Most of the questions people commonly ask about ChefsBest and our website are answered below. Take a look to learn more about how we can help you put the best food on your table everyday.
CHEFSBEST
JUDGING PROCESS
Q: Who determines which products win the ChefsBest Award?
Q: Can I trust your judging results?
Q: Are the manufacturers involved in the judging process?
Q: How does ChefsBest choose the products it judges?
Q: How often are products rejudged?
Q: Why hasn't one of my favorite product categories been judged?
SITE FEATURES
Q: When will your site launch?
Q: How do I register for a free email newsletter?
Q: When your site is fully launched, what features will it include?
CHEFSBEST
Q: What is ChefsBest and what do you do?
A: ChefsBest® is the independent judging organization dedicated to recognizing and honoring the best food and food-related products in America. We use expert judges who are professional chefs that have been sensory certified as Master Tasters™. In all judging sessions, we utilize the Sensory Attribute Quality Analysis (SAQA™) judging methodology that has been developed by ChefsBest and leading food industry and sensory experts to determine America's best products. We judge the best products among America's leading brands in totally unbiased conditions. There is only one winner in a category, so when you buy a ChefsBest Award winner, you know you are buying the best.
Q: How can the ChefsBest Award help me?
A: There are over 35,000 different products in the average grocery store today, a number that increases everyday. Also, the time we have to select which product to buy has gotten shorter with our busier lifestyles. Food is one of the largest expenditures in our household budget. Yet we have little time and information to make the best buying decisions when we shop. Finally, the average American is exposed to over 4,000 advertising messages daily. With all these distractions and choices, it can be hard to know which products are the best to buy.
The ChefsBest Award makes it easy. By finding out the ChefsBest Award winners here on our website, you can go to the store knowing the best products. When you get to the store, you can also look for the ChefsBest Award on the package of several hundred products to help you buy the best. Let us help you shop smarter and faster using the ChefsBest Award.
Q: What are the ChefsBest Awards?
A: To help you buy the best food and food-related products, ChefsBest has three types of Awards:
ChefsBest Award for Best Taste — This award is for a food product has been judged the highest quality among leading brands in a competitive judging. It is the most common ChefsBest Award. The ChefsBest Award for Best Taste lets you know that a product has been judged best among leading brands throughout America. Because of widely differing opinions, ChefsBest does not make any judgment on a product's stated nutritional claims.
ChefsBest Award for Performance — This award is for a non-food product that is used in the kitchen and is judged the best performing product in its category among leading brands. From paper towels to small appliances, the ChefsBest Award for Performance helps you buy the best appliances and products for the kitchen.
ChefsBest Certified Award — This award is an endorsement of product quality by ChefsBest. The ChefsBest Certified Award is awarded to a product in category that has only one qualifying product, like a new product category, and we are unable to have a qualified competitive judging. In such a case, we judge a product on its own merits and against benchmark standards. The ChefsBest Certified Award tells consumers that a product has the high standards of quality held by ChefsBest.
To learn more, click here.
JUDGING PROCESS
Q: Who determines which products win the ChefsBest Award?
A: Expert judges on judging panels determine the ChefsBest Award winners. All products are judged at the ChefsBest Center for Taste in San Francisco where there are over 60 professional chefs that are sensory certified as Master Tasters to judge the products. Judging panels are moderated by certified professional moderators that utilize the Sensory Attribute Quality Analysis (SAQA) judging methodology which was developed by ChefsBest and leading food industry and sensory experts.
To learn more, click here.
Q: Can I trust your judging results?
A: The credibility and integrity of our judging process is critical to the mission of our organization. To produce reliable, unbiased results, we have developed a scientific sensory judging process to determine the best products in America.
First, our Master Tasters have a refined, trained palate and high sensory assessment skills. To become a Master Taster, a chef must be an experienced degreed professional chef who is initially able to pass a palate acuity test that measures the ability to taste very minor differences. Next, he or she must undergo extensive training in our ChefsBest SAQA judging methodology and be able to pass the qualifications to become a Master Taster.
To make sure our judges are not influenced by brand loyalty, our judging sessions are done as "blind judging", meaning that all products are presented to the judges in unmarked numbered containers with no brand identification. Also, all judged products are bought from grocery stores, as a consumer would, and stored in secure climate controlled facilities until judging day.
Once a judging session is completed, we review all of the judges' comments and data from the judging session. We perform a computerized analysis with statistical software to determine if there is a significant statistical difference between the first and second place. Only a clear winner is a ChefsBest Award winner.
