Enter food projects in disposable materials, i.e., paper plate and plastic self-sealing bag. Each exhibit must include the recipe. Recipe may be handwritten, photocopied or typed. Label all information pieces with exhibitor’s name and county. Make sure to follow all entry instructions required for your exhibit. Incomplete exhibits will be lowered a ribbon placing. Commercially prepared mixes are allowed for decorated cakes and Cooking 201 Creative Mixes (Class 2) exhibits ONLY. Frozen bread dough, cake mix, biscuit mix, biscuits in a can, or other pre-made mixes entered in other categories will be lowered a ribbon placing. Ingredients that the 4-H member cannot legally purchase, such as beer, whiskey, rum, etc. may not be used in any recipe file or food exhibit. Exhibits that include alcohol will be disqualified. All exhibits made in Cooking 301 or Cooking 401 must have been prepared without the assistance of a bread machine for mixing, raising or baking of the food item. Any bread item prepared or baked using a bread machine should be entered  in Class E410007. Scoresheets, forms, contest study materials, and additional resources can be found at https://go.unl.edu/ne4hfood-nutrition.

Exhibits are on display for several days. Please think FOOD SAFETY! Items that require refrigeration will not be accepted. Food products must be unquestionably safe to eat when they are entered, whether tasted or not. Glazes, frostings, and other sugar-based toppings are considered safe due to the high sugar content. Egg glazes on yeast products BEFORE baking are allowed. Eggs incorporated into baked goods or crusts are considered safe. The following ingredients are considered unsafe for fair exhibits and will be disqualified: egg or cream fillings and cream cheese frostings; any meat item including meat jerky, imitation meat bits (bacon bits, pepperoni, etc.); melted cheese on top of food exhibits (cheese mixed into baked goods is considered safe and will be accepted); and uncooked fruit toppings (i.e., fresh fruit tart).

Division 350: General

Open to any 4-H’er enrolled in a Nutrition, Foods and/or Food Preservation project.

E350001 – Food Science Exploration Show the connection between food and science as it relates to food preparation, food safety or food production. Exhibit may be a poster or foam core board (not to exceed 22”x30”), computer-based presentation printed off with notes pages, if needed, and displayed in binder, an exhibit display, a written report in portfolio or notebook. Consider neatness and creativity.

E350002 – Food and Nutrition Poster, Scrapbook, or Photo Display involving a nutrition or food preparation technique or career related to the food industry. This might contain pictures, captions, and/or reports to highlight the concept. Exhibit may be a poster or foam core board (not to exceed 22”x30”), computer-based presentation printed off with notes pages, if needed, and displayed in binder, an exhibit display, a written report in portfolio or notebook. Consider neatness and creativity. 

E350003 – Physical Activity and Health Poster, Scrapbook, or Photo Display involving a physical activity or career related to physical activity or health. This might contain pictures, captions, and/or reports to highlight the concept.  Exhibit may be a poster or foam core board (not to exceed 22”x30”), computer-based presentation printed off with notes pages, if needed, and displayed in binder, an exhibit display, a written report in portfolio or notebook. Consider neatness and creativity.

E350004 – Cooking Basics Recipe File collection of 10 recipes from any source. Each recipe must accompany a complete menu in which the recipe is used. An additional 10 recipes may be added each year, with year clearly marked on recipes. Display in recipe file or in a binder. Be sure to include the number of servings or yield of each recipe. Exhibits that include recipes with alcohol will be disqualified.

Division 401: Cooking 101*

*E401001 - Cookies (any recipe, 4 on a paper plate)

*E401002 - Muffins (any recipe, 4 on a paper plate)

*E401003 - No Bake Cookie (any recipe, 4 on a paper plate)

*E401004 - Cereal Bar Cookie (any cereal-based recipe made in pan and cut into bars or squares for serving, 4 on a paper plate)

*E401005 - Granola Bar (any recipe, 4 on a paper plate)

*E401006 - Brownies (any recipe, 4 on a paper plate)

*E401007 - Snack Mix (any recipe, at least 1 cup in self-sealing plastic bag)

Division 410: Cooking 201

E410001 - Loaf Quick Bread any recipe, at least ¾ of a standard loaf or two mini loaves displayed on a paper plate. Quick bread is any bread that does not require kneading or rising time and does NOT include yeast. A standard quick bread loaf measures approximately 8½”x4½” or 9”x5”. If mini-loaf pans are used, two loaves must be presented for judging.

