7 quickie foods that are a little fancy, too
Upscale manufacturers switch to items that are easier to cook
NEW YORK – A huge trade show this week set imaginations ablaze trying to figure out the best way to incorporate delicacies such as artichoke pesto, alcohol-infused pickles and sparkling coconut water into cuisine.
But the real action at the Summer Fancy Food Show focused on upscale food makers shifting their focus to more quick and easy offerings.
The rollout is based on the notion that Americans, increasingly pressed for time, are hellbent on finding speedy meals and snacks while craving something new. Obsessed with the Food Network, they want to try every new “it” food that comes out.
“Time is the biggest asset we can’t control,” said Bruce Renick, president of the Mason Jar Cookie Co., which makes premeasured cookie mixes. “People still want to have the flavor of homemade without having to deal with measuring or taking the time to go purchase six different items.”
Here are seven convenience-meets-connoisseur foods from the 54th annual show.
1. Sincerely Brigitte Salad Toppings
What home chef wouldn’t love some zesty cheese to up their salad game? But few want to cut, er, chop the cheese.
A company called Sincerely Brigitte is now selling small containers of pre-diced cheeses, such as those seasoned with garlic basil and chipotle. This way, cooks can ramp up the protein intake of their brownbagged salads at lunchtime with no fuss.
2. Natural Food Source PB2
Smoothies are an easy way to eat healthy. Or are they? Who wants to cut up fruit and then hunt down a canister of protein powder and then measure it? PB2 sells what are essentially meal kits for smoothies — a collection of cut-up fruit, which is frozen along with a pre-measured container of powder made out of peanuts. All you need is a blender.
3. MTR 3 Minute Breakfast
Imagine if Cup Noodles met Indian food. That’s the idea behind MTR 3 Minute Breakfast. These singleserving containers offer up an early-morning infusion of Southeastern Asian cuisine, such as rice-based poha, masala-flavored oats, porridge-like upma and sweet kesari halwa.
4. Sprelly
Pairing the best peanut butter with the right jelly can be such a chore. Not anymore. Sprelly’s line of nut butters and jams enables the lunch bunch to make the perfect PB&J sandwich without thinking too much about it. All jars include small orange or purple dots on the sides of the packaging. If they line up when the two labels are next to each other, they taste good together. For example, you can pair sweet Thai chili peanut butter with pineapple-coconut jelly.
5. Kitchen & Love Cauliflower Quick Meal
Cauliflower may be on trend, but that doesn’t mean people want to prepare it themselves. Kitchen & Love Cauliflower Quick Meal is a single serving of the precooked veggie that comes with a small container of sauce and a plastic spork. No added water or cooking is needed, though the BPA-free plastic packaging is microwave-safe for those who prefer their food heated. Flavors includ Indian vegetable curry, Moroccan vegetable harissa and Peruvian vegetable ceviche.
6. Conifer Crock-Pot Delicious Dinners
Assembling the ingredients for a Crock-Pot dish can take time, so these dinner mixes have most of what you need already in the box. For example, beef burgundy requires 14 ingredients, while this quickie version needs no more than four, according to Conifer, which has a licensing agreement with Crock-Pot. Other slowcooker options include jambalaya, white chicken chili and chicken cacciatore.
7. Mason Jar Cookie Company Cookie Mix
This isn’t your grandmother’s baking mix. Most of the ingredients are packaged in a hipster-friendly Mason jar, so the aspiring baker needs to add only eggs and butter before popping the dough in the oven to create 24 to 36 cookies.