Do you find comment cards useful or do they give you a good laugh/headache

big matt

big matt

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I know some cards can be useful..say if your ribs were salty and you get more than one card stating exactly that.. then your ribs were probably too salty..what gets me the most is when a card should've been given out but it's not for example say a 755..the cook needs to know why you as a judge gave that score..I have been cooking comps since 2010 and never EVER have I changed anything after getting a comment card..why?..because the next week I can cook the exact same food and win..So judges if your going to spend the time scribbling down your valuable opinion..make sure the cooks can actually use the info to help them at the next cook..don't leave them scratching their head making them think"another stupid comment card goes straight in the trash!"
 
Most of the comment cards I've gotten address issues that I already knew about...ribs overcooked, chicken too spicy, etc. But I did learn not to use the spicy rub concoction again, so I suppose that helped.
 
I've gotten some that have been helpful and others that have me thinking that the judge ate the box instead of the food because he gave me a 4 in taste and the other judges gave me 7s & 8s. I had heard that they were trying to get away from giving out cards as much.
 
I love that for one ribs turn in we got a card saying "over done" and another comment for the exact same turn in saying "under done". We scratched our heads on that one.
 
we rarely get a comment made on a card. and then when we do, it';s literally two or three words. If I were a judge I would write a damn book to try my best to explain exactly why I scored it the way I did. but that's just me.
 
sfrancis353 said:
I love that for one ribs turn in we got a card saying "over done" and another comment for the exact same turn in saying "under done". We scratched our heads on that one.
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This actually happens more than you think. To me ribs can vary greatly from one end to the other and if you turn in 2 racks....
 
I usually wait until Tuesday or Wednesday to decide if a comment card is helpful. Usually by then I have come down off of my high horse, lol. I also do this when looking at my appearance scores based on my pics.

If on Tuesday/Wednesday the cards make no sense, I just toss them and keep on cooking.
 
big brother smoke said:
I usually wait until Tuesday or Wednesday to decide if a comment card is helpful. Usually by then I have come down off of my high horse, lol. I also do this when looking at my appearance scores based on my pics.

If on Tuesday/Wednesday the cards make no sense I just toss them and keep on cooking.
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Just curious how many times on Wendesday have you said..yep that judge was right and applied changes to your following cook?..not talking appearance just T&T or basically your profile or cooking style?
 
Twice, but I knew my brisket could be pulled back and knock an eye out before receiving the comment cards!
 
I recently got one for chicken that said it reminded them of lighter fluid.. but gave me a 7 for taste. :noidea:

BTW, I don't even own lighter fluid so I'm guessing it was some dirty smoke or something. Though, there was one contest last year that I got a couple saying the chicken was bland, so I decided to overhaul. Like someone said above, it's really useful when you get more than one person saying the same thing.
 
I wish So-Cal would give out more comment cards, I rarely get any.
When I do get them, I usually find them helpful.

I've gotten more comment cards in the 2 Nor-Cal contests I cooked than all the combined So-Cal comps I've cooked.
 
cpw said:
Most of the comment cards I've gotten address issues that I already knew about...ribs overcooked, chicken too spicy, etc. But I did learn not to use the spicy rub concoction again, so I suppose that helped.
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I'm with Chad here. MOST times when I get a comment card, they are just confirming what I already knew (too spicy, dry, underdone etc). There are the occasion that they don't make any sense, but more often they are "helpful" as affirming what I thought.

If I thought my chicken was spicy, and the card said spicy, then I will adjust slightly for my next cook.
 
JerryA said:
I wish So-Cal would give out more comment cards, I rarely get any.
When I do get them, I usually find them helpful.

I've gotten more comment cards in the 2 Nor-Cal contests I cooked than all the combined So-Cal comps I've cooked.
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Of course you got more up there!..it's an area heavily influenced by a few know it all master judges that hammer home giving them out...one of those judges also squeezes chicken with the fingers to check for tenderness..shouldn't that be done by taking a bite?.
 
nbicoy said:
I recently got one for chicken that said it reminded them of lighter fluid.. but gave me a 7 for taste. :noidea:

BTW, I don't even own lighter fluid so I'm guessing it was some dirty smoke or something. Though, there was one contest last year that I got a couple saying the chicken was bland, so I decided to overhaul. Like someone said above, it's really useful when you get more than one person saying the same thing.
Click to expand...


IMHO that's the only time they are useful..a bunch saying the exact same thing which most cooks would already know by their own taste..that's why we learn to read numbers..if I get a bunch of 6's I know exactly why..
 
I rarely write comment cards because a lot of cooks don't pay any attention to them, as evidenced by some of the replies in this thread. I do give out comment cards if I score an entry 6 or less. And I try to be very specific, so there can be no double meaning. They don't give us a lot of time to fill out comment cards, so I reserve my comments for those entries 6 or less. Happily, I don't see many 6 or less entrees anymore.
 
I'll also add I haven't had a comment card in the last 4-6 months and the last one was on a surprise 180 that just said great 999...but what has inspired my post this time is that I know a cook who recently got 7 comment cards..now this guy has won one GC and has finished decent when he cooks..this poor guy gets 7 dam comment cards on many scores but fails to get one for one of his scores that was 755...I don't know about you but I wanna know why the 5's...comment cards for6,7 and 8's though..this is where they can hurt the mid level cook and down..it causes nothing but confusion for them and that's when they start spinning their wheels..experienced cooks take them with a grain of salt..to me comment cards get looked at and tossed..as a cook the only thing you have control over is the food you turn and if your hitting top 5's pretty consistent why would you ever change a thing on one persons taste?..Id rather please 20
 
Okie Sawbones said:
I rarely write comment cards because a lot of cooks don't pay any attention to them, as evidenced by some of the replies in this thread. I do give out comment cards if I score an entry 6 or less. And I try to be very specific, so there can be no double meaning. They don't give us a lot of time to fill out comment cards, so I reserve my comments for those entries 6 or less. Happily, I don't see many 6 or less entrees anymore.
Click to expand...

We need this to just be a rule..yes yes yes please judge my food!..to me this is exactly how it should be done.
 
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