E410002 - Creative Mixes any recipe, at least ¾ of baked product or 4 muffins or cookies on a paper plate. (May be baked in a disposable pan.) Baked item made from a mix (commercial or homemade mixes acceptable). Food product must have been modified to make a new or different baked item. Examples include poppyseed quick bread from a cake mix, cake mix cookies, sweet rolls made from readymade bread dough, monkey bread from biscuit dough, streusel coffee cake from a cake mix, etc. Write what you learned about making this product using a mix instead of a homemade recipe or recipe "from scratch.” Does it make it better or easier to use a convenience product or mix? Why or why not?

E410003 - Biscuits or Scones any recipe, four on a small paper plate. This may be any type of biscuit or scone: rolled or dropped, but it must be a non-yeast product baked from scratch.

E410004 - Healthy Baked Product any recipe, at least ¾ of baked product or 4 muffins/cookies on a paper plate. May be baked in a disposable pan. Recipe must contain a fruit or vegetable as part of the ingredients (Ex. banana bars, cantaloupe quick bread, zucchini muffins, etc.).

E410005 - Coffeecake any recipe or shape, non-yeast product -at least ¾ of baked product. May be baked in a disposable pan. Include menu for a complete meal where this recipe is served, following meal planning guidelines suggested in Cooking 201.

E410006 - Baking with Whole Grains any recipe, at least ¾ of baked product or 4 muffins/cookies on a paper plate. May be baked in a disposable pan. Recipe must contain whole grains as part of the ingredients. (Ex. whole wheat applesauce bread, peanut butter oatmeal cookies, etc.)

E410007 - Non-Traditional Baked Product exhibit must include a food product prepared using a non-traditional method (i.e. bread machine, cake baked in an air fryer, baked item made in microwave, etc.) Entry must be at least ¾ baked product, or 4 muffins or cookies on a paper plate or in a disposable pan. Entry must include supporting information that discusses alternative preparation method and how it compares with traditional method.

Division 411: Cooking 301

Any bread item prepared or baked using a bread machine should be entered under Cooking 201, Non-Traditional Baked Product. All exhibits made in the Cooking 301 or Cooking 401 projects must have been prepared without the assistance of a bread machine for mixing, raising, or baking of the food item.

E411001 - White Bread any yeast recipe, at least ¾ of a standard loaf displayed on a paper plate.

E411002 - Whole Wheat or Mixed Grain Bread any yeast recipe, at least ¾ of a standard loaf displayed on a paper plate.

E411003 - Specialty Rolls any yeast recipe, 4 rolls on a paper plate. May be sweet rolls, English muffins, kolaches, bagels, or any other similar recipe that makes individual portions.

E411004 - Dinner Rolls any yeast recipe, 4 rolls on a paper plate. May be cloverleaf, crescent, knot, bun, bread sticks, or any other type of dinner roll.

E411005 - Specialty Bread any recipe made with yeast, includes tea rings, braids, or any other full-sized specialty bread products. Must exhibit at least ¾ of a full sized baked product. May be baked in a disposable pan.

E411006 - Shortened Cake at least ¾ of the cake (recipe must not be from a cake mix). Shortened Cakes use fat for flavor and texture and recipes usually begin by beating fat with sugar by creaming; and include leavening agents in the recipe. Cake may be frosted with a non-perishable frosting (no cream cheese or egg white based frostings allowed).

Division 412: Cooking 401

Any bread item prepared or baked using a bread machine should be entered under Cooking 201, Non-Traditional Baked Product. All exhibits made in the Cooking 301 or Cooking 401 projects must have been prepared without the assistance of a bread machine for mixing, raising, or baking of the food item.

E412001 - Double Crust Fruit Pie made with homemade fruit filling. No egg pastries or cream fillings. No canned fillings or premade pie crusts. May be a double crust, crumb, or lattice topping. Using an 8- or 9-inch disposable pie pan is recommended.

