Hot Chocolate Spoons

Hotchocspoons from the Chocolate Company in Europe are the perfect hot chocolate-making device: 50 grams of chocolate are melted down and then solidified with a nice, big wooden spoon inside for convenient stirring. They claim that they come in over 50 varieties, including ones that include a whisky or amaretto shot (genius), strawberry and pink peppercorn, a “kids only” with Smarties (similar to M&Ms), white chocolate, an 85% dark chocolate, and even a seaweed flavor. There are Chocolate Company shops in Luxembourg City, Aachen, Germany, and ’s-Hertogenbosch and Maastricht in the Netherlands, or you can buy them online, 20 hotchocspoons starting at €50

Test for Food-Based Toxins in Fewer Than 5 Minutes

Scientists at McMaster University in Ontario have developed a cheap, fast and easy-to-read paper dipstick test which tells users the level of pesticides in their foods and beverages in only 5 minutes. This new testing method is an advancement over current toxin tests, which are expensive and require a couple of hours to produce results. The dipstick process is especially practical in developing countries without the finances or electricity to perform more complicated testing.

R&D reports that the dipstick will allow for the collection of useful data around food and beverage consumption that provides insights into how toxins affect local environments and communities that depend on them:

Fast Food on your iphone

Chipotle’s iPhone App Returns

Chipotle, the immensely popular Mexican grill, redesigned and relaunched their iPhone application for mobile food ordering. Back in January the app was pulled just days after launch due to unknown glitches and design issues. We didn’t grab it fast enough to review last time, but this new version is certainly smooth.

The app tracks down the closest Chipotle and then you go about building your dream burrito, bowl, taco or salad, throwing in more ingredients than would be polite to ask for in the restaurant itself, even letting you include special instructions. The menu is quick and intuitive, even allowing for favorites so you don’t have to rebuild your caloric masterpiece every time. The free application works through Chipotle’s web-based ordering system and marks a new standard for the accessibility of food ordering mobile apps.

Do it your self Ice Cream !!

I love ideas that obviously spring from the application of lateral thinking, so lets hear it for the latest research from those bright folks at Unilever, who have embarked on a quest for “ambient ice-cream”. This sounds a bit like something that might be served at an avant-garde jazz bistro but is in fact a real concept – if transporting and retailing masses of frozen ice-cream and desserts consumes lots of energy, then sell products under ambient storage conditions and get the punters to do the freezing at home.

It’s not entirely straightforward of course – how do you ensure that, when the ambient ice cream is frozen at home it will have the right microstructure to produce “a fantastic consumer experience?” ponders a Unilever spokesman.

I’m sure they’ll soon have that one licked.

Smoke Signals !

Consumers have always loved the taste of smoked products, and over the last 30 years smoke flavourings have enabled manufacturers to capture the taste of smoke in their products. Over the last few months the spotlight of doubt has been thrown onto many of these smoke flavouring systems, and leading experts are calling in to question the safety of adding ( albeit at low levels) known carcinogens to our food products. EU legislators are currently looking at smoke flavours and this is an area we expect to see much more tightly regulated and questioned in the future.
In response to this, TasteConnection are predicting a rapid growth in natural smoke flavour systems, which while not delivering that acrid strong hit of smoke traditionally associated with smoke flavourings, provides the consumer with a subtle natural smoke taste, derived as you would expect from a naturally smoked food.
Whilst Smoke is changing, consumers are also demanding more roasted, toasted and grilled flavoured products look out for smoked roasted spices, and delicately toasted seasoning blends.

Fresh and New for Spring

Just a taste of some of the fresh new products available from TasteConnection…

Marinade and Glaze Sachets
TasteConnection now have the capability to produce marinades, glazes and other medium particulate sauces in sachets. Ideal for added value meat products the sachets can range in size from 50 -150g in clear film. Please contact us to discuss your specific requirements.

Rub Rub Rub
TasteConnection now have an extensive range of Rubs, Dustings and Premium Coarse Seasonings, suitable for a wide range of applications from Meat Products to Added Value Vegetables. We can help you create visually impactful products with real taste that will keep consumers coming back for more.

Naturally Smoked
With all the current confusion and controversy over the use of smoke flavourings in food, TasteConnection, have gone back to basics and created real smoked ingredients. Utilising our purpose built artisan smoke house and combined with flavour materials, we can enable you to create naturally the smoke taste you require in your product.

Provenanced Ingredients
Don’t forget, if you are looking to add provenance to your product, TasteConnection is here to help, with an extensive range of provenanced ingredients; cheese powders from named farms, specific varietal fruits and fruit powders, powdered sauces, condiments, real ales, ciders, vinegars from named regions and producers our range is probably the most extensive and complete in the industry.

