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‘Tis that Time: Food Trend Outlook

Dec 7

Posted by admin in cooking, dining out, food universe, lifestyle, news, restaurants

The best part about early December articles is watching everyone trip over himself trying to figure out the “definite” food trends for the coming year. Today we look at two such lists, and then we’ll have plenty of time to revisit and watch. Maybe we should start with a startling fact: Eating out is now cheaper than cooking at home. Think about that a little and you’ll understand the issues facing all food purveyors. Food costs have skyrocketed, over 6%, but most restaurants are afraid to spike prices. They favor a little less food on the plate. Hey, not a problem, we have the obesity issue to contend with anyway. So watch your dollars and follow the trends.

According to Andrew Freeman, (Andrew Freeman & Co) a great food guru with a major hospitality background, this is the year of  the potato. No complaints from me as potatoes have been my friend for years. He says expect to see menus wrapped around the food such a:

–French Fry Menus: Choose Your Cut, Color, Sauce (like the French Fry Menu at Jasper’s Corner Tap & Kitchen in San Francisco)
–Mashers with Mix-ins
–Custom Cut Chips and You-Pick Dips

Or, Grilled Cheese, which he calls the next burger as in:

–Signature Sandwiches
–Gourmet Interpretations, Creative Variations, Old-Time Classics
–Artisan Ingredients (or Not), or:

Produce-ing Desserts, Vegetable Desserts

–Experimentation with Flavors
–Innovative Creations Combine Savory and Sweet

They, of course, have numerous additional ideas and let you look back at prior food trend lists to see how well they did!

Supermarket News approaches the food trend list from an entirely different perspective and lists the number 1 trend which will impact everything as food prices. They do not believe prices will lessen much as production costs continue to increase, but they see grocers coming up with clever ways to entice the consumer including bonus points getting used toward lay-away programs for bigger purchases as coupon use continues. They expect to see more grocers joining the “farm to fork” philosophy as food origin has become an important factor in purchasing. Likewise, they expect grocers to cater more to the largest population of shoppers, the baby boomers, 76 million of them, “will control 52% of the total $706 billion spend on groceries by 2015 – making them the largest food influencers and purchasers.”

Regardless of which approach you follow, that of a marketer or that of a purveyor, in looking at upcoming trends, be certain that food issues will continue to dominate headlines.

 

 

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A Grocery Store Cookbook

Nov 29

Posted by admin in chocolate, coffee, cookbooks, gluten-free, vegan

Whoa there. I’m not talking about just any grocery store, but the one that packs an international wallop of opportunity. That would be Trader Joe’s. This is a store that has legions of followers and excited future shoppers who anticipate the store’s arrival into their city. Crowds often line up several hours before any such opening event so they can experience the store first-hand. Then the adventure begins.

Yes, the store is quite an adventure, whether the focus is on an international basis or the realistic consumer is just looking for something that has a gourmet flair without a gourmet price tag. Voilà, The I Love Trader Joe’s Around the World Cookbook by Cherie Mercer Twohy is the newest resource addition for those who have become TJ devotees. Devotees know who they are; they exclaim they were able to pull off a gourmet meal without incurring insane expenses.

Take the cheese department, so many choices, and the prices shriek “reasonable.” Even with a food item as simple as cheese that can be enjoyed with a slice of fruit or a basic cracker, the author has created numerous recipes to elevate the purchase into a more upscale cheese experience.

The cookbook has over 140 international recipes put together with the foods from TJ’s. Recipes are categorized by countries and are appealing for their understanding of our busy lifestyles: Good food, simple preparation. Many recipes fall into the new categories of major interest, Vegan and Gluten-Free. To make something as so-called exotic-sounding as Masala Lentil Chicken, the secret TJ solution is a 7-ounce container of Masala Lentil Dip. Pretty straightforward, but well worth the purchase price. Chicken dishes, for example, headline the tutorials as they span through almost all the nationalities.

So the store of mystery can be a focal point in your new recipe file. A simple jar of olive tapenade can turn an ordinary turkey slider sandwich into something with a bit more kick. The options abound.

