Those who take playing with their food seriously can compete for the most impressive-looking and best-tasting gelatinous delight in the third annual Jell-O Mold Competition on Saturday from 6 to 10 P.M. at the Gowanus Studio Space in Brooklyn. Molds will be judged on their structural and sculptural ingenuity, as well as taste and their overall creativity.
This year, contestant Catarina Moto and three other electrical engineers will be entering a mold in the shape of a toy piano.
"The case of the piano and all the keys are made of Jell-O and you can actually play it as you eat," she said.
The winner or winning team will walk away with a $400 cash prize and loads of glory. Others will win a year membership to the Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum, a candy sculpture from Papabubble, a $50 gift certificate for Holstee, a slice of pie and coffee from Four & Twenty Blackbirds pie shop and a signed copy of The Secret Life of Food.
Entry to the contest is free. To see Jell-O sculptures from last year's competition — click on the slideshow below.
"In light of the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, I thought it would be a good idea to construct a temporary alternative in case of Gulf oyster shortages, unavailability or high prices," said Stowe. "Hopefully, the real Gulf oysters will prove to be as resilient as my Jell-O oysters – making it through several states on planes, trains and automobiles." Mold: Silicone Plastique. Flavors: White miso flavored shells with beer-flavored oysters.
(Emilie Baltz)
Mold: 2-part, food safe, silicone mold made by casting a faceted crystalglass. Flavors: Basil Lemonade in a Basil Cup; Ginger-Mint Iced Tea in a Ginger-Mint Cup; and Sparkling Beet in a Rosemary-Beet Cup
(Emilie Baltz)
Mold: baking tray, candy molds for judges. Flavors: beef consomme with horseradish and pork consomme infused with ginger, lemongrass, garlic, star anise
(Emilie Baltz)
"Jell-O and glass have a lot in common in their ability to refract and play with light," reported the team of its entry. "We wanted to flaunt Jell-O's incredible capacity for luminescence. The Tiffany dragonfly lamp that we chose to replicate is an icon of great American glass design that has certainly withstood the test of time as a collector’s item. The fleeting nature of edible art is amplified by the inherent dichotomy between historical reference and consumable art. Above all else, we wanted to make Jell-O beautiful." Mold: food-safe plastic, fondant, gum paste. Flavors: ginger-lime-cucumber, apple-cardamom, kiwi-honey, and plum-black pepper.
(Emilie Baltz)
Mold: food-safe silicone. Flavors: Sea Breeze (grapefruit, cranberry, lime) + Mango Salsa (mango, pineapple, pickled jalapeño) + Patriot Special (strawberry, blueberry, white).
(Emilie Baltz)
"Inspired by childhood toys and the colors of Jell-O, this single unit of Jell-O wallpaper was created using a simple graphic tile from Zapf Dingbats," the team said. "The design was processed through a generative computational model to make patterned variations, emulating the shifting colored volumes and fragments of toy kaleidoscopes and the summery fruity treat of Jell-O." Mold: 1/16" vacuum-formed styrene. Flavors: coconut rainbow.
(Emilie Baltz)
Mold: polypropylene. Flavors: peach-coconut, green tea, almond, raspberry/blueberry, mango.
(Emilie Baltz)