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Solution to The Duck Konundrum VI: Now with Way Way Way Way Way Too Much Pepper

Author: Dan Katz

Following the instructions triggers the following steps in the following order:

  • Phase 1 - BROIL, FRY, HEAT, STIR, WHISK (White Eggplant Parmesan)
  • Phase 2 - BRAISE, CODDLE, JULIENNE, MINCE, SIMMER (Southern Flavortown Cheesesteak)
  • Phase 3 - CARVE, DICE, GLAZE, KNEAD, PICKLE (Meat Munch)
  • Phase 4 - PUREE, MIX, LIQUEFY, FRAPPE, BLEND (Cheesy Kettle Corn)
  • Phase 5 - WHIP, POACH, HUSK, DEBONE, CHILL (Tasty Teamwork)
  • Phase 6 - SPRINKLE, ROAST, PEEL, MELT, FLAMBE (Judgment-Free Calzone)
  • Phase 7 - TOAST, STEAM [before turning into a zombie, Jordan shuts down the kitchen]

This file shows the contents of each pot and the chefs' cutting boards after every step. When the kitchen is shut down, the numbers of tablespoons of pepper in the pots, starting at Dude's pot and moving counterclockwise, are 7, 12, 21, 20, 5, 14, 6, 18, 5, and 5. Reading these as alphanumerics gives the puzzle answer, GLUTEN FREE.

Notes on a few easter eggs: The chefs, if it wasn't blatantly obvious, are parodies of television chefs Guy Fieri, Emeril Lagasse, Gordon Ramsay, Alton Brown, and Paula Deen. The Meat Munch is a tribute to the dish of the same name offered at Friedey's in James Ernest's Lord of the Fries. Zyzzlvaria is the setting of the non-award-winning non-best-selling board game Escape From Zyzzlvaria, and it was also the setting for the 2009 Mystery Hunt. And the names of the actions in Phase 4 are all blender settings; this "coincidence" is intended to reassure solvers that they're on the right track.