The last challenge, part of which involved a pig's head ''to cut up and deal to'' was ''exceptionally full on'', Ms Stanley (40) told the Otago Daily Times last night.
''It was an unfathomable amount of food to cook in such a short time.''
In the final, tight scoring shifted from favouring one pair then the other but the sisters eventually took the lead with a perfect 20/20 for one of their dishes.
Ms Stanley said she had ''absolute respect'' for the sisters, who are aged 23 and 25, and was honoured to be considered in the same league.
''At the end of the day we got out-cooked.''
The sisters won $100,000 worth of prizes, including two cars, kitchen appliances, kitchenware and groceries, as well as an exclusive cookbook deal.
It seemed the duo could not believe they had won, with Kasey uttering, ''Holy moley,'' while Karena burst into tears.
The contestants have been living with the knowledge of who won for months after being away from their families while filming for more than three months.
Ms Stanley, who has a degree in food science, said cooking had always been a passion so ''to be around foodies for three months'' was a fulfilling experience.
The mother of three has a few ideas cooking, one of which is about to come into fruition. She is on the cusp of launching a bottled water product in China and is searching for a distributor.
Ms Stodler (36) said creating the finale fare was ''definitely challenging'' but ''it was a great episode'' which she and Ms Stanley watched at the Arrowtown Bowling Club with family and friends.
''Those girls [the Bird sisters] next to us were awesome.''
Additional reporting APNZ.
