Experience the Convenience of Power Cooking with Our Live Demos

[JAE]

Has anyone demoed the Power Cooking recipes at a show yet? I am trying to figure out if I should demo chopping the onion and cooking the hamburger. Is that what you all are doing? Or, are you cooking the onion and hamburger before guests arrive? That's half the demo isn't it?

 

[quiverfull7]

When they showed this to us at Leadership it was done in the interactive format so that the guests were doing all those things as they came in right from the beginning. That way they were using the tools, the food was taken care of up front and then they moved on to sit down and get the catalogs out etc. Ya'll correct me on any of this if it's not the way they showed up PLEASE!

 

[chefann]

The power cooking materials from HO have a fairly complete show outline. The ground beef should be cooked as part of pre-show prep, but have one of the early arrivers help.

 

[quiverfull7]

Thanks Ann!

 

[JAE]

So, if it's pre show prep then nobody sees the garlic pressed or the onion chopped exept the host and anyone who arrives early? Hmmm.... Anyone done this yet? I've seen the HO guide. I'm just wondering how it all plays out in real life.

 

[chefann]

You can talk about the garlic press and food chopper. But 3 pounds of ground meat takes a long time to brown, and would be really boring for guests (IMO).

 

[DebbieJ]

I do the beef with the host and anyone else who arrives early. The star of that show is the Mix N Chop. I think 99% of the guests at my last show bought one cuz the host LOVED IT!!You can still work the Food Chopper into your demo elsewhere. Personally, I prefer to use a knife on the onions anyway.

 

[pampchefrhondab]

I made the hoagies, tacos and sloppy joes this weekend. I liked them, but don't think they had the WOW affect many of our recipes do. I think I will throw in a WOW dessert w/this show.

 

[bearydutch]

I just had a power cooking show and I wondered the same thing about cooking the meat before the show. I'm glad I did because it took a long while to cook (it was still cooking during the first part of my dem0). The host helped in the prep and the house smelled like food when the guests arrived. I talked about the products I used. I did add my own twist though to show off the garlic press. We made the hoagies to sample so I put some of our basil oil in a prep bowl added fresh garlic, basted the top of the hoagie buns, topped with cheese and warmed them in the oven using the round stone with handles....it was a hit and I showed more products, not to mention tasted even yummier.

 

[pamperedbecky]

Tonight we had a new consultant training/Cook and Book and we decided to do the Power Cooking show as the demo. We made the Hoagies to eat (YUM!!) and froze the tacos, sloppy joes and stroganoff. We did this based on 5 lbs of beef though, not the 3 that's suggested. Wow, does it make me want to do that this week for my family! What a cool idea. I think this show idea will be huge, so I hope to do this lots and lots at home to practice and get it down to a science. I also think it'll be easier and easier to do it in an interactive format the more I do it. I haven't done it for a show yet, but it does seem to make sense to have the beef done a little ahead of time. What a cool way to show a bunch of products!

 

[JAE]

I didn't think it took that long to cook the meat. Do you all cook it on medium high? I was doing other things while it was cooking so maybe that's why I didn't notice how long it was taking. Draining it was tedious. I only like draining meat in the wire/mesh strainers, and I don't have a very large one. It's about the size of PC's, but it's a little deeper. While it's cooking, I could be opening cans and putting the other ingredients into the ziploc bags while talking about the cookware. That way everyone could see the onions being chopped with the food chopper and/or chef's knife, the garlic being pressed and the Mix 'N Chop being used on the meat. The draining would be a problem, though. I'm still trying to get this worked out. I'm planning to do this on February 7 at a show, and for now, I plan to cook the meat ahead. Any ideas of a good, quick demo after it's put together? I would love to use the Microplane grater, FC, and a stone...my favorites.

 

[DebbieJ]

You host should buy the leanest beef possible. Then just push the beef all to one side, tip the pan, and the grease will fall to the other side. Soak it up with a papertowel. Works like a charm.

 

[JAE]

That is what I usually do, but it was so much that I decided not to waste paper towel. I didn't realize other people did the same thing. Now, I don't have to hide the fact that I do that all the time.

 

[wadesgirl]

At home I usually scoop it out with a spoon into an old jar. When the jar is full, it goes in the trash (jar stays in the fridge). I guess I would probably ask a host what she does with her grease.

 

[ChefMoore]

Do you all have the 12" skillet? If not what do you brown the meat in? I only have the 8" saute pans in the executive and the stainless, and the executive griddle, but I don't think any of those will work. I am planning on getting the 10" executive saute when the samples go online, but I doubt that will be big enough either. Do any of you brown the meat in non-PC cookware? (Gasp! I know!)

 

[chefmeg]

Do you all have the 12" skillet? If not what do you brown the meat in? I only have the 8" saute pans in the executive and the stainless, and the executive griddle, but I don't think any of those will work. I am planning on getting the 10" executive saute when the samples go online, but I doubt that will be big enough either. Do any of you brown the meat in non-PC cookware? (Gasp! I know!)

I have browned 3-5 lbs of meat in the Turkey Roaster! It is what I am planning to use for the Power Cooking shows, too!

 

[CookingwithMary]

I've used the "once a month cooking" idea for about a decade. Same as Power Cooking. When my hand was injured, I'd brown smaller amounts of meat in a smaller pan, drain, then transfer to a larger bowl.So brainstorming: Perhaps cooking the majority of the meat in whatever large pan the host has--and finishing off a smaller amount in the pan you do have would work for show purposes?I plan to keep the garlic press on the demo table for people to use. We can always make salsa in the batter bowl to serve with chips...it goes together quickly and everyone likes it, shows a lot of tools, too!

 

[Chef Kearns]

For the sake of showing more products and what-not, why not drain the meat in the lg colander? If the meat is completely done before the party starts you could be draining it in the sink and still be preppeing everything else then go grab it when you need it. I usually drain my meat in a colander in the sink. We used to be on too tight of a budget to by the leaner meat and 1 paper towel will not soak up the fat from a pack of 85/15.