Ainsley Harriott cooks up a storm at LG Home Chef Award.

Dubai - Celebrity chef Ainsley Harriott cooked five different eco-friendly dishes to inspire the 15 teams of amateur chefs before they started battling for the top honours at at the LG Home Chef Award culinary competition held at Safinah Ballroom, Jumeirah Beach Hotel, on December 10.

Thirty participants from Canada, India, South Korea, Iran, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, USA and the UAE had 90 minutes during the global final to prepare and present recipes using organic ingredients and LG kitchen appliances. The finalists were selected from regional competitions, which were held between July and November in the participants' eight countries.

Eco-cuisine, the theme of this year's competition, highlights not only the tasty and healthy meals that can be made with eco-friendly ingredients and appliances, but also how LG appliances benefit the environment with faster cooking times and lower power consumption, said K.W. Kim, CEO of LG Electronics Middle East and Africa Regional Company.

The event was judged by a panel of food experts including Harriott and Philippe Clergue, chef at Le Cordon Bleu culinary academy, Paris.

Judging was based on the following criteria: cooking technique and skills, light wave ovens utilisation, menu recipe, work plan, safety and sanitation, eco-cuisine, menu presentation, taste and timing.

Seven home chefs were given prizes including LeCordon Bleu (grand prize), Emirates Rising Star, WMF, Most Eco-Friendly, Smart Chef, Best Presentation and Most Creative.

South Africa and Korea claimed the top culinary honours. Petri Uys, from South Africa, won the Grand Prize and was awarded cooking classes at Le Cordon Bleu, along with a round-trip airfare and accommodation, a prize valued at Dh18,350. Uys and her cooking partner Anna Montali are both food journalists in South.

"It's a fantastic exposure. It's great experience for us; we're really enjoying it," Uys said. "We go for healthy, well-balanced meals, we like fresh ingredients, so we kind of get everything, and we like to make things look good, so we cover all categories."

The Emirates Rising Star Prize was won by the single-member USA team, who received a round trip ticket for two to Dubai while the Korean team received three awards: WMF prize (valued at Dh7,340), Smart Chef Prize for the most efficient use of the SolarCUBE oven and Best Presentation Prize.

In addition, the UAE team won Most Creative Recipe Prize for their utmost compliance with eco standards.

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