by Dianne Marshall
"Golden Skillet Award" at Camporees
This event was one of those where Scouts are given a bunch of stuff and told to go cook. Because the boys in our Troop have good basic cooking skills and know what goes into basic mixes like pastry, cake, breads they were able to get going fast. They also have good handle on using spices and flavors.
At first they had to pick a direction on what to make because there was so much in the box, but in a few minutes they zeroed in on a plan. They used the rest of the stuff later that night (it was a lunch competition) for other treats.
 | 1lb ground sausage |
| 1 medium onion |
| 2 lb bag of fresh cranberries |
| 6 apples |
| 1 cup hard brown rice |
| 2 Raman noodle packages |
| 1 lb margarine |
| 1/4 cup white sugar |
| 1/2 cup brown sugar |
| About 4 cups white flour |
| About 2 tsp baking powder |
| 1 tsp cinnamon |
| Bag of about 12 pepper packets |
This is what each Patrol got. They were not allowed to add anything else but they didn't have to use everything either. They were given the box at noon and had to deliver their creation to the judges by 2 PM. The weather was about 25 - 30F and it was snowing.
Some Camporees or Troop-level Golden Skillet competitions feature both youth and adult Golden Skillet Awards. Variations can include a contest in which you can make anything you want as long as you use no metal in the cooking or preparation (no foil, no metal knives, no Dutch ovens, etc.).
Another variation is to require the use of fresh fruit and to cook in a Dutch oven. I hear of salmon in Mandarin oranges, Canadian bacon & pineapple pizza, apple crisp, and more.
The more interesting things Scouts learn to cook the more fun it is!
