CULINARY SPACE

Sodium Reduction

2011-08-11T11:32:00.000-07:00

Sodium Reduction

So much is made of trends in our market place. Food service like clothing, décor and art are trend driven market places. Even in our present economic woes; certain trends will drive sales over economics. A great example of this is comfort food. Comfort food bucks many other market trends, economic, health and style. When it’s comfort food we want its comfort food we get. For me it’s a Grilled Rueben with kettle potato chips extra 1000 island dressing a huge dill pickle and beer. As a struggling Triathlete you can imagine that this meal can destroy my run times not to mention my calorie count, fat loss campaign and carbohydrate cycle; but on a cold November evening watching Monday night football this comfort meal is irreplaceable.

The latest trend working its way through our kitchens is healthy offerings and particularly Low, No or Reduced Sodium. We are being told that salt (or sodium to be more specific), is a killer and can lead to hypertension, stoke, heart disease, obesity and so on. Although some of us over season our food with the shaker at the table, the real issue is in the hidden salt in our prepared foods. Canned, frozen and shelf stable foods all require a preservative and the most effective, cheapest and common preservative is sodium. It can be called many different names, calcium propionate, potassium hydrogen sulfite or sodium benzoate to name a few but the health effect is the same. More and more our industry is being asked to make products that are, no, low or reduced sodium.

All this leaves us with quite a dilemma. After all SODIUM = FLAVOR right? At one time the world economy was influenced by salt (much like oil is today) biblically salt is referenced as a pillar of society, “salt of the earth”. So our dilemma is how to do with out or at least with less of something so revered and what we all live and die by, “Flavor”.

This causes me to ask some basic questions;
1) how do I replace salt and still keep flavor?
2) How are foods that are manufactured going to be affected? And
3) what now, do I have to take the salt shaker off the table?

1)How do I replace salt and still keep flavor?
The short answer is there are many ways to gain flavor without salt. Let’s remind ourselves about other ways to produce flavor. To name a few, carmalization, reduction or concentration, fats, smoke, herbs and spices. Foods that contain a lot of salt limit what we can add to a dish anyway. What’s the old adage? “You can always add but you can’t take away”, taught to me by every chef I trained under. This year Zatarains www.zatarains.com cut out more than half of the salt in their popular rice mixes. They are 200 to 400 grams less than their closest completion. Like all great Cajun cooks they went into their kitchens and cooked’em until they gott’em right! The rice mixes in my opinion are better than before and way better than their competitors. How were they able to do this? They adjusted the spices in the recipes and added other spices, proteins and flavors to enhance the overall flavor without adding as much salt. Now they have a great product that is healthier and meets all of today’s trends as well as the school and healthcare guidelines. Above all they taste terrific. They were able to maintain the integrity of the recipes and in some cases enhance products that were good and made them fantastic.

McCormick and Co. www.mccormickforchefs.com has developed a fantastic resource for all of us in the food industry www.mccormickforchefs.com. Here you will find recipes, new product ideas and the Flavor Forecast; a truly inspirational resource for creativity and development of menus, recipes and trends. The Flavor Forecast lists the latest flavor pairings that are hot and on trend for 2011. You can also go back and see classic pairings from the past 5 years. McCormick and Co. just retooled some spice blends under the Lawry’s label to make a line of Salt free, less sodium and touch of salt spice blends and rubs. This line represents some classic blends and some newer flavor pairings. They have developed a very well rounded line of spice blends. McCormick & Co a true innovator in flavor has recently released a line of roasted spices, roasted garlic, fennel, cumin and curry. With this line they have added the flavor of roasting to the already flavorful spices. The roasted products provide flavor layering and give the foods they season another dimension in flavor. At the end of it all we need to think more about the cooking process, flavor layering and other flavor enhancing ingredients and techniques. So don’t just grab for the salt shaker or the preserved pre-prepared product create flavor from the ground up and add a new dimension to your dishes.