Thought Provoking Stuff…Time Spent Eating Vs National Obesity Rate

Source: PSFK

World Restaurant Rankings

In April 2009, the S.Pellegrino released their latest rankings for the Best 50 Restaurants in the World. We at TasteConnection find what’s happening in these circles not only a great inspiration but also a big indicator as to what regions of the world, which chefs and which cuisines are going the be inspiring the food world in the future.

Ranking’s:

1 El Bulli, Spain (=)
2 The Fat Duck, U.K. (=)
3 Noma, Denmark (+7)
4 Mugaritz, Spain (=)
5 El Celler de Can Roca, Spain (+21)
6 Per Se, U.S. (=)
7 Bras, France (=)
8 Arzak, Spain (=)
9 Pierre Gagnaire, France (-6)
10 Alinea, U.S. (+11)
11 L’Astrance, France (=)
12 The French Laundry U.S. (-7)
13 Osteria Francescana, Italy (New Entry)
14 St. John, U.K. (+2)
15 Le Bernardin, U.S. (+5)
16 Restaurant de l’Hotel de Ville, Switzerland (+11)
17 Tetsuya’s, Australia (-8)
18 L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon, France (-4)
19 Jean Georges, U.S. (-2)
20 Les Creations de Narisawa, Japan (New Entry)
21 Chez Dominique, Finland (+18)
22 Ristorante Cracco, Italy (+21)
23 Die Schwarzwaldstube, Germany (+12)
24 D.O.M., Brazil (+16)
25 Vendome, Germany (+9)
26 Hof van Cleve, Belgium (+2)
27 Masa, U.S., (Re-entry)
28 Gambero Rosso, Italy (-16)
29 Oud Sluis, Netherlands (+13)
30 Steirereck, Austria (New Entry)
31 Momofuku Ssam Bar, U.S. (New Entry)
32 Oaxen Skaergaardskrog, Sweden (+16)
33 Martin Berasategui, Spain (-4)
34 Nobu U.K. (-4)
35 Mirazur, France (New Entry)
36 Hakkasan, U.K. (-17)
37 Le Quartier Francais, South Africa (+13)
38 La Colombe, South Africa (Re-entry)
39 Asador Etxebarri, Spain (+5)
40 Le Chateaubriand, France (New Entry)
41 Daniel, U.S. (=)
42 Combal Zero, Italy (Re-entry)
43 Le Louis XV, France (-28)
44 Tantris, Germany (+3)
45 Iggy’s, Singapore (New Entry)
46 Quay, Australia (New Entry)
47 Les Ambassadeurs, France (-2)
48 Dal Pescatore, Italy (-25)
49 Le Calandre, Italy (-13)
50 Mathias Dahlgren, Sweden (New Entry)

So, lots of new entries and new culinary influencers. Ok, so the 1st and 2nd spot are no surprise really, however great news for Rene Redzepi at Noma in Copenhagen at No 3, in addition he also won the chefs choice award i.e. was voted by all the other chefs as being the best restaurant in the world. Spain is still the centre of culinary excellence with 4 restaurants in the top 10, but the US are gaining on France, both having 2 in the top 10. Those restaurants that have moved the most since 2008 are Noma, El cellar de Can Roca, Aliena, Restaurant de l’Hotel de Ville, Chez Dominique, Ristorante Cracco and Die Schwarzwaldstube. So apart from Spain, were also seeing new culinary influences from Scandinavia who have 4 entries in the top 50, as well as Italy, Singapore, Australia and Japan.

And the shock of this years rankings, where has Gordon Ramsay’s Hospital Road??? His flagship restaurant has vanished from this years ranking after being ranked 13th in the world in 2008!

Foggys Back!

After years in the United Biscuits brand deep freeze, Phileas Fogg has been taken out defrosted, dusted down and given a new lease of life.

Whilst officially at least, never out of circulation, just in the words of UB “not widley available”, this is certainly the biggest thing to happend to the brand for a long time. Remember Phileas Fogg in the 1980’s ….the distinctive Medomsley Road, Consett advertising, they were the first real premium snack brand, about time then given the last 5 years of consumer interest in premium snacks that this brand was revived.

Foggy this time is using his globe trotting image to reinforce the provenenace of the premium snacks. The range includes 3 premium crisp varients, popadoms, tortillas and a  range of premium nuts.

To see more: http://www.phileasfogg.com/

Flame Grilled Perfume?

Do you want to smell like your favourite Burger ?

Seriously ….Burger King’s new fragrance: Flame.
Yes, it’s fragrance that actually smells like
meat.
If you really want some, it’s available from

http://www.firemeetsdesire.com