The Results Are In: Allrecipes.com Names Finalists In America's Top Recipe Contest

SEATTLE, Sept. 18 /PRNewswire/ -- America loves a challenge. That's what Allrecipes.com, America's largest community site of home cooks, and USA WEEKEND Magazine found out when they asked the nation's home cooks to submit their trusted, original recipes for a chance to win $10,000 and, perhaps more importantly, the bragging rights to being the face behind America's Top Recipe. The result was a fierce competition among more than 9,000 everyday cooks with submissions that included 2,341 one-dish dinners, 551 creative meals using shrimp, 379 different muffin recipes and 65 recipes for bread pudding. Now, after months of sampling, the 25 finalists from all five contest categories are posted at http://www.allrecipes.com/ .

These 25 talented home cooks tantalized the seasoned palates of the culinary experts at Allrecipes.com with everything from Cuban spiced Turkey Mercedes to fiery Wasabi Encrusted Tuna Steaks to become a contender for a category win, and the coveted title of America's Top Recipe. Each recipe was recreated, to exact submission specifications, in Allrecipes.com's Seattle test kitchen and judged according to taste, originality, visual appeal and adherence to category description.

"America's Top Recipe Contest has been such a fun and rewarding competition to host. We were wowed by the enthusiasm of participants and the creativity and quality of recipe submissions," said Esmee Williams, vice president marketing, Allrecipes.com. "In addition to sharing their best recipes, cooks offered the stories and traditions behind their creations, which really personalized the competition and provided great insights into American cooking trends."

A judging panel comprised of five food experts -- including culinary columnist for USA WEEKEND Magazine and cookbook author, Pam Anderson; Allrecipes.com food editor, Carl Hanson; Seattle restaurateur, cookbook author and radio host, Tom Douglas; food editor for Health magazine, Frances Largeman; and food editor for Taste of Home magazine, Diane Werner -- will sample the category winners to determine the $10,000 grand prize winner. The winner, along with the five category finalists, will be announced on November 10th in USA WEEKEND and on Allrecipes.com.

Together with USA WEEKEND, AllRecipes.com kicked-off America's Top Recipe Contest on Friday, May 19. Contestants had until midnight on July 7 to evaluate the categories and submit their best recipe. Category winners will receive a complete set of Allrecipes.com Tried-and-True cookbooks and an Allrecipes.com cooking spoon -- a nearly $200 value.

About Allrecipes.com

Allrecipes.com, America's largest community site of home cooks, is an online cooking community where home cooks from around the world come to share, rate and download recipes and meal ideas. Part of the Reader's Digest Association, Inc. , Allrecipes.com has more than 20 million annual visitors and a membership base more than two million strong. The site is considered to be the world's largest test kitchen, offering a nightly glimpse into the kitchens and habits of home cooks everywhere. An indispensable resource for home cooks who are looking for trusted recipes, everyday and holiday meal ideas, practical cooking tips and food advice, Allrecipes.com also features more than 30,000 of America's best-loved recipes. For additional information regarding the site please visit http://www.allrecipes.com/.

About USA WEEKEND Magazine

USA WEEKEND Magazine is a national weekly magazine distributed through more than 600 newspapers in the United States. Awarded for its journalism and design, USA WEEKEND focuses on social issues, entertainment, health, food and travel. The magazine provides Newspaper in Education classroom guides to partner newspapers. usaweekend.com provides enhanced content and interactive magazine features. USA WEEKEND is a Gannett Co., Inc. publication.

For More Information: April Matson DDB Public Relations 206.223.6335