IFA remains one of my favorite cooking shows
BERLIN
One of IFA’s enduring, endearing aspects has been how it takes place in a city with a rail transit network so extensive that I don’t have to think about traffic–an unthinkable notion at CES in car-clogged Las Vegas. Another is how it’s the only trade show I cover where I can legitimately say I head to the exhibits for the food.
As I discovered on my first visit here in 2012, IFA’s combination of an exhibitor base heavy on appliance manufacturers with ticket sales to the general public motivates exhibitors to demonstrate how their products make tasty food possible by preparing some on the show floor and then handing out free samples.
The more prominent companies exhibiting here make a production out of it, hiring chefs and setting up cameras around their cooking stations so attendees can hear the cooks explain the recipes (usually in German that, in my experience, Google Translate struggles with a bit) and watch as the magic happens.
I’ve yet to get a bad snack this way, even if I’ve had to burn some calories standing around and waiting for a sample to come my way.
(I might get a plate faster with sharper elbows, but the reputation of the U.S. in Europe is bad enough already without me shoving aside a local who paid €25 for their ticket.)
This week, for example, I’ve returned to the Electrolux brand AEG’s exhibit multiple times for slices of pizza baked in a “PizzaExpert” oven that heats a cast-iron plate to about 640 degrees, allowing it to finish a pie in two and a half minutes with a crisp crust and puffy dough around the edges.
I’ve also hit up the Miele and Bosch exhibits, both of which have the equivalent of small stages set up for their hired chefs, for fancier fare. The former provided the high point of my walking-around lunch Friday with a plate of a cut of grilled flank steak, drizzled with a green herb sauce and served atop a dollop of polenta.
It can be inefficient to put together a meal one small plate at a time, but that’s a fundamental part of Washingtonian foodways–where “dinner” in the nation’s capital often means ethics-compliant hors d’oeuvres. So I don’t have a problem doing the same sort of thing in this other national capital.
And seeing all of these culinary demos also reminds me of how much I love to cook, and how I’ll look forward to picking up a spatula or a set of tongs back in my own kitchen. Where I now feel compelled to make pizza from scratch, even if the hardware I use there will take a little longer than 2.5 minutes for a pie.
#Berlin #chefs #cookingShow #culinary #foodSamples #foodies #foodways #IFA #kitchen #nom #pizza #smallPlates #tradeShow
🕯️Curious Magpie 🕯️
Rancho de la Libertad
Canadian Association For Food Studies
Rob Pegoraro
Joe Wynne 🌻🚗⛰️
DoomsdaysCW