Ten UAE amateur chefs compete in lg’s life tastes good championship

Following weeks of deliberation, 10 amateur chefs and culinary artists were selected to cook their innovative recipes in just one hour, using LG’s Charcoal Lightwave oven, in front of an audience and a judging panel at The One & Only Royal Mirage in Dubai.

Renowned master Chef, Osama El Sayed narrowed down the list of nearly 300 recipes received through LG’s ‘Life Tastes Good Championship’ Facebook competition, to just 10.

Chef Osama, also part of the judging panel, regularly features on Dubai TV, and is renowned for his excellence in the culinary arts, had the mammoth task of selecting the most creative and original recipes, which could be prepared in one hour, while taking advantage of the many innovative features of the Charcoal Lightwave oven.

“It was certainly a challenge selecting only 10 unique recipes from the large number of entries we received. However, I’m now confident that we have the right mix of recipes to prepare fresh and healthy dishes, while putting LG’s Charcoal Lightwave oven to the test,” said Chef Osama.

Renowned UAE Nutritionist Kiram El Tbayli, from VLCC, said: “By dedicating just a little bit of time and effort to the preparation of our foods, we can make drastic changes to our health. Today’s recipes have all been prepared with healthy eating in mind.”

The 10 final recipes represent a wide range of cultures and cuisines, and include dishes with influences from Arabia and Asia.

While taste and presentation are the most important factors in assessing the meals prepared by contestants, the judges also factored in how nutritionally rich the dishes were. Creativity of the dishes, and the amateur chef’s stories behind the dishes were also key factors.

The judges also asked the culinary artists to use as many of the LG Lightwave Oven’s functions as possible. The Charcoal Lighting Heater, underpinned by LG’s proprietary Lightwave technology, uses a charcoal filament to maintain a natural flow of heat that penetrates deep into dishes, creating the crispy-on-the-outside, juicy-on-the-inside results that make mouths water. Using the Lightwave Oven reduces unnecessary salt and fat in dishes, while sealing in vitamin C and other nutrients to create healthier meals. LG’s Lightwave Oven also helps to lower energy consumption by making the cooking process more efficient.

“It’s great to see such creativity and thought behind this year’s recipes; and today’s winners have truly embodied this year’s theme of reflecting your life on cuisine”, said Mr. D.Y. Kim, President of LG Electronics, Gulf FZE.

“As each Life Tastes Good Competition passes, we see ever more innovation in our products, and we are confident that dishes prepared using the LG Lightwave Charcoal Oven will continue to be ever-more tasty and healthy,” Mr. D.Y. Kim concluded.

All 10 finalists walked away with an AED 2000 LG gift voucher, while the first and second placed contestants received an LG Lightwave Charcoal Oven, and the third placed contestant walked away with an LG Air Purifier.

At the end of the cooking competition, only two winners were selected to represent the UAE in the regional finals, taking place at the Raffles Hotel in Dubai on October 10.

First Place winner, Mrs. Sheelu John from India, who cooked grilled chicken with pan fried potatoes, said: “I’m truly proud that the judging panel selected my recipe and I can’t wait to represent the UAE in the regional finals in October. I’ll be putting my thinking cap on and will try to come up with an even more creative dish in the meantime.”

Runner up was amateur chef Manal Al Anani from Jordan, and in third place was Hoda Fawzy, who cooked season chicken with rice.