Stocking up

The relentless pressure on time and cost saving means caterers have to get smart in the kitchen and use the quick and easy solutions that ready to use cooking sauces and stocks can provide. Sheila Eggleston reports.

Today's demanding kitchens means chefs have to make sure their operations run smoothly to stay profitable. However lack of facilities, equipment and even skills mean they can't make as much from scratch no matter how much they would like to.

Responding to their needs is the growing number of innovative ready to use (RTU) sauces and stocks being developed by suppliers to suit different sectors.

Analyst Mintel forecasts that the total cooking sauce market is set to reach £1,041m in the next five years, rising by 25% by 2015, with NPD set to continue to fuel growth.

Mars Foodservice is just one of the innovators who says its Uncle Ben's and Dolmio brands are changing certain perceptions about cooking sauces to give caterers better products to work with. "Our team has further improved the recipes of our sauces to get rid of any preconceptions completely, offering the guarantee that only the best ingredients are used with the promise of no rubbish extras," says Mars development chef Roy Shortland.

From feedback at this year's LACA show where their sauces were showcased in the Innovation Zone, it was clear that cost was driving decision making. "Caterers were keen to try our sauces at the LACA stand, and many loved the flavour and consistency as well as the fact they are vegetable rich, without it being too obvious to children," says Shortland.

"In the current climate, however, when food prices are rising and showing no signs of coming down, the challenge was getting across the fact that while you might pay a few pence more, the superior yield you get from each jar balances this out. Each sauce is extendable and in reality you would have to buy more of a cheaper sauce to get the same flavour and consistency – a false economy in the long term."

Its 19 RTU sauces are based on recipes from Italy, the Far East, India and the Deep South, helping caterers create popular global dishes in a jiffy. Each one is RDA salt compliant for 2012, free from artificial colours, flavourings, preservatives and gluten, with no added MSG, and HFA approved for halal diets.

They can be used straight from the jar as a marinade, dip, sandwich filling or topping, with each 2.2kg-2.54kg jar delivering 56-63 primary school portions as a culinary sauce, 50 plus portions as a dip and 75-100 portions as a filling.

During National School Meals Week (NSMW), which kicks off on November 7, its Dolmio brand is sponsoring the Get Eating Day, with schools attempting to create the biggest school lunch. The first 500 schools to sign up online will win a NSMW recipe book full of children's favourites with a twist to experimental dishes, all inspired by school caterers using Uncle Ben's and Dolmio ranges, plus a jar of Dolmio Bolognese sauce.

The next 5,000 schools to sign up will receive £2 off a Dolmio sauce of their choice. To launch the event, Shortland will be cooking dishes at a UK secondary school to be confirmed, accompanied by Papa Dolmio, star of the TV ads.

Nestlé Professional says its Maggi multi-use tomato sauce is the ideal solution for caterers.

"This low in fat, naturally gluten free, versatile sauce contributes towards one of the five daily portions of fruit and vegetables, making it the perfect base to help chefs create nutritionally balanced dishes," says business development chef Justin Clarke.

He maintains that a good quality sauce that adds flavour to dishes saves both resource and storage space, and the same goes for pre-made stocks that can be used in a variety of ways. "Follow the on pack dosage instructions as portion control helps with budgets. Use stocks as a way to enhance the flavour of a dish whether that's seasoning meat with stock or using it as a sauce base. It shouldn't be seen as a replacement for creativity."

For Nestlé's new Maggi 'guest chef' campaign, the 2010 SCOTY (School Chef of the Year) winner Suzanne Duncan was recruited as its education expert to provide advice and tried and tested recipes relevant for schools. She has developed nutritious meals to appeal to even the fussiest child, which include turkey kebabs with salsa and a mint dip and spicy tomato soup.

All the recipes are available at www.maggi-menusolutions.co.uk with a full nutritional breakdown.

AAK Foodservice says bought in stocks and sauces offer the best way to deliver different flavours and add new dimensions to a dish. "Revamping a menu doesn't have to be time consuming or costly," says foodservice marketing manager Rachel Neale. "A simple twist to existing dishes can be achieved quickly and simply, while at the same time impressing diners with a new look menu."

The company's Lion International range offers a variety of flavours from very hot chilli sauce to traditional barbecue sauces such as American smoky, sticky, hickory and zesty hot variants.

Heinz development chefs aim to ensure its portfolio meets the mark in terms of taste and cost effectiveness. Its back of house line up includes condiments such as Heinz tomato ketchup that can spice up burgers, spaghetti Bolognese and signature sauces, while HP Texan style BBQ sauce is a smoky barbecue sauce with sweet molasses and hickory flavours that goes well with pork ribs or chicken wings, or served cold as a topping on burgers.

Kerry Foodservice has recently reformulated its Recipere stocks and sauces to ensure they meet FSA guidelines on salt content, are free from artificial additives, as well as MSGs and HVOs, while still retaining flavour in dishes.