Trader Joe’s does that for you. They have the ingredients and Twohy has put them to work with this panopoly of recipes.

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A Princess Needs to Eat

Nov 8

Posted by admin in beverages, cookbooks, cooking, food universe, grocer, lifestyle

If there was a single consistent theme around Halloween, it seemed that most every young girl was some sort of a princess. Maybe a fairy princess came to your door or you saw a frog princess; there were princesses in every guise. Now the big concern is the princess party; it will take more than a few cupcakes. (The author tackled the single cupcake idea in an earlier cookbook!) Not to worry, for the greater complexity of the princess theme, there is The Pink Princess Party Cookbook by Barbara Beery which has taken a simple concept and turned it into a themed adventure!

Instead of listening to whining about the type of princess party, you can turn this book over to the princess and see which direction the party motif takes as this book is written for young readers. Let them leaf through the options before you ever even get involved!

Depending on the season of the party or the pretend party, they can figure out which recipe will be perfect for all the princesses in attendance! Beery has the menu and party ideas all compacted together for the ultimate “P” party. Chapters are divided into the following themes: Snowflake, Spa, Garden Fairy, Mermaid, Enchanted Pony, and the most recognizable one, the Pink Princess party.  This book provides an opportunity to teach young children how to follow a recipe and understand basic measurement principles.

If you are thinking winter themed events then the snowflake one may be the perfect solution as Meringue Cookies will accomplish more than just a response to a themed party. What is not to like about learning how to make meringues! If it’s anxiety about a party favor, then Beery suggests going the rock candy route with a wearable, and edible, crystal candy necklace.

As long as there are princesses, there are opportunities for fun, adventure cooking.

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Riding the Popularity Bandwagon–The G-F Driver

Aug 15

Posted by admin in gluten-free, health, lifestyle, news, shopping

Who could have imagined a year ago that Gluten-Free products would top the popularity charts. This is not a trend but a reality of marketing. G-F products, of course, are needed by those with celiac disease but have become a preferred choice for many other individuals who recognize how much better they feel when they eliminate the flours that cause distress. Grocers, restaurants, big chains, and even small cafes have figured out how they can capture some of this market.

The Bloomberg Businessweek issue for August 15-28 has a great cover shot for the “Popularity Issue” and inside awards its top spot to the Gluten-Free Diet which they say is being driven by those with celiac disease and the 15% of consumers who purchase these products and “help create a $2.6 billion market.” What has happened has occurred with an ease that often does not accompany most product rollouts which can be slow and focused on test markets. Now, big name manufacturers are vying for space alongside the stalwart G-F leaders such as Bob’s Red Mill and Udi’s. When you see 2 loaves of Rudi’s G-F multigrain bread at Costco you see a sea change, and a price drop. Let’s see, 2 loaves at the big box for about half the cost of a single one at the regular store!

The race is on.

More grocers are demonstrating their understanding of the growing numbers by integrating the G-F product line rather than isolating it into a small corner of the store. Sure shelves are often still marked with flip signs indicating a G-F product, but even that has somewhat lessened as consumers recognize the product labeling with the GF symbol. We’ve talked plenty about how obvious products are now quick to boast of their new popularity status. Lea & Perrin’s Worcestershire Sauce remains my best go-to example, but the Chex family should not get excluded from their big bold banners. Wait, now Rice Krispies has the bold banner.

If you think you’ve seen a lot of GF products at the grocers and been passed GF restaurant menus, you’ve barely scraped the surface. Who wouldn’t want to be part of this impressive marketing action?

Not a trend, but a lifestyle choice with a wide arena for traditional companies to make the jump into the G-F universe! Expect to see more such gotcha labels.