E412002 - Family Food Traditions any recipe, at least ¾ of baked product or 4 muffins or cookies on a paper plate. May be baked in a disposable pan. Any baked item associated with family tradition and heritage. Entry must include (A) recipe, (B) tradition or heritage associated with preparing, serving the food, (C) where or who the traditional recipe came from.

E412003 - Ethnic Food Exhibit any recipe, at least ¾ of baked product or 4 muffins or cookies on a paper plate. May be baked in a disposable pan. The name of the country, culture or region should be included as part of the supporting information with the recipe, as well as background information about the country or culture the food item is representing.

E412004 – Candy any recipe, 4 pieces of candy on a paper plate or ½ cup. No items containing cream cheese will be accepted (example: cream cheese mints). Candy may be cooked or no-cook; dipped; molded; made in the microwave or other methods of candy preparation. Recipe must be included.

E412005 – Foam Cake original recipe (no mixes), at least ¾ of the cake. Foam cakes have a high ration of eggs to flour and fall into three categories: angel food cakes or meringues; sponge or jelly roll cakes; and chiffon cakes. Cake may be frosted with a nonperishable frosting (no cream cheese or egg white based frostings allowed).

E412006 - Specialty Pastry any recipe, at least ¾ of baked product or 4 muffins or cookies on a paper plate. May be baked in a disposable pan. Baked items such as pie tarts, puff pastry, phyllo doughs, biscotti, choux, croissants, Danish, strudels. Phyllo dough may be pre-made or from scratch. Pastries made with cream or egg-based fillings will be disqualified.

Food Preservation

Current USDA processing methods and altitude adjustments must be followed for all food preservation. Jam, preserves and marmalades, fruit, tomatoes and pickled products must be processed in a boiling water bath. Tomatoes may be processed in a pressure canner. Non-acid vegetables and meats must be processed in a pressure canner. Improperly canned or potentially hazardous food items will be disqualified. Spoiled or unsealed container disqualifies entry. Jars do not need to be the same brand. Half pint jars may be used for jellies and preserves. The jars are not to be decorated by the exhibitor in any way. Canning jars must be used - others will be disqualified. No one-fourth pint jars allowed. Two-piece lids consisting of a flat metal disk and a ring should be used. No zinc lids or one-piece lids. Leave jar rings on for fair display, it helps protect the seal. Improperly canned/potentially hazardous food items will be disqualified. Three-jar exhibits should be placed in a container to keep jars together.

All canning must be the result of this year's 4-H project. Incomplete exhibits will be lowered a ribbon class. Canned food items not processed according to altitude in the county will be lowered one class ribbon. See https://food.unl.edu/canning-freezing-and-drying for current USDA guidelines, how to find your Nebraska altitude, and proper procedures for food preservation. Each jar/bag must be labeled with the name of the food item, name of 4-H’er, county, and date of processing or drying.

Supporting Information: Recipe must be included; may be handwritten, photocopied or typed. Commercially prepared seasoning mixes are not allowed. Current USDA guidelines for food preservation methods MUST be followed. Suggested sources of recipes include: 4-H Food Preservation Manuals (Freezing, Drying, Boiling Water Bath Canning, Pressure Canning); USDA Guide to Home Canning, rev.2015 (https://nchfp.uga.edu/publications/publications_usda.html); Nebraska Extension’s Food website (http://food.unl.edu/web/preservation/home) or Extension publications from other states; Ball Blue Book (published after 2009) or online: https://www.freshpreserving.com/recipes. All exhibits must include the 4-H Food Preservation Card attached to the project or include the following supporting information: 1) Name of product; 2) Date preserved; 3) Method of preservation (pressure canner, water bath canner or dried); 4) Type of pack (raw pack or hot pack); 5) Altitude (and altitude adjustment, if needed); 6) Processing time; 7) Number of pounds of pressure (if pressure canner used); 8) Drying method and drying time (for dried food exhibits); 9) Recipe and source of recipe (if a publication, include name and date). Use printable information form available at http://central4.unl.edu/4hforms.

Division 406: Freezing

E406001 - Baked Item Made with Frozen Produce any recipe, at least ¾ of baked product or 4 muffins or cookies on a paper plate or in a disposable pan. Recipe must include a food preserved by the freezing method by the 4-H’er. (Examples: peach pie, blueberry muffins, zucchini bread, etc.) Supporting information must include both the recipe for the produce that was frozen as part of this project AND the baked food item.