2)How are foods that are manufactured going to be affected?
You can bet that many R&D teams are working on reduced sodium products. Manufacturers that compete in the school or healthcare market have already made these changes. Like McCormick & Co. many market conscious manufacturers have already begun developing some great reduced sodium products. Supherb Farms has a great selection of fresh frozen herbs and pestos. These products are very unique in that they are perfectly preserved in a frozen state. Because they are frozen the product is free of bacteria and other pathogens. It remains fresh longer. The natural oils in the herbs are preserved perfectly which add to the flavor being far superior to even two day old fresh product. Custom Culinary who operates in the very salt and preservative laden category of bases, sauces and gravies. Custom Culinary has created terrific line of reduced sodium products, see their website: http://www.customculinary.com/. Custom has been the category innovator with reduced sodium and has now taken healthy manufacturing to a new level with their new line of bases and gravies http://www.customculinary.com/samples.cfmThis new line addresses Sodium, Transfats, Non GMO, allergens and gluten. How do they do it? The answers is simple, they use all natural good old fashioned vegetables, protein, herbs and spices. And guess what, they produced a flavorful, healthy and cost effective product. The very attuned folks at Kikkoman have developed some terrific products as well. The Numami sauce (and yes this is a takeoff on the word Umami the 5th taste.) (See previous post from Jeff Rosen) Numami sauce is a great way to flavor foods without adding a lot of salt. Kikkoman through their own research and product innovation has developed several new items to combat sodium. They have the Low Sodium Soy sauce and Low Sodium Teriyaki sauce, Numami, Siracha, Lime Ponzu and Lemon Ponzu. I know, I know your thinking, they made add flavor but I cannot use them in non Asian cuisine. Au contraire my friend the Numami, Soy and Ponzu can be added to any dish needing a little Umami. I add plain soy sauce to sauces and soups that are non Asian all the time. I encourage you to play around with these. You will have customers or people trying to guess how you have made the other flavors in your recipes so bright and complementary. Experience the savoriness these products bring to your dish.

3)What now, do I have to take the salt shaker off the table?
Of course not, sea salt and kosher salt are fine to use in moderation.
McCormick & Co. has some excellent choices for your kitchen and tabletop.
You may want to add other choices for your guests:
Tabasco who now has 7 flavors, Traditional Red Tabasco, Green Tabasco, Garlic Tabasco, Chipotle Tabasco, Habanero Tabasco, Sweet and Spicy Tabasco and the NEW Buffalo Tabasco.
Kikkoman offers some great table top dispenser sized Low Sodium Soy sauce and Low Sodium Teriyaki sauce, Numami, Siracha, Lime Ponzu and Lemon Ponzu as well as packets.
Ken’s Foods has an extensive line of pour bottles as well as PC Packets and PC cups in their most popular sauces and dressings.

Chicken Pricing Article

2009-12-10T09:10:00.000-08:00

Here is great article on Chicken Breast Pricing:

2009-12-03T07:23:00.000-08:00

Chicken BREAST Cheaper than Chicken WINGS???

What has this world come to?

In this day and age I guess we have come to expect all things can happen. We have seen Pomace oil sell for more than some Extra Virgin oils. Grain prices control all commodities because it not only fuels the live stock but also fuels the trucks that transport them. Pork has become the cleanest meat in the industry?! What's that saying??? "When pigs fly?!"

I guess in this economy anything is possible, right?!

The economy affected the demand on chicken breast adversely. So much so explains the NY Times, that the chicken wing per pound is roughly $.27 per lb more than chicken breast on average. The advent of the boneless chicken wing has been a boon for most of the restaurants serving wings along with chicken breast, chicken nuggets and the ever popular popcorn chicken.

I got very curious about this phenomenon and did a little market research:

1) Of the restaurants I visited that sell both regular wings and boneless wings, the boneless wing was not priced for less on the menu. In fact most of them sold them for more.
2) In retail stores all of them were selling breast meat for at least 30% more than wings.
Now restaurants have a menu printing cost issue associated with changing the price and are probably counting of some pricing normalcy to take place sooner than later. The Retail sector however has absolutely no excuse other than taking advantage of naive consumers.

We in the food service business have a great opportunity to take advantage of a unique pricing opportunity, while it lasts and truly do some unique things with boneless wings, breast strips, popcorn chicken etc... These versatile items can be used in entrees, appetizers, mixed with sauces , tossed in spices, used as toppers for salads or Pasta. The sky is the limit. Opportunity can be the mother of invention. Boneless wings are adored by kids, adults that want a clean face and at the end of the day they are lower in fat.

