Prepared Foods - August 2008 - (Page 14)

new product trends ©ISTOCKPHOTO/ALEXANDER SHALAMOV Even the most traditional and familiar menu offerings will not immediately sell themselves, so it is up to operators create the initial interest that may lead to return visits. “Fire-grilled,” “fresh,” “crisp” and “ripe” are all buzzwords that point to high-quality components, ingredients and preparation. Food Service, one example of an ingredient that had a real knack for inspiring cravings was a bit surprising: Oreo cookies. Chef Julius explained that the Oreo cookie was an excellent illustration of exactly the type of food that consumers crave. Consisting of three layers—two crisp, dark chocolate wafers with a sweet, smooth ﬁlling in the center—the Oreo signals freshness (with its crisp indicators), as well as sweetness and fat. The texture, color and ﬂavor of the outer layers are generally desirable, and the ﬁlling is a sugar-fat emulsion that the brain automatically craves. Couple this ﬂavor/texture combination with consumers’ strong brand awareness of Oreo cookies, and restaurants have a winner. In fact, Technomic’s MenuMonitor database revealed more than 220 menu mentions of the Oreo brand across all segments and mealparts. Aside from the expected cookie crust for cheesecakes and pies, Oreos also appeared blended in milkshakes; crumbled as a topping for sundaes; and, most notably, as a featured ingredient in alcoholic beverages. Several operators, including Bennigan’s (which also menued two desserts with Oreos) and Lone Star Steak House, listed specialty cocktails that paired vanilla vodka and liqueurs with Oreo cookies. and Chinese cuisines, there is a burgeoning acceptance of and craving for Spanish, Mediterranean and Caribbean ﬂavor proﬁles, as well as those that fully encompass Asian cuisine, including Japanese, Thai, Vietnamese and Indian fare. Restaurants that highlight these cuisines and adapt them to their menus effectively can ﬁnd a way to marry their concept to a mainstream consumer’s newfound ethnic food cravings. One avenue operators are using to infuse menus with bolder ﬂavors is in the development of appetizer menus (this also helps drive customer trafﬁc). Technomic’s recent “Appetizer Report” revealed “craveability” as key to appetizer sales. Appetizer samplers with ethnic-fusion preparations (mixtures of Asian and Latin foods, for example) answer the craving for spicier fare, while allowing guests to share with one another, try new ﬂavors and enjoy hot or tangy dipping sauces. For restaurant consumers, few factors carry more signiﬁcance than the appeal of freshness. Customers will gravitate toward an item they perceive as fresh, whether it truly is or not. One of the strongest associations with freshness is “crispy.” Crisp food textures indicate that a food is fresh, interesting to the palate and desirable to eat. A wide assortment of foods preferred by consumers is described as crispy, including apples, lettuce, cucumbers, bacon, tortillas, chicken strips, French fries, breaded vegetables and an array of salty, prepackaged snacks—and the list goes on. MenuMonitor, Technomic’s proprietary menu database, listed more than 2,900 mentions of “crisp” or “crispy” ingredients on U.S. restaurant menus. In a recent interview on the topic of craveable foods with chef Skip Julius, product development leader for Gordon The Umami Factor Umami, a Japanese word meaning “savory” or “deliciousness,” is considered a relatively new addition to the tongue’s four basic tastes of salty, bitter, sour and sweet. Umami is heightened with the addition of ingredients that exhibit a savory ﬂavor proﬁle to a dish, including foods containing high levels of glutamates, an amino acid. Foods that are naturally high in glutamates include MSG, soy sauce, ﬁsh sauce, mushrooms, Parmesan cheese, anchovies, tomatoes and potatoes. These umami foods, and others like them, transmit pleasure signals to the brain, increasing the desire for them. Without a doubt, umami certainly contributes to Chinese food and sushi cravings. It also seems that the growing buzz around the umami factor and the far-reaching demand for certain savory ingredients are even leading non-Asian restaurants to develop menus that incorporate these types of components. For example, Mitchell’s Fish Market offers a number of fresh ﬁsh selections featuring both mushrooms and soy sauce. Noodles & Co. menus several dishes containing shiitake mushrooms and ginger-soy sauces. The synergy of two umami-rich ingredients (in this case, mushrooms and soy sauce) intensiﬁes the savory aspect of these dishes 14 August 2008 ● www.PreparedFoods.com http://www.PreparedFoods.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Prepared Foods - August 2008

Prepared Foods - August 2008 Table of Contents Hitting the Shelves Promoting Craveable Foods and Beverages It’s a Small World MarketWatch Regulations: Safety Dance A Taste of Southeast Asia Flavor Secrets: Asian Five-spice Flavor Secrets: The Well-seasoned Potato On the National Menu To Serve and Protect: Flavor and Nutrition Protection Fat Applications in Transition: Creation of Good vs. Bad Fats A Tasteful Formulation Balance Nutrient Density and Dairy Foods R and D Applications Seminar: Formulation Information R and D Applications: Some Flavors Like it Hot R and D Applications: Prebiotics from a Conifer? R and D Applications: Seeing Red (Foods) R and D Applications: A Probiotic with Survival Skills Abstracts

Prepared Foods - August 2008

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