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Mainstream G-F

Jul 26

Posted by admin in dining out, food, gluten-free, lifestyle, restaurants

We’ve talked before about how gluten-free products have become more readily available. Supermarkets have taken the plunge and recognized the large number of people diagnosed with celiac disease or those who find themselves gluten intolerant. Many sit-down restaurants have figured out the marketing potential and offer guests a gluten-free menu. Yet a more casual approach for people that avoid gluten products means limited sandwich options. They either make their own sandwich or have to listen to dining companions order something that sounds tempting or go to a higher price point. Nothing seems to cover the middle ground. That landscape has had a makeover. Now one nationwide restaurant chain has started a limited program that hopefully will go national.

The Subway chain in Oregon and Texas offers gluten-free sandwiches. (The program was rolled out several months ago, but I recently observed the process firsthand–quite different from a press release!) This is a big deal being advertised with banners and in-store literature. Anecdotally, they are reporting an impressive amount of interest and orders.

If you enter a Subway that offers a G-F menu, then you have hit the quick-service, made-to-order sandwich line. Before you scoff and say how could such a large chain pull off the G-F experience, let me share what I witnessed. The staff has been well trained and recognize the contamination possibilities. The roll comes wrapped but never even makes it to the counter until the sandwich person scrubs down the counter, announces that a G-F sandwich is about to be made, does a complete hand wash, and grabs a new pair of gloves. Pretty impressive actually! For those who worry about the isolation preparation. you have an advantage: You watch the process rather than speculate that caution is being followed!

When all is set and ready to go, the G-F sandwich gets further isolated during the preparation selection and ends up in its own specialty bag. What’s the upcharge for this attention to detail? A dollar more for a G-F sandwich: A price that goes down easily.

Maybe other fast food, casual restaurants, and nationwide chains will figure out that offering a gluten-free option is not price prohibitive but rather financially advantageous.

Marketing mainstream reality.

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News Laws; More Wine, Less Whining

Jul 1

Posted by admin in alcohol, champagne, food, food universe, news, tourism, wine

Big news on the wine front: “Ship it” is the phrase of the new month. Maryland now allows residents to receive wine shipments from out-of-state wineries. No longer do DC workers have to use their office addresses for wine shipments. Hello; that’s progress. Yet, the state is ready to boost its coffers with new tax initiatives that hit the bottle hard. Alcohol tax increases amount to a 50% sales hike. That should slow down the tab.

Virginia joins the customer-friendly philosophy by allowing consumers to BYOW, bring their own wine to restaurants and pay a corkage fee. Just one common courtesy here: Don’t bring something that is already on the restaurant’s wine list. You want to keep the restaurant in business and not add to their operating cost burden.

Maybe my favorite legislative enactment is from Maryland which requires food purveyors, farm markets, and grocers to define what those “local” signs really mean. This word has had a true liberal dosing of meaning. Big banners often proclaim local only to learn that one store’s definition involves hundreds of miles while one really means the nearby grower. The law applies to fruits, vegetables, fish, and shellfish by requiring a defined point of origin. Let’s keep those signs accurate and support the true definition of local.

Oregon’s wine industry, with its much hearalded 2008 Pinot Noir accolades, just got an additional boost. License plates can now advertise wine country which should boost sales for the entire tourism industry. Why not tag something so impressive!

Celebrate the red, white, and blue by toasting these impressive legislative enactments. OK, one is costly (a 9% alcohol sales tax), but it may help the coffers in a responsible way.

Enjoy the 4th.

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Trouble in FoodLand

Jun 13

Posted by admin in Administration, coffee, Environment, FDA, food, food universe, healthy eating, news

Maybe it’s the extreme heat gripping parts of the country or maybe it’s just that time of the year when the ducks get lined up properly and months of research come rushing out the gates. That’s where we are in the food world.

I challenged Congress (the House) when they came up with the money-saving notion of switching to styrofoam cups in their cafeteria. It seemed like a backwards step then as environmental issues needed to be considered. Now several months later the formaldehyde/styrofoam study has come out, and it validates much of what many of us have believed for a long time. Skip the styrofoam.

The same goes for food on pesticide lists. For a number of years there have been lists of fruits and vegetables that should be considered safe and those that should by default move into the organic purchase pile. There have always been some obvious ones such as the berries which hug the soil. (If you crave strawberries, consider organic).  It was common knowledge that if you could peel it, you could remove many of the invading pesticides. Not so fast, Jones.

