckyD]

My thoughts exactly! I mentioned previously that its a ton of fun but something more suited for either a mtg to work on team work as well as cooking skills or a great get-together game for friends/family. Since there are no recipes - it could turn into a disaster as a show (potentially) or be a real hoot but I think its risky and it took a LONG time (at least the game) vs we are all taught to keep our shows short and sweet. All just my opinion after seeing it in action.

Perhaps a modified version would work but the game as is is not something for a show. Again, my opinion.

I'm gonna modify it!

I'm advertising in my newsletter as a great way to cure Cabin Fever...still working on the details though.

 

[Melissa78]

Good luck! Be sure to tell us about your results!

 

[Liquid Sky]

I was giving this some thought - and would love to see this thread continue so we can 'perfect' the game. Instead of winning/earning an ingredient, how about winning/earning the use of a tool? If you answer the question wrong, you have to chop up that onion with a knife. Answer correctly, and you get to use the Food Chopper. Washing lettuce? Earn the opportunity to try out the Salad & Berry Spinner, or wash and dry those leaves by hand!

I LOVE this idea!