Over the next few weeks CULINARY SPACE will be posting recipes and menuable comncepts utilizing these breast products. Until then who knows what will happen, maybe we will finally find out who is buried in Grants tomb????

Bryan Knox

Bay Brokerage Co.

2009-06-03T11:29:00.000-07:00

2009-06-03T11:25:00.001-07:00

WHAT IS UMAMI?

As Operators, Manufacturers and Vendors all look for the “next big thing” to give them an edge, we ask ourselves what is the path to success? Is it a trend we are looking for? Is it a sales incentive or gimmick? Perhaps it requires market research and feedback from focus groups. Is the bottom line the primary driver of all menuing decisions? The answers will vary according to your business needs but when it comes to success, it is really all about the reaction of the customer when they put that bite of food in their mouth. Perhaps the answer can also be found in one of the most ancient and unknown tastes, Umami. Can Umami be the “X” factor when it comes to giving your food that extra something? What it really comes down to when looking for success is the taste and flavor of our foods and our cooking processes and we are finding out that Umami plays a big part.
Umami was discovered by a Japanese researcher one hundred years ago. Dr. Kikunae Ikeda of Tokyo Imperial University recognized that certain foods like asparagus, tomatoes, meat and cheese all shared a common taste. It's a bit hard to put your finger on, though it's often described as "savory." I think it's easier to think of it as the taste that makes your mouth water. It also has a distinctive mouth feel, it lends a fullness or roundness. While taste and flavor are often used interchangeably, they are not the same thing. Flavor is determined by taste and smell. There are only five tastes--sweet, salt, sour, bitter and umami. Just as sweetness is imparted by sugar, umami is imparted by glutamate, a type of amino acid, and ribonucleotides, including inosinate and guanylate, which occur naturally in many foods. It is also manufactured in monosodium glutamate. It is added or occurs naturally in products with hydrolyzed soy protein and autolyzed yeast such as Marmite, Vegemite, Maggi, and Kewpie mayonnaise. It also exists in most cheese flavored snack foods. Of course, you will recognize that glutamates are also artificially manufactured as MSG. While MSG has a negative connotation, particularly in Chinese Cuisine, the idea in MSG is to re-produce this mysterious savory taste that does naturally occur. Soy Sauce, Parmesan cheese, Worcestershire sauce, dashi broth, fish sauce, bouillon, tomatoes, shiitake mushrooms and even potatoes are all sources of umami. Mixing and matching is fine. I sometimes add Asian fish sauce to chili and while not perceptible, I find it helps to round out the flavor. Scientists and chefs alike are interested in umami. While the isolated glutamate does not taste very good on it's own, research shows that it enhances the taste of many foods which is why umami was considered a "flavor enhancer" for so long before being recognized as a taste. It makes food taste better and can be used in making healthy foods more palatable for people who have a decrease in their ability to taste due to health or age.
Famous author and scientist Harold McGee mentioned that the chef Heston Blumenthal found the flavor of umami to be stronger in the seeds and surrounding juice of tomatoes than in the pulp. Coincidentally, he pointed out that Ferran Adria had created a dish using the seeds and surrounding liquid instead of the tomato flesh or pulp. The dish served at El Bulli was Blood Orange Foam with Tomato Seeds and Sorbet. Even if you aren't thinking about umami, you might be using it to make dishes taste good whether you realize it or not.

Jeff Rosen

Bay Brokerage Corporate Chef

2009-06-03T11:25:00.000-07:00

Economic Solutions

2009-05-01T09:10:00.000-07:00

We have all been watching the changes that have been taking place in our industry because of the economy of our country and the rest of the world for that matter.

On a macro level we have seen changes in pricing both up and then down that are unprecedented. The cost of the commodities, manufacturing and ultimately freight to deliver it has been on a roller coaster ride. We are seeing commodity or raw product market variables that have frankly never affected the market before take a significant effect. These variables have come from transportation issues, environmental issues, public conscious issues and political issues, not to mention simple supply and demand.

