All New Pillsbury Bake-Off® Contest Now Accepting Entries

Refreshed Format Gives Three Chances to Enter; America Chooses 100 Finalists to Compete for $1 Million

MINNEAPOLIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Put on your best apron and compete to win $1 million in dough! The freshly redesigned 46^th Pillsbury Bake-Off^® Contest is now open for entries at www.BakeOff.com.

“We’re excited to roll out changes to the ever-classic Pillsbury Bake-Off® Contest”

For the first time in the 64-year history of the nation’s premier cooking competition, America will vote from among entries selected by the Bake-Off^® Kitchens to determine all 100 recipes to vie for the grand prize. Those 100 finalists will compete at the Bake-Off^® Contest finals, November 10-12, 2013, at the Aria Resort & Casino in Las Vegas.

To give creative home cooks more chances to enter, the Bake-Off^® Contest now features three recipe categories with separate entry periods. To encourage simpler, original recipes, submissions must include no more than seven ingredients, not including table salt, ground black pepper and water, and take 30 minutes or less to prepare, not including baking or cooling time.

“We’re excited to roll out changes to the ever-classic Pillsbury Bake-Off^® Contest,” said Jann Atkins, Bake-Off^® Kitchens Manager. “We know consumers crave recipes that are delicious, yet easy to make, so adding an ingredient limit allows us to provide inspiration for even the busiest families and novice cooks. And with voters selecting all 100 finalists, we hope to rally excitement and friendly competition across the country as people choose their favorites.”

Other sponsors of the 46^th Bake-Off^® Contest are The J.M. Smucker Company, GE Appliances and Green Giant.

Three Chances to Enter, Vote
Consumers can submit recipes during each of the three entry periods. Judges will select 60 recipes from each category for public voting at www.BakeOff.com. During the three voting periods, consumers who are 18 years of age or older as of March 14, 2013, can select their favorites in these categories:

• Amazing Doable Dinners: Your family loves them, and you love to prepare them. These simple main dishes are true weeknight wows. Examples: pizzas, calzones, sandwiches, foldovers, casseroles, chilis, savory pies. This category is open now. Entry period runs from January 3 (Noon CST) to February 7 (11:59 a.m. CST), 2013. Voting is open from March 14 (Noon CST) to March 28 (11:59 a.m. CST), 2013.
• Simple Sweets and Starters: These sweet treats and appetizers are the hit of any party. And even better, they’re a breeze to prepare, making entertaining easier than ever. Examples: cookies, bars, pies, tarts, bite-size appetizers, tartlets, pinwheels, puffs, bruschetta or focaccia. Entry period runs from April 4 (Noon CST) to May 9 (11:59 a.m. CST), 2013. Voting is open from June 13 (Noon CST) to June 27 (11:59 a.m. CST), 2013.
• Quick Rise and Shine Breakfasts: These are the recipes that make mornings rock. Whether you’re hosting a casual brunch, fixing breakfast for the family or enjoying a lazy weekend morning, these dishes are the ones you turn to first. Examples: sweet rolls, pull-aparts, pastries, breakfast breads, egg dishes, breakfast sandwiches. Entry period runs from July 4 (Noon CST) to August 8, 2013 (11:59 a.m. CST). Voting is open from September 12 (Noon CST) to September 26 (11:59 a.m. CST), 2013.

Voters will determine 33 finalists each from the Amazing Doable Dinners and Quick Rise and Shine Breakfasts categories and 34 finalists from the Simple Sweets and Starters category. These 100 recipes will advance to the Bake-Off^® Contest event in Las Vegas, where final judging will be conducted by a panel of food experts.

Eligible Products
Each Bake-Off^® Contest entry must include at least two different eligible ingredients from the lists below, with at least one ingredient from List A and one from List A or List B. Lists are available at www.BakeOff.com and may change from category to category:

Primary List (List A)

• Pillsbury^® Grands!^® Refrigerated Biscuits
• Pillsbury^® Grands^® Jr. Refrigerated Biscuits
• Pillsbury^® Grands!^® or Refrigerated Cinnamon Rolls with Icing
• Pillsbury^® Refrigerated Crescent Dinner Rolls
• Pillsbury^® Refrigerated Classic or Thin Pizza Crust
• Pillsbury^® Refrigerated Bread Sticks
• Pillsbury^® Refrigerated Crusty French Loaf
• Pillsbury^® Refrigerated Pie Crust
• Pillsbury^® Refrigerated Cookie Dough
• Pillsbury^® Frosting
• Pillsbury BEST^® Flour

Secondary List (List B)

• Green Giant Vegetables
• Jif^® Peanut Butter
• Smucker’s^® Jams, Jellies, Preserves or Fruit Spreads
• Crisco^® Cooking Oil and Crisco^® Baking Sticks All-Vegetable Shortening
• Eagle Brand sweetened condensed milk

Awards
The 46^th Bake-Off^® Contest will award nearly $1.1 million in cash, prizes and trips.

