The Pillsbury Bake-Off is a cooking

Cooking

Cooking is the process of preparing food by use of heat. Cooking techniques and ingredients vary widely across the world, reflecting unique environmental, economic, and cultural traditions. Cooks themselves also vary widely in skill and training...

 contest

Competition

Competition is a contest between individuals, groups, animals, etc. for territory, a niche, or a location of resources. It arises whenever two and only two strive for a goal which cannot be shared. Competition occurs naturally between living organisms which co-exist in the same environment. For...

, first run by Pillsbury Company from 1949 to 1976 as an annual contest. Since then, the contest has been held biennially.

History

The first contest was held in 1949 as the Grand National Recipe and Baking Contest and hosted in the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel

Waldorf-Astoria Hotel

The Waldorf-Astoria is a luxury hotel in New York. It has been housed in two historic landmark buildings in New York City. The first, designed by architect Henry J. Hardenbergh, was on the Fifth Avenue site of the Empire State Building. The present building at 301 Park Avenue in Manhattan is a...

. Until 1996, the grand prize was $

United States dollar

The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....

50,000. Since 1996, the grand prize has been $

United States dollar

The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....

1,000,000.

The only required ingredient

Ingredient

An ingredient is a substance that forms part of a mixture . For example, in cooking, recipes specify which ingredients are used to prepare a specific dish. Many commercial products contain a secret ingredient that is purported to make them better than competing products...

 in the early contests was Pillsbury's BEST Flour. There was no contest in 1965 because the contest was moved from October to February.

Occasionally, there has been a male category (1978, 1990, 1992, and 2002). The only male champion was Kurt Wait of Redwood City, California

Redwood City, California

Redwood City is a California charter city located on the San Francisco Peninsula in Northern California, approximately 27 miles south of San Francisco, and 24 miles north of San Jose. Redwood City's history spans from its earliest inhabitation by the Ohlone people, to its tradition as a port for...

, who won in 1996; that year, 14 of the 100 finalists were men.

Broadcast

Year(s)	Host	Network	Notes
1949-1950's	Arthur Godfrey Arthur Godfrey Arthur Morton Godfrey was an American radio and television broadcaster and entertainer who was sometimes introduced by his nickname, The Old Redhead...	CBS CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
1960's	Art Linkletter Art Linkletter Arthur Gordon "Art" Linkletter was a Canadian-born American radio and television personality. He was the host of House Party, which ran on CBS radio and television for 25 years, and People Are Funny, on NBC radio-TV for 19 years...	CBS
1970's	Bob Barker Bob Barker Robert William "Bob" Barker is a former American television game show host. He is best known for hosting CBS's The Price Is Right from 1972 to 2007, making it the longest-running daytime game show in North American television history, and for hosting Truth or Consequences from 1956 to 1975.Born...	CBS	Placed in the same hour as a half-hour episode of The Price is Right
1980's	Garry Collins Gary Collins (actor) Gary Ennis Collins is an American film and television performer.-Early life and career:Collins was born in Venice, California, to a waitress/factory worker mother. After attending Santa Monica City College, he enlisted in the U.S...	CBS
1990-1994	Willard Scott Willard Scott Willard Herman Scott, Jr. is an American media personality and author best known for his television work on NBC's The Today Show and as the creator of the Ronald McDonald character.-Early years:...	CBS
1996-1998	Alex Trebek Alex Trebek George Alexander "Alex" Trebek is a Canadian American game show host who has been the host of the game show Jeopardy! since 1984, and prior to that, he hosted game shows such as Pitfall and High Rollers. He has appeared in numerous television series, usually as himself...	CBS
2000	Phylicia Rashad Phylicia Rashad Phylicia Rashād is an American Tony Award winning actress and singer, best known for her role as Clair Huxtable on the long-running NBC sitcom The Cosby Show....	CBS
2002	Marie Osmond Marie Osmond Olive Marie Osmond is an American singer, actress, doll designer, and a member of the show business family The Osmonds. Although she was never part of her family's singing group, she gained success as a solo country music artist in the 1970s and 1980s...	CBS
2004-2006	Not aired	N/A
2008	Keegan Gerhard Keegan Gerhard Keegan Gerhard is an award winning pastry chef and the former host of the Food Network series Food Network Challenge. As of the tenth season, he has been replaced by Claire Robinson. Instead of being the host, he serves as a judge alongside Kerry Vincent. Gerhard is the owner and executive chef of...	Food Network Food Network Food Network is a television specialty channel that airs both one-time and recurring programs about food and cooking. Scripps Networks Interactive owns 70 percent of the network, with Tribune Company controlling the remaining 30 percent....	Aired as an episode of Food Network Challenge Food Network Challenge Food Network Challenge is a competitive cooking television series that currently airs on the Food Network. Each episode, professional chefs compete in a timed competition in their professional specialty. The winner receives a check for $10,000 and a gold medal.-Format:The competitions are judged...
2010	Oprah Winfrey Oprah Winfrey Oprah Winfrey is an American media proprietor, talk show host, actress, producer and philanthropist. Winfrey is best known for her self-titled, multi-award-winning talk show, which has become the highest-rated program of its kind in history and was nationally syndicated from 1986 to 2011...	Syndication	Winner was announced on The Oprah Winfrey Show The Oprah Winfrey Show The Oprah Winfrey Show is an American syndicated talk show hosted and produced by its namesake Oprah Winfrey. It ran nationally for 25 seasons beginning in 1986, before concluding in 2011. It is the highest-rated talk show in American television history....