The report from The Environmental Working Group points a rather strict finger at a fruit that is readily available and well recognized by most: The Apple. It tops the latest list of fruit-invaded pesticides. Apples have had other issues in the past with spraying, but the common belief has been that you could wash the apple well and solve the problem. This report discredits that philosophy.

So what is one to do? It is true that organics have an increased presence in most grocers and markets, but as we well know, the price for switching from the regular produce aisle to the organic one can greatly increase one’s food bill. Not everyone is a candidate for organic shopping. We want variety, and the apple has often been the mainstay of packed lunches and a go-to snack.

According to the report, the apple has some company that gives pause to summer purchases: Cilantro was tested for the first time, and the herb ranked highest in overall pesticide infusion. Its position gives it the unenvious title of having the most unapproved pesticides in any product since the guide was first started in 1995! Not a good position to be in.

Here are the rankings of the 53 fruits and vegetables from the “Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides. Celery is probably pretty happy as it no longer tops the Dirty Dozen; it dropped to 2nd place! Celery, spinach, sweet bell peppers, potatoes, lettuce and greens (kale and collards) are the vegetables most likely to retain pesticide contamination. As for those on the Clean Fifteen, (The vegetables least likely to test positive for pesticides), they found onions, sweet corn, asparagus, sweet peas, eggplant, cabbage, sweet potatoes, and mushrooms. As for the fruits that score the best, those with the least pesticide residue, think avocado, mango, pineapple, watermelon, and grapefruit.

Just a week or so ago, the USDA introduced The Plate and took the Food Pyramid out of our lexicon. The plate is stacked in favor of fruits and vegetables. A little irony there, as we need to put the safest fruits and vegetables on the plate; not just any fruits and vegetables!

Timing is everything. Don’t forget your reusable container for coffee!

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Cookbook Round-Up

Jun 11

Posted by admin in coffee, cooking, gardening, gluten-free, grocer, healthy eating

Summertime is the perfect time to laze around enjoying some of the new cookbooks that have hit the market. With all the fine produce at the farm stands and the grocers who strive to bring in local, this is a good time to look at the vegetable options.

With the increasing number of Vegan followers and those who subscribe to meatless days or think about healthier options, here’s a good primer: Color Me Vegan. What’s particularly enjoyable about this book is its color-coded emphasis on eating healthy; eating vegan. The recipes are easy to follow and attractive to lure you into trying something new. Those who just want the burst of color will be able to tweak the recipe to accommodate the omnivores.

Now that everyone has written about Gluten-Free and its mainstream numbers, the cookbooks are popping out of the printers.  Here’s one (125 Gluten-Free Vegetarian Recipes) that includes recipes for vegans although the combination of being G-F and V can be challenging at times. The highlight of this book is the straightforward approach from writer, Carol Fenster, who has an impressive history covering special diet needs including earlier gluten-free cookbooks: Would you believe her earlier 1,000 Gluten-Free Recipe cookbook! The 125 G-F recipe book will be available in July.

Neither a Vegan nor a Gluten-Free approach to vegetables, but one that considers how time starved we all are: The Best 30-Minute Vegetarian Recipes makes it easy to approach the summer heat with quick solutions to a healthy meal. Most of the 150 recipes are low in fat and in sugar. When the tomatoes, peppers, and cucumbers are market ready or ready to be picked from your own garden, the Gazpacho recipe may prove a perfect summer favorite.

I have to leave the vegetable track for a moment and consider the importance of good bread to accompany all these veggie recipes. As we’ve watched foods come into vogue, we recognize the return of a once-popular piece of kitchen equipment: The Bread Machine. Prices have dropped on this handy kitchen accessory due to its formerly untrendy status so this is a perfect item to add now and awaken the family to the delicious morning aroma of  just-baked bread. The Artisan Bread Machine with its 250 recipes fits the ease-of-use bill. Nothing’s better than combining artisan techniques into the workhouse machine! Add to that the summertime availability of delicious tomatoes (atop a foccaccia) and the desire to serve a healthy pizza lets you add your fresh vegetable toppings to the wonderful crusts from the bread machine.

