DES MOINES, Iowa – Pioneer Hi-Bred, a DuPont business, is pleased to announce the winners of the inaugural PlenishTM High Oleic Soybean Oil Frying Frenzy competition at the 2011 Iowa State Fair. Local chefs entered the competition with their unique fried appetizers and desserts, cooking each entry in PlenishTM high oleic soybean oil.
First place winner in the appetizer and dessert category is Tag Grandgeorge of Le Jardin Catering who prepared a fried pork wonton and fried fromage blanc. Grandgeorge took home a $1,000 prize for each entry and will have the opportunity to work with Pioneer on testing PlenishTM high oleic soybean oil in his operations.
“This was a unique and challenging competition in the fact that we were frying on stage in front of the judges,” said winner Tag Grandgeorge. “I really enjoyed working with PlenishTM high oleic soybean oil. It is a good, clean frying oiling that browns foods very nicely.”
The second place winner in appetizers is Tom McKern of Zombie Burger & Drink Lab who featured a buffalo pork belly with fried ranch dressing, garnished with celery fries tossed with blue cheese salt and second place in desserts is Bette Dryer of Bette Dryer Catering who prepared a fresh peaches and cream fried flip. Each received a $500 award. The third place prizes – $250 each – have been awarded to Randy Husted of Camp David for preparing a pepper-jam brisket slider and Tom McKern of Zombie Burger & Drink Lab for fried black cherry cream pie.
A panel of four judges including Bill Northey, Iowa Secretary of Agriculture; Erin Kiernan, WHO-TV news anchor; Don Hensley, local chef; and Todd Frazier, business director for Pioneer Hi-Bred, selected the competition winners based on taste (50 percent of total score), innovation (25 percent) and presentation (25 percent).
“PlenishTM high oleic soybean oil provides benefits to the foodservice industry and consumers, and is a great way to showcase the efforts of farmers in providing healthier food ingredients,” said Todd Frazier, business director for Iowa and Missouri at Pioneer Hi-Bred. “We continue to see solid results in the field and strong interest from food companies looking for a soybean oil with consumer nutrition benefits and functionality. Showcasing PlenishTM high oleic soybean oil at the Iowa State Fair with local chefs is a great way to further test the oil and educate consumers about this farm-to-fork product.”
High oleic soybeans provide a soy-based trans fat solution for food companies and foodservice operators and new market opportunities for soybean farmers. Plenish™ high oleic soybeans from Pioneer contain the highest oleic content (more than 75 percent) of any soybean product under commercial development. This significantly increases the stability of the oil and provides greater flexibility in food applications. Plenish™ high oleic soybean oil has 0g trans fat and 20 percent less saturated fat than commodity soybean oil, making it a more attractive ingredient for consumer food products.
Pioneer has launched the high oleic soybean trait in its industry-leading line-up of Pioneer® brand Y Series soybean varieties, and field testing has confirmed yields on par with elite Pioneer varieties. Plenish™ high oleic soybeans will be grown under contract for ongoing field and oil testing in the United States in 2012. Full commercialization of the trait is anticipated in 2012, upon global regulatory approvals and ongoing field testing.
For the 2011 Iowa State Fair Frying Frenzy winning recipes and more details about the Plenish™ high oleic soybean oil, visit the website at www.Plenish.com.
Pioneer Hi-Bred (www.pioneer.com), a DuPont business headquartered in Des Moines, Iowa, is the world's leading developer and supplier of advanced plant genetics, providing high-quality seeds to farmers in more than 90 countries. Pioneer provides agronomic support and services to help increase farmer productivity and profitability and strives to develop sustainable agricultural systems for people everywhere. Science with Service Delivering Success™.
DuPont (www.dupont.com) is a science-based products and services company. Founded in 1802, DuPont puts science to work by creating sustainable solutions essential to a better, safer, healthier life for people everywhere. Operating in more than 90 countries, DuPont offers a wide range of innovative products and services for markets including agriculture and food; building and construction; communications; and transportation.
Source: Pioneer Hi-Bred