I won't hide the fact that I'm a person that likes to cook. However, I've never had the guts to actually try preparing the recipes listed in various cooking manga, like Yakitate!! Japan or Iron Wok Jan, but there has always been a curiosity as to whether these recipes actually work out, not to mention how these dishes would taste.

The Cooking With Manga panel, presented by Erin Finnegan, her husband Noah,and MangaBlog's Sam Kusek, sought to find an answer to these concerns. Finnegan and Kusek both ran through their experiences in attempting a number of dishes from Iron Wok Jan, Oishinbo, Kitchen Princess, and Yakitate!! Japan. Some of the recipes worked well, like Kitchen Princess's pasta. However, for every success, there were twice as many failures, which were especially fun to watch. From Yakitate!! Japan's infamous "Rice Cooker Bread" going awry, to a not-so-wise trial of Oishinbo's "cabbage biting" scene, the crew was happy to throw in a few self-deprecating barbs as they showed photos of the aftermath.

For each recipe, the trio outlined just what worked, and what didn't. They talked about their troubles with finding ingredients, or issues with the recipes in general that may interfere with the actual cooking process. They also outlined what certain ingredients were, and alternate regional names, which is helpful for novice chefs, or those unfamiliar with non-local ingredients.

There were a few dry stretches, but the panel was a strong first effort. If the panelists tighten their focus, and tone down the chatter on things like caloric content or Oishinbo's overwhelming nationalism, they will have a must-see panel next year.