"The trick to making the most out of these products lies in embracing their versatility," says food development chef Gerard Murphy. "Where caterers are under increasing pressure to bring down their ingredient costs, stock and sauce mixes offer a perfect solution.

"For example, the sauce base for a classic slow cooked beef dish can be started off with a traditional beef bouillon mix and red wine, left to simmer, then given an added burst of flavour and colour with a little gravy mix towards the end of the cooking process.

"Bouillon mixes are great for delivering fast, tasty solutions for catering operations such as schools and business and industry outlets. They're proving increasingly popular as caterers add more comfort food to their menus such as Lancashire hot pots and steak and kidney puddings."

Lactalis McLelland believes its Président roux will revolutionise the way chefs make sauces from scratch. It says the fresh, ready to use product is the first of its kind to be launched in the UK market.

"Although simple, a roux can be time consuming and labour intensive, with chefs having to keep a close eye on the pan and tenuously judge when the raw flour taste has cooked out," says foodservice marketing manager Warren MacFarlane.

"Président roux is a thickening agent that dissolves quickly and can be used straight from the fridge to produce consistent results.

"We recently took it to the Skills for Chefs conference in Sheffield and demonstrated its uses with master chef Stephen Harrison. The delegates were surprised by how little was needed compared to the quantity needed with a traditional roux."

When commenting on the taste, they considered it to be richer than expected with a fresh, buttery flavour, he adds. He says a traditional roux would take around 20-30 minutes to cook off, but the Président roux is ready in five minutes.

The product is also gluten free and easy to portion because of its soft texture, and it comes with a six month shelf life.

Simon Muschamp, head of marketing at Pritchitts, says that less time spent preparing and cooking food means more time can be spent planning menus.

"Updating sauces is one of the fastest and easiest ways to change a dish and it needn't be time consuming.

"That's why a growing number of caterers are recognising the practical benefits of using products such as Pritchitts Millac Gold – a cream alternative for the modern caterer."

Already established as one of Pritchitts' bestsellers, Millac Gold helps to complement ingredients and flavours but never splits even when chefs add acidic ingredients like lemon juice or alcohol.

Innovation in terms of packaging has seen Premier Foodservice give its Bisto gravy granules a makeover with a new pull and pour pack. With clearly visible instructions on pack, it has a new easy pour spout and pull out handle to make dispensing easier and more convenient.

Essential Cuisine says it aims to show that by having a supplier with a chef approach, who can work closely with caterers, the right culinary solutions for their operation can be achieved.

"Our stocks deliver a taste just like a kitchen made stock – clean, natural and balanced," says managing director Nigel Crane. "If a caterer is making their own, we are delighted, because if they need to buy in, they will be able to benchmark alternative brands more easily."

Crane says its stock powders can be added straight into a dish at any stage of the cooking process, giving chefs ultra convenience and control during a busy service. Wastage generally comes down to buying a product that seems like good value but costs more in the long run, perhaps requiring twice as much to get the right consistency and taste, he adds.

"It's a problem chefs often fall foul of, we've found. One key thing to remember is to always look at price per litre, not price per pack."

With stocks and sauces, a lot has to do with the right level of seasoning, he adds.

"The lower the quality of stock a chef buys, the more salt, oil and flavour enhancer it's likely to contain, so the final dish can become too salty and artificial tasting," he explains. "Our stocks have an appropriate level of seasoning. Based on 50ml used as an ingredient, they contain 0.28g of salt, which works out at 5.6g per litre. They are also gluten free."

One of Essential Cuisine's newest lines is halal chicken, vegetable, beef and lamb stock that meets Halal Food Agency guidelines and gives Muslims more choice in what they can eat out of home.

"According to the World Halal Forum, there are now two million halal consumers in Britain," says Crane. "This is now an integral consumer group for UK caterers to consider. What's the point of buying halal meat if you then add ingredients to a dish which go against the religious beliefs of the Muslim community? It restricts what you can offer and what they can enjoy."

He says these stocks give caterers peace of mind when creating sauces in today's ethnically diverse society, and they can be used in establishments ranging from schools to sports stadia.

Major International's latest product is another halal friendly product. Working with chefs, it has developed the Basics bouillon powder range, which it describes as an aggressively priced product.

"It's key to have a bouillon that delivers on flavour but also offers a cost effective solution for today's economic climate," says managing director David Bryant.

"Our aim, like the rest of our stock base range, is to offer a bouillon that tastes just like own made that allows chefs more time to just cook."

The Basics range of beef, chicken and vegetable variants in 2kg tubs come with a measuring scoop for exact portion control and offers up to 100 litres of bouillon. It will be available from October. They are suitable for coeliacs, vegetarians and halal – all integral groups that chefs need to be considering, says Bryant.