Grand Prize Winners

Year	Recipe	Grand Prize Winner
1949	No-Knead Water-Rising Twists	Theodora Smafield
1950	Orange Kiss-Me Cake	Lily Wuebel
1951	Starlight Double-Delight Cake	Helen Weston
1952	Snappy Turtle Cookies	Beatrice Harlib
1953	"My Inspiration" Cake	Lois Kanago
1954	Open Sesame Pie	Dorothy Koteen
1955	Ring-A-Lings	Bertha Jorgensen
1956	California Casserole	Hildreth H. Hatheway
1957	Accordion Treats	Gerda Roderer
1958	Spicy Apple Twists	Dorothy DeVault
1959	Mardi Gras Party Cake	Eunice G. Surles
1960	Dilly Casserole Bread	Leona Schnuelle
1961	Candy Bar Cookies	Alice Reese
1962	Apple Pie '63	Julia Smogor
1963	Hungry Boys' Casserole	Mira Walilko
1964	Peacheesy Pie	Janis Risley
1966	Golden Gate Snack Bread	Mari Petrelli
1967	Muffin Mix Buffet Bread	Maxine Bullock
1968	Buttercream Pound Cake	Phyllis Lidert
1969	Magic Marshmallow Crescent Puffs	Edna M. Walker
1970	Onion Lover's Twist	Nan Robb
1971	Pecan Pie Surprise Bars	Pearl Hall
1972	Streusel Spice Cake Quick 'n Chewy Crescent Bars	Rose DeDominicis Isabelle Collins
1973	Quick Crescent Pecan Pie Bars Banana Crunch Cake	Albina Flieller Bonnie Brooks
1974	Chocolate Cherry Bars Savory Crescent Chicken Sandwiches	Francis I. Jerzak Doris Castle
1975	Easy Crescent Danish Rolls Sour Cream Apple Squares	Barbara S. Gibson Luella Maki
1976	Crescent Caramel Swirl Whole Wheat Raisin Loaf	Lois Ann Groves Lenora H. Smith
1978	Nutty Graham Picnic Cake Chick-N-Broccoli Pot Pies	Esther Tomich Linda Mowery
1980	Italian Zucchini Crescent Pie	Millicent (Caplan) Nathan
1982	Almond-Filled Cookie Cake	Elizabeth Meijer
1984	Country Apple Coffee Cake	Susan F. Porubcan
1986	Apple Nut Lattice Tart	Mary Lou Warren
1988	Chocolate Praline Layer Cake	Julie Bengtson
1990	Blueberry-Poppy Seed Brunch Cake	Linda Rahman
1992	Pennsylvania Dutch Cake and Custard Pie	Gladys Fulton
1994	Fudgy Bonbons	Mary Anne Tyndall
1996	Macadamia Fudge Torte	Kurt Wait
1998	Salsa Couscous Chicken	Ellie Mathews Ellie Mathews Ellie Mathews is an author of fiction and nonfiction works including The Linden Tree...
2000	Cream Cheese Brownie Pie	Roberta Sonefeld
2002	Chicken Florentine Panini	Denise JoAnne Yennie
2004	Oats 'n Honey Granola Pie	Suzanne Conrad
2006	Baked Chicken and Spinach Stuffing	Anna Ginsberg
2008	Double-Delight Peanut Butter Cookies	Carolyn Gurtz
2010	Mini Ice Cream Cookie Cups	Sue Compton