On a micro level our customers (Restaurant Patrons) have been eating out less, not at all, or they simply don't order like they used to. They split salads, entrees, and desserts. They order appetizers as their main entree, skip dessert and get their wine by the glass instead of the bottle. I read an article written at the beginning of the recession by a industry pontiff that stated that our society is too programmed to eat out and that he didn't think the industry would suffer due to a down turn in the economy. Programmed or not if you don't have a dollar to spend you are not going to spend it.

What to do, what to do?
In the past, we have attracted customers with over the top portions, over the top ingredients and let's face it paid far less attention to service and the value and the experience of it all.

Our society has been programmed to eat out more often and to expect less from the experience. When I was a kid eating out at a restaurant was a treat. You went out to eat less often and when you did you went to get your favorite food prepared unlike anything you could get at home or anywhere else. The dishes, ambiance, and service were all part of the package. Let's face it eating out used to be an experience. Ask yourself this question, when was the last time you had an experience at a restaurant? When was the last time you were wowed by the the whole package?

Our customers are screaming for value. They want smaller portions so that they cost less. The days of taking home a huge doggy bag are gone. Today this is looked on a expensive, wasteful and unhealthy. They want new exciting dishes, perhaps multi ethnic or fusion, even well prepared old favorites, but the bottom line is they want good food with flavor and value. Let's face it, our customer is more informed about food than ever before. They have traveled to the country, or eaten at friends that grew up eating and cooking a particular food, or have cooked it themselves at home. Any way you slice it they may have several sources to get the food you are making. If you are not making it better than they can get it anywhere else you are missing the boat. Good enough is not good enough you need to supply something that truly sets your place apart.

What sets you apart?
Provide and Experience, we all want our customer to repeat and the only way that is going to happen is to provide a good experience. Help them create the memory, tradition or habit to patronize your place.

??? Are you known for your food? Are you setting trends or following? What is your signature dish and are you known for it? Do you make the best ____________ and again are you known for it?

Ask yourself, how is your service? Do your servers make your place an experience? Do they take your customers on an adventure, discovering all you have to offer or are they just taking an order?

How is your ambiance? Does your place invite people in? Does it project that you are taking care of the customer, or trying to save money on linen and paper goods? Is it clean, can the customer see what your cooks are doing? Cooking itself is a great floor show.

How do your customers feel when they leave? Do they feel like they are amongst friends? Do they make sure to say goodbye and tell you about their experience? Do they bring friends and family frequently? Are they wowed?

Bryan Knox

Bay Brokerage Product Line Manager

Cost conscience patrons destroying your check average?

2009-04-24T08:31:00.000-07:00

Our patrons are splitting entrees. The woman orders an appitizer the man orders an entree they split a salad and never even looked at the dessert menu. If this is a scenario that plays out regularly in your restaurant, you are not alone. Todays restaurant patron is very conscience of the value and especially of the price of product and service you are providing. Let's face it, the once a week friday dinner out has shrunk to once per month and maybe just special occasions. When they do go out to eat they are looking for value. Good food at a reasonable price. It doesn't matter if you have huge portions and in some cases the huge portions are viewed as waste and leves them wondering if they could get a better deal if they were served a smaller portion. The average patron doesn't know if they are going to be employeed next week and they are saving for a rainy day and for most peole they can see the rainy day coming. The corporate customer is tasked with reducing their expense budget. The thought here is two fold 1) businesses are tightening thi

Bay Brokerage Co Inc.

2009-04-11T13:32:00.000-07:00

Am Employee owned Sales and Marketing Co.

Welcome to CULINARY SPACE

2009-04-11T12:42:00.000-07:00

Hello and welcome to CULINARY SPACE,

This blog is designed for the food service professional. Whether you are a, Chef, Bartender, Owner, Manager, Wait -Person, Sales Person, Broker or Manufacturer. It is designed for all of us in the industry to share knowledge, techniques, recipes, information, trends, problems and ultimately solutions for our business.

Please feel free to share your, Ideas, praise opinions, criticisms, etc... The terms of use for this blog are simple. Be polite, constructive, honest, respectful and legal. The spirit in which this was created is to help each other learn, grow and experience all we can.