Division 407: Drying

E407001 - Dried Fruits 3 different examples of 3 different dried fruits. Place each dried fruit food (6-10 pieces of fruit, minimum 1/4 cup) in separate self-sealing bags. Use a rubber band or twist-tie to keep exhibit together.

E407002 - Fruit Leather 3 different examples of 3 different fruit leathers. Place a 3-4” sample of each leather in separate self-sealing bags. Use a rubber band or twist-tie to keep exhibit together.

E407003 - Vegetable Leather 3 different examples of 3 different vegetable or vegetable/fruit leather combo. Place a 3-4” sample of each leather in separate self-sealing bags. Use a rubber band or twist-tie to keep exhibit together.

E407004 - Dried Vegetables 3 different samples of 3 different dried vegetables. Place each food (1/4 cup of each vegetable) in a separate self-sealing bag. Use a rubber band or twist-tie to keep exhibit together.

E407005 - Dried Herbs 3 different samples of 3 different dried herbs. Place each food (1/4 cup of each herb) in a separate self-sealing bag. Use a rubber band or twist-tie to keep exhibit together.

E407006 - Baked Item made with Dried Produce/Herbs any recipe, at least ¾ of baked product or 4 muffins or cookies on a paper plate or in a disposable pan. Recipe must include a food/herb dried by the 4-H’er. (Examples: granola bar made with dried fruit, dried cranberry cookies, Italian herb bread, lemon thyme cookies.) Supporting information must include both the recipe for the dried produce/herb AND the baked food item.

Division 408: Boiling Water Canning

E408001 - 1 Jar Fruit Exhibit One jar of a canned fruit. Entry must be processed in the boiling water bath according to current USDA recommendations.

E408002 - 3 Jar Fruit Exhibit 3 jars of different canned fruits. May be three different techniques for same type of product, ex. applesauce, canned apples, apple pie filling, etc. Entry must be processed in a boiling water bath according to current USDA recommendations.

E408003 - 1 Jar Tomato Exhibit 1 jar of a canned tomato product. Entry must be processed in a boiling water bath according to current USDA recommendations.

E408004 - 3 Jar Tomato Exhibit 3 jars of different canned tomato products (salsa, sauces without meats, juice, stewed, etc.). Entry must be processed in a boiling water bath according to current USDA recommendations.

E408005 - 1 Jar Pickled Exhibit 1 jar of a pickled and/or fermented product. Entry must be processed in a boiling water bath according to current USDA recommendations.

E408006 - 3 Jar Pickled Exhibit 3 jars of different kinds of canned pickled and/or fermented products. Entry must be processed in a boiling water bath according to current USDA recommendations.

E408007 - 1 Jar Jelled Exhibit 1 jar of jam, jelly or marmalade. Entry must be processed in a boiling water bath according to current USDA recommendations.

E408008 - 3 Jar Jelled Exhibit 3 different kinds of jelled products. Entry may be made up of either pints or half pints. Entry must be processed in a boiling water bath according to current USDA recommendations.

Division 414: Pressure Canning

E414001 - 1 Jar Vegetable or Meat Exhibit 1 jar of a canned vegetable or meat. Include only vegetables and meat canned in a pressure canner according to current USDA recommendations.

E414002 - 3 Jar Vegetable Exhibit 3 jars of different kinds of canned vegetables. Include only vegetables canned in a pressure canner according to current USDA recommendations.

E414003 - 3 Jar Meat Exhibit 3 jars of different kinds of canned meats. Include only meats canned in a pressure canner according to current USDA recommendations.

E414004 - Quick Dinner Exhibit a minimum of 3 jars to a maximum of 5 jars plus menu. Meal should include 3 canned foods that can be prepared within an hour. List complete menu on a 3"x5" file card and attach to one of the jars. Entry must be processed according to current USDA recommendations.

E414005 - 1 Jar Tomato Exhibit 1 jar of a canned tomato product. Entry must be processed in a pressure canner according to current USDA recommendations.

E414006 - 3 Jar Tomato Exhibit 3 jars of different canned tomato products (salsa, sauces without meats, juice, stewed, etc.). Entry must be processed in a pressure canner according to current USDA recommendations.