These are just some of the many new cookbooks worth your summertime lolling pleasure. Relax with an iced coffee, and find the perfect solution to any meal period. Enjoy.

 

 

 

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Time to Refocus Your Geometry: Pyramid Death

May 31

Posted by admin in Administration, First Lady Michelle Obama, food universe, gardening, healthy eating, lifestyle, Michelle Obama, news

Just as color alerts became a confusing part of our daily routines, the food pyramid chart has confounded “new” thinking about food and is about to die a natural death. As in, it will be removed from the visual universe of what we should eat. It is high time the icon was put aside into the annals of food history. Yet, what will the new look say about our food when all is revealed on June 2? The pyramid becomes history, and the plate details the new food visual.

Not just any plate, but one that has been approved by the First Family. A plate that says, less is better but what constitutes less will be unveiled in stages. We have become a full plate society from our parents earliest admonitions to finish your food to dining out and expecting full plates brimming over with food. Oversize restaurant portions were supposed to imply monetary value but instead helped contribute to our obesity numbers.

The President and the First Lady exemplify their commitment to exercise and good eating habits. The White House Garden has been a huge success and farm markets continue to expand in close proximity to the White House. At the same time some of the nation’s top chefs have contributed their time and expertise to improving the school lunch program. Logically, the next step is to take the tired pyramid of foods and replace its message with one that stresses vital health information. This is a more active focus that demonstrates the importance of being active and eating healthy. In addition to the USDA, other government agencies will help drive the important message.

Making the plate a thing of beauty with an emphasis on fruits and vegetables is a natural starting point. After all we are in the heart of the growing season and product availability. Grocers are competing with farm stands to show that locally grown food can be readily available to all shoppers.

Eating healthy has new rules and as a nation the time has come to step up to the plate and move into a healthier position. We welcome the pyramid retirement party.

It’s time to set up a healthy plate.

 

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A More Careful Fish Selection

Mar 2

Posted by admin in dining out, Environment, food universe

Following on the heels of environmentally unfriendly containers, it’s time to have a good news story about a company that has taken the plunge. I’m talking Costco. They have decided to join the ranks of purveyors of socially acceptable fish. No longer will they sell those varieties that have been listed as overfished. They will instead continue to grow their farmed fish purveyor program and offer customers fish that meets the guidelines set forth by the World Wildlife Fund. Their further involvement with sustainability in the seafood arena will benefit us all.

The specifics are important. First of all they will stop selling (yes, first they have to finish their stock and commitment orders) the wild species they call at the greatest risk of being overfished. That list includes Atlantic cod and halibut, Chilean sea bass, halibut from Greenland, grouper, monkfish, orange roughy, redfish, shark, skates and rays, swordfish and bluefin tuna. They do not plan to reintroduce these fish into their lineup unless the sources are certified as sustainable by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC). The Council identifies itself as “the world’s leading certification  and ecolabelling program for sustainable seafood.”image_small

Secondly, Costco has expanded its relationship with the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), a non-governmental organization that works closely on sustainable aquaculture issues. Costco has charged them with determining how well the Thailand-based companies that supply farmed shrimp are working to meet the defined standards for shrimp farming. That same approach is being studied with farmed Atlantic salmon. As any Costco shopper knows, Atlantic salmon is a majoone who visits a Costco knows is a major fish product for the company. Again Costco is working with suppliers and making certain that standards are being adhered.

What does this all mean for consumers? Maybe the first step is to applaud Costco’s decision (and other companies that are taking these bold steps) and follow that strategy into our own shopping, regardless of the marketplace. Similarly, when we dine out and find these overfished varietiess on menus, we need to question the establishment. Chefs have plenty of fish to work with that meet sustainability standards and can become beautiful center-of-the plate entrees.

Let’s applaud companies that have solid sustainability programs and likewise recognize restaurants that demonstrate responsible, sustainable performance.

We will all be better off with these actions!

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