To learn more, click here.
Q: Are the manufacturers involved in the judging process?
A: No. ChefsBest is an independent judging organization and we are committed to the integrity and independence of our judging process. Through extensive research, ChefsBest determines which categories to judge and which products will be judged in that category. We then procure the products for judging from stores as a consumer would. The products are then judged, and if a product wins by a statistical margin, only then is a winner announced.
Q: How does ChefsBest choose the products it judges?
A: The ChefsBest Research Department determines the products that will be judged in each category. The categories chosen are the most important to consumers. The products judged in those categories are the leading products in that category according to industry research sources and must be available to most consumers across America.
To learn more, click here.
Q: How often are products rejudged?
A: All product categories are judged every one to three years to make sure that you are always buying the best.
Q: Why hasn't one of my favorite product categories been judged?
A: While we endeavor to judge every category that is important to consumers, we haven't gotten to them all yet. Check back often to see if your favorite category has been judged.
Q: Why wasn't my favorite product included in your judging?
A: If your favorite product was not included in a category, it is likely that it was not readily available in most stores across America. We are as inclusive as we can be, but we feel that everyone in America should be able to find and purchase the products that are judged best by ChefsBest.
Q: One of my favorite products is a ChefsBest Award winner, but the ChefsBest Award is not displayed on its package. Why not?
A: If a ChefsBest Award winner does not display the ChefsBest Award on its package, it means that the manufacturer has not entered into an agreement with ChefsBest to use the ChefsBest Award on its package or marketing materials. However, all the ChefsBest Award winners are available on this website. Visit our website often for new winners before you go to the store, so you will always be buying America's best.
Site Features
Q: When will your site launch?
A: Our complete site should be available soon. Sign up for our newsletter to keep up on new winners, recipes and features.
Q: How do I register for a free email newsletter?
A: It's easy. Just go to our newsletter registration page to stay up to date on our launch date and the continued development of the site.
Or click here to sign up.
Q: When your site is fully launched, what features will it include?
A: The site will provide ongoing access to all the information you need to eat well every day. Following our experts' advice, you will be able to identify the best foods when you shop, use the best techniques in the kitchen, and stay abreast of the latest developments in the world of food.
To make it easy to get the most out of our site, we will provide you the following features:
ChefsBest Award Winners: After judging the best food and food-related products, we make our results available to enable you to take the best home. All products are judged under unbiased conditions by expert chefs who have been sensory-certified as Master Tasters. In this section of the site, you will learn how our judges evaluate different products, as well as which products were judged the best. You'll discover fun facts about each food category and convenient one-step recipes that make it easy to enjoy each product.
ChefsBest Fresh: Have you ever wondered how long you can store spices, how to choose the perfect steak, or when margarine can be substituted for butter? The ChefsBest Fresh section will take you inside our chefs' kitchens to learn how to select, store and prepare all the most popular fresh foods and ingredients.
Chef Recipes: Written exclusively by trained chefs, our extensive recipe section will include new takes on all of the old favorites, creative seasonal recipes, and both healthy and exotic fare. Our recipes have all been perfected by expert chefs, and they will help you take your cooking to the next level. Each recipe also provides easy reference to ChefsBest Award winners, helping you know which products to use to make your recipes turn out the best.
Feature Articles: The feature articles will cover all aspects of the world of food and how to enjoy the food we eat everyday. Written by chefs and food experts, their wide range of topics will enable you to put the best food on your table every day.
Tasting Terminology: You will be able to use the terminology section to better understand the language of food; it is similar to the language used when talking about the characteristics of wine. With a better understanding of the characteristics that make up taste, you will learn to think like a Master Taster, learning both how to choose the best and how to tweak your recipes to get the perfect dish every time.
Email Newsletter: Our periodic newsletter will keep you filled in on everything that's happening on our website and in the world of food. From seasonal topics to everyday advice, it will help you enjoy all the aspects of our site and assure that you are always enjoying America's best.
My Favorites: You will be able to manage your account and keep track of all your favorite recipes and articles with your own personalized Favorites page.
Soon, you will also be able to enjoy discussion forums and blogs by experts on a wide range of topics. We're are also developing mobile capabilities for your phone so that you will be able to look up America's best products while you are shopping.
Contact Information
We'd love to hear any questions or comments you have about our site or what we do. You can contact us using the methods below.
ChefsBest
Levi's Plaza
1255 Battery Street
San Francisco, CA 94111
Email: info@chefsbest.org
Or click here to submit your question or comment via form.