The Escapist Presents: Recipe For Disaster

[Team Hollywood]

Recipe For Disaster

Can a videogame teach two cooking noobs to cook without causing a fire?

Thanks to America's Test Kitchen: Let's Get Cooking [http://www.nintendodsi.com/atk.jsp] for providing the game!

Watch Video

 

[Count Igor]

My first thought was "Why is this about Runescape?"
Then I realised how Nerdy I am.


It's good though ^^

 

[ScroogeMcDuck]

I can unfortunatly say The same still a good video

 

[Slycne]

That kitchen looks an awful lot like mine...oh wait.

 

[sprout]

That was pretty fantastic. And now i'm hungry.

 

[Waif]

Lol, that was an interesting video. I had always wondered if these educational programs actually worked effectively. Now the question has been answered ^~^! At least where one game is concerned. Though I am curious how much additional help was needed with this cooking program .

 

[Ringwraith]

A video that was both informative and funny.
Mostly at how useless at cooking they were!

Though, I'm probably equally, if not more useless. Might have to take that advice on board now, seeing as I have a DS.

 

[Jared]

That was pretty fantastic. And now i'm hungry.

Hehe, yeah! But, goes to prove video games can...sometimes, a little bit be enducational XD

 

[Andraste]

Very cute, guys.

Would be interesting to know how much help was needed. For example, what kind of terminology did the game use without explaining? Do the recipes lay out what equipment you'll need, along with the ingredients of the recipes? Also, how many recipes does the game come with and are there vegetarian options, as well as meaty?

 

[Tharticus]

It's pretty cool how those two are experimenting a game that has tons of recipes for food and teaches what to do.

Great job you guys.

 

[Virgil]

Though I am curious how much additional help was needed with this cooking program .

I'd guess that if Funk didn't know that measurements for butter are printed on the side of the sticks, probably enough to be worth mentioning.

Logan's fancy onion dicing isn't something that the average novice cook would be doing either.

 

[Spyre2000]

Is this going to be a series? Cause it seems like it could get old fast with them simply cooking each week. And if it is a series what are they going to do? Other educational games maybe?

 

[the_tramp]

Is this going to spell the decline of the cook book in favour of being walked through the stages with videos? Actually now that I think of it websites that do this very thing already exist and are making a lot of money, free membership usually but have advertising.

 

[John Funk]

Is this going to be a series? Cause it seems like it could get old fast with them simply cooking each week. And if it is a series what are they going to do? Other educational games maybe?

No, just a one-off.

Very cute, guys.

Would be interesting to know how much help was needed. For example, what kind of terminology did the game use without explaining? Do the recipes lay out what equipment you'll need, along with the ingredients of the recipes? Also, how many recipes does the game come with and are there vegetarian options, as well as meaty?

It did lay out all the equipment and ingredients, and it comes with hundreds.

And we had Susan watching us from just off-camera. Interesting fact: What we call "shredded" cheese, they call "grated" in the UK. Made for some interesting mixups

 

[Susan Arendt]

The game actually does a fair job of filling in the blanks, assuming you take the time to watch the instructional videos and read the background info. That said, there's no substitute for just plain trying something. Were we to do another one of these, I think you'd see that Funk's cooking skills had leveled up drastically.

The game also has a variety of recipes, everything from soup to breads to desserts to vegetables. All courses. It doesn't have an overwhelming number of each kind of recipe, and the main course dishes naturally get the lion's share.

But as for how much help they needed, not as much as you might think. But some. There was a lot of wincing behind the scenes.

 

[Karloff]

"We had a lot of help."

Yes, I bet you did. Hmmm . . . Susan Arendt is listed as Field Producer . . . I wonder what a field producer does, exactly?

I'm not as much of a fan of the skillet lasagne; I prefer the baked version. Still, the chicken looked good! Now just master some vegetables to go with it and you're laughing. Nobody should be without at least one or two recipes under their belt. I prefer Italian, but whatever works. Paring knives . . . eh, never bothered, removing peel is what fingers are for. A professional chef might find it useful, because they prepare hundreds of meals at a time, but a kitchen chef not so much. It's worth getting a good knife too, if you keep up with this. The mass-produced stuff they sell for ten-a-penny down the shops really isn't worth the hassle. One good knife, kept sharp, will do almost anything you want it to.

 

[Chrinik]

To be honest, I think a perfectly fine cooking book is equally effective, and this "game" is probably just a cooking book which some bloke reads to you.
So it can be perfectly replaced by a guy capable of reading, a bottle of beer for his expenses and a cooking book written in normalspeak.

 

[Andraste]

To be honest, I think a perfectly fine cooking book is equally effective, and this "game" is probably just a cooking book which some bloke reads to you.
So it can be perfectly replaced by a guy capable of reading, a bottle of beer for his expenses and a cooking book written in normalspeak.

True, but if it gets more people to try cooking, just because of the novelty, we're on our way to healthier people. It's often much healthier to cook for yourself (cuz you know what's going into it) than to buy food out. Usually cheaper, too.

What I did like about the program is the time references the game gave. "Brown the meat, about five minutes." That's a helpful gauge for people who really don't cook at all and for planning preparation.

 

[JRCB]

Well, maybe it can help me.

Although I doubt it. I am the only person who can turn ginger snaps into a fine sludge. I am a terrible cook.

 

[Susan Arendt]

To be honest, I think a perfectly fine cooking book is equally effective, and this "game" is probably just a cooking book which some bloke reads to you.
So it can be perfectly replaced by a guy capable of reading, a bottle of beer for his expenses and a cooking book written in normalspeak.

Of course, but what's neat about the game is that it breaks everything down for you nicely. You will need the following tools, you will need the following ingredients, you will need the following time. If you don't know how to do Step X, you can watch this here video to learn.

It's also pretty clear that the game is hoping to get families involved, as you can keep track of individual's birthdays, their favorites, recipes they want to try, and suchlike. It also suggests menus for special events like Mother's Day. I could easily see dad and the kids following along to make some special meals for Mom as a fun group exercise.