By Brent T. Frei

Snack orders—either as a fourth meal of the day or replacing one of the three squares—are increasing in foodservice.

Perhaps more than any other campaign by a foodservice entity, Taco Bell, a subsidiary of Louisville, Ky.-based YUM! Brands with 5,600 stores nationwide, in 2006 gave Americans permission to indulge in a fourth meal each day without guilt with its “fourthmeal” campaign. The concept also raised consciousness of what we’re eating at each meal. While breakfast all day was last year’s trend, this year, snacking is literally meal-replacement, according to The Food Channel in conjunction with CultureWaves®, the International Food Futurists and Mintel International.

By Birch DeVault, M.Ed.

Though baking comes with its own rigors and rules, learning international breads expands students’ repertoire and deepens the learning experience.

Baking and pastry, for many culinary students, can be either an exciting challenge or a daunting endeavor. In many ways, the very cognitive underpinning of baking and pastry arts is completely different from that of culinary arts. Working baking and pastry recipes into culinary classrooms can ease some trepidation students have toward the discipline.

Courtesy of The Mushroom Council

Mushrooms are the hidden treasure of healthy Hispanic dishes.

Mushrooms are an authentic part of Mexican and other Hispanic cuisines. Meatless options are not just a niche target anymore. More and more diners, no matter what cuisine they are enjoying, are turning toward healthier options. Because of the meatiness and umami of mushrooms, they can help make a meatless dish more satisfying as well as combine with meat or seafood to reduce costs, calories and fat and increase craveability.

From Tex-Mex to Hot-Mex to Healthy Mex
So, how do you make Mexican food healthy? One of the best ways is to use a food that has been an important, integral, authentic part of Mexican heritage since the pre-Spanish days: mushrooms. According to Spanish chronicles, the Aztecs used mushrooms for their meaty texture and versatility and because they were ideal for stews, tamale and taco fillings, moles and other traditional foods. In Mexico, portobellos, cremini, oysters and white buttons are traditions in the states of Mexico, Puebla, Tlaxcala, Sierra de Oaxaca, Chiapas and Veracruz.

Courtesy of McCormick & Company, Inc.

Ever-evolving mindsets drive new flavor pairings for foodservice professionals now and for years to come.

McCormick & Company, Inc., a global flavor company based in Hunt Valley, Md., enters its 11^th year of bringing together its flavor experts, top chefs, food bloggers and mixologists to define leading trends and assemble top 10 flavor pairings. McCormick’s 2011 Flavor Forecast® is focused on how foodservice professionals and consumers can reclaim the joy of eating. Spice consumption in this country is at an all-time high—growing more than three times as fast as the population¹ and currently exceeds 1 billion pounds per year².

Key influences shaping McCormick’s 2011 Flavor Forecast® include need for customization, reframed ideas about health and wellness, desire for ease and simplicity, love of culinary adventure and craving for taste experiences. All are represented in McCormick’s five trend-watch categories:

Courtesy of the United States Potato Board

A recent study confirms that potatoes do not contribute to weight gain.

Pressure from legislators and consumers is growing for restaurant operators to place nutrition information on their menus. At the same time, while everyone is talking about healthier eating, they still want flavor. This pressure to create culinary delights that please the label as well as the palate makes the job of the foodservice professional far more challenging.

Fortunately, there are foundational foods, such as potatoes, that consumers love and associate with comfort and great taste. And when prepared healthfully, they maintain a low-calorie, low-fat, nutrient-dense profile. In fact, research recently released by the University of California, Davis, and the National Center for Food Safety and Technology, Illinois Institute of Technology, demonstrated people can include potatoes in their diet and still lose weight.