The Grand Prize Winner will receive $1 million and $10,000 in GE kitchen appliances. The Second Prize Winner will receive $10,000 and $3,000 in GE kitchen appliances. The Third Prize Winner will receive $5,000 and $2,000 in GE kitchen appliances.

And the honors don’t stop there. The following awards will be presented to finalists from any of the categories who have not already won another prize:

• The GE Imagination At Work Award recognizes the finalist who has the most innovative recipe with $5,000 in GE kitchen appliances.
• The Jif^® Peanut Butter Award recognizes the finalist who has the best recipe using at least ¼ cup of Jif^® Peanut Butter. The winner will receive $5,000.
• The Crisco is Cooking^™ Award recognizes the finalist who has the best recipe using at least one tablespoon of Crisco^® Cooking Oil or at least one tablespoon of Crisco^® Baking Sticks All-Vegetable Shortening. The winner will receive $5,000.
• Eagle Brand^® Signature Recipe Award recognizes the finalist who has the best recipe using one 14-ounce can of Eagle Brand^® Sweetened Condensed Milk. The winner will receive $5,000.

Each of the 100 finalists wins a trip to the Bake-Off^® Contest in Las Vegas, including airfare; two-night stay at the Aria Resort & Casino; daily event-sponsored meals; a GE countertop appliance (estimated retail value of $200); and $125. The approximate retail value of each finalist package is $1,606. Each finalist is eligible to win only one of the contest awards, in addition to the finalist package.

Contest Details
The Bake-Off^® Contest is open to amateur cooks, ages 21 or older as of October 31, 2013, who are legal United States residents residing in one of the 50 United States or the District of Columbia at the time of the Contest finals. All entries must be the original recipe of the contestant. The recipes will be judged for 1) taste; 2) appearance; 3) creativity; and 4) consumer appeal. All recipe entries must meet the requirements of the recipe category, and use two or more different eligible products and no more than seven ingredients, not including table salt, ground black pepper and water. Prep time must be 30 minutes or less, not including baking or cooling time. Only entries submitted via the electronic entry form provided on the website during the appropriate recipe category entry period will be accepted. Entrants must also be registered members of www.Pillsbury.com. The official contest rules are available at www.BakeOff.com and list the specific eligible products and the amount of each that must be used in a recipe entry.

The Pillsbury Bake-Off^® Contest began in 1949, and the first $1 million Grand Prize was awarded in 1996. At the 45^th Pillsbury Bake-Off ^® Contest, held March 2012 in Orlando, Fla., Christina Verrelli of Devon, Pa., won the $1 million Grand Prize for her Pumpkin Ravioli with Salted Caramel Whipped Cream recipe.

About the 46^th Pillsbury Bake-Off^® Contest Sponsors
General Mills is one of the world’s leading food companies, operating in more than 100 countries. Its more than 100 consumer brands include Pillsbury, Green Giant, Cheerios, Fiber One, Häagen-Dazs, Nature Valley, Yoplait, Betty Crocker and Old El Paso. Headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA, General Mills had 2012 worldwide sales of US $16.7 billion. For more than 130 years, families have trusted Pillsbury to make meal times special times. Favorite Pillsbury products include refrigerated cookies, crescent dinner rolls, breads, biscuits, pie crusts and sweet rolls as well as frozen biscuits, pie crusts and breakfast items. For product information and great-tasting recipes, visit www.pillsbury.com. Log on to www.generalmills.com for company information.

For more than 110 years, The J.M. Smucker Company has been committed to offering consumers quality products that bring families together to share memorable meals and moments. Today, Smucker is a leading marketer and manufacturer of fruit spreads, retail packaged coffee, peanut butter, shortening and oils, ice cream toppings, sweetened condensed milk, and health and natural foods beverages in North America. The Company’s wide variety of iconic brands and products include such trusted favorites as Smucker’s^® jams, jellies, preserves, fruit spreads and ice cream toppings; Jif^® peanut butter; Crisco^® oils, shortening and no-stick cooking sprays; Eagle Brand^® sweetened condensed milk; and Pillsbury^® baking mixes, ready-to-spread frosting and flour. For more information and delicious recipes, please visit www.smuckers.com, www.jif.com, www.crisco.com, www.eaglebrand.com and www.pillsburybaking.com.

GE Appliances is at the forefront of building innovative, energy-efficient appliances that improve people’s lives. GE Appliances’ products include refrigerators, freezers, cooking products, dishwashers, washers, dryers, air conditioners, water filtration systems and water heaters. General Electric (NYSE: GE) works on things that matter to build a world that works better. For more information on GE Appliances, visit www.ge.com/appliances.

Green Giant started out in Le Sueur, Minnesota, as the Minnesota Valley Canning Company in 1903, when some 11,750 cases of white cream-style corn were sold in the company’s first year. For the past 100 years, the Giant’s Valley is where fresh and great-tasting vegetables are grown and picked at the peak of perfection. Green Giant has been implementing sustainability into the business since 1929 when the company introduced vacuum-pack technology and Green Giant has plans to continue to become “greener” in the future. The brand is now part of General Mills, Inc.