Category: Bakery

The (In)Famous Fruitcake

A light snow falls on a cold December afternoon. Up pulls the delivery person with a parcel for you. As you eagerly await them to make their way up to the entryway, you can’t help but wonder what kind of treasure may rest inside. After feigning indifference to the whole excitement at the door, you quickly make your way to the kitchen table and open it up. Inside, your favorite aunt has dutifully and carefully wrapped…a fruitcake. You do which of the following:

A. Excitedly reach for a plate and a nearby knife.
B. Sob uncontrollably in disappointment and throw it.
C. Rewrap it and go visit your sister and her kids.
D. Hide it away only for your consumption (along with those boxes of chocolate covered cherries).

Perhaps the answer is obvious to you…perhaps not. No holiday dessert has drawn in such debate like the fruitcake. As The Society for the Protection and Preservation of Fruitcake (yes, indeed) stated, fruitcake has been “the butt of many jokes and practical jokes-and yet” fruitcake is “esteemed by many, and an important part of many folks’ holiday.” This is certainly true, perhaps even within families: with the pro-fruitcake consortium on one side and the fruitcake defamation league on the other side.

Johnny Carson once famously launched a thousand fruitcakes out of the front door when he quipped, “The worst gift is fruitcake. There is only one fruitcake in the entire world, and people keep sending it to each other.” The amount of energy that has been put into picking on the fruitcake has been met on the other side with a passion for promoting this cake, often filled with nuts and fruit, and sometimes soaked in liquor or wine. For instance, “Isabelle” is the author of the blog, “Mondo Fruitcake.” The blog is meant to be a means of sorting through her frustration with “the state of this nation’s attitude toward fruitcake.” It features a year-round look into the world of fruitcakes.

Made in monasteries, bakeries, home ovens, and in many other places, the fruitcake pulls in some heavy support from a diverse crowd of consumers, just as it draws its detractors. Wherever your passions may rest, we can all appreciate that the fruitcake is a standard for the holidays in the United States. Its long history (dating back to ancient Rome!) and its ability to draw in such passion and detachment is a pretty impressive mark on American culture during the holidays. So, grab a knife and a cup of coffee, or package it back up and send it off…no matter, the fruitcake will persevere.

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Process Expo Preview

PE-Logo-Reversed-(CMYK-OT)In just less than two weeks, Chicago will be filled with food and beverage industry professionals from around the world when Process Expo 2015 gets under way. McCormick Place will host not only Process Expo, but also InterBev Process, and the International Dairy Show September 15-18.

Several of our staff will be on hand to show you our wide-line offering of products, including:

  • New data loggers from Madgetech, allergen test kits, 3M Petrifilm™, Ohaus meters, Atago refractometers, and our 926 Chloride Analyzer from our Laboratory Products Department.
  • Our Process Systems  Department will be showcasing their sanitary hose assemblies, Delavan Spray Dry Nozzles, new MagTraps™ separators, Lafferty foamers, spray balls, hose nozzles, valves and more!
  • On display from our MRO Department, there will be new safety products, our color-coded products, color-coded metal detectable, and metal detectable products.  We will also have one of the popular models of Nilfisk vacuums on display.

You don’t want to miss this show – be sure to visit us at Booth 6520. Register for a free exhibit pass here.


Now Trending

At the beginning of each calendar year, The Wide Line publishes a blog summarizing upcoming food processing, restaurant and grocery trends. In preparation, we comb through industry journals, blogs, briefs, articles and websites for the latest and greatest in the world of food. We then whittle it down to the pacesetters, the sure-bets and the must-knows. So, without further ado, here are the food fads that will most impact what we produce and consume in 2015:

Asian Invasion

Matcha Tea (Source: Japanese Green Tea)

Matcha Tea (Source: Japanese Green Tea)

Through travel and tech, the world’s population is becoming increasingly culturally-savvy. Consumers have developed more sophisticated palates, wanting to experience bold and exotic foods and flavors reflective of their curiosities and interests. Look for regional Asian cuisine, like Japanese and Fillipino, to make appearances on menus and in grocery aisles. Japanese matcha tea, praised for its antioxidant and metabolic properties, will flavor everything from ice cream to sushi; while binchotan, an odorless, smokeless Japanese charcoal, will cook foods quickly and cleanly. Fermented foods (like Korean kimchi) will also continue to gain popularity, while coconut sugar will gain market traction with health and sustainability claims.

Eat Local & Read the Label

Prep Pad (Source: The Orange Chef Co.)

Prep Pad (Source: The Orange Chef Co.)

As opinions on sustainability, food ethics and ingredients become more culturally-pervasive, consumers increasingly want to know exactly what they’re eating and from where it came. Look for more locally-sourced meats, locally-grown produce and locally-crafted foods popping up in restaurants and supermarkets. Grains milled on-site for use in pasta, bread and pizza will also gain momentum. Along similar philosophies, food packaging will begin to move toward “clear” labeling, making package claims simpler and more transparent for the consumer. “Prep Pad”, a new countertop scale that links with an iPad, can also give its owners more detailed nutritional information.

Artisan Everything

Artisan cheeses (Source: Saveur)

Artisan cheeses (Source: Saveur)

The coveted consumer group known as “Millenials”—those born from 1982 to the early 2000’s—have embraced the artisanal food movement through their love of unique foods with authentic origins. For years, craft breweries have been at the forefront of the trend. Look for them to continue to lead the way by experimenting with ingredients known as “gruits” (herbs, spices and aromatics) in order to broaden taste profiles. Microdistilled spirits are also gaining popularity in the artisan beverage category, while artisan cheeses and ice cream are trending in the dairy category. Artisan butchery and house-cured meats are becoming increasingly popular in foodservice.

Protein’s Still King

Protein sources in food (Source: Functional Fitness)

Protein sources in food (Source: Functional Fitness)

A recent industry report concluded that “protein is the hottest functional food ingredient trend in the United States”. Protein is being added to food in order to “deliver a large range of benefits” from “promoting satiety” to helping with “weight loss and management”. Protein-rich grains and seeds, led by the ever-popular quinoa, will continue their impressive popularity. Rice, millet, buckwheat, amaranth, kamut, spelt, freekah and farro will also become increasingly pervasive. In the meat and poultry category, quality and origin are increasingly important, while dairy is finding its way into new snacks, beverages and savory products. Eggs, Legumes and Nuts are also growing in popularity as alternative forms of protein.

Smokin’ Hot

A smoker used to make a cocktail (Source: New York Times)

A smoker used to make a cocktail (Source: New York Times)

Consumers will increasingly seek bolder, more intense flavor experiences. Smoking food “deepens flavor and aroma, adding richness to meals and drinks.” Based upon the rise of hot sauces such as sriracha, smoked food is predicted to be everywhere—from vegetables and butters to cocktails and cheese. Watch for home-cooks using backyard smokers and adding liquid smoke to recipes.

 
Despite increased awareness of health and nutrition and a growing appetite for adventurous cuisine, consumers still rely on three main factors when making decisions regarding food: convenience, taste and price. So, food processors—anticipate the trends, but remember the motivators. People may change what, how and why they eat, but they still gotta to eat.

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Nelson-Jameson Release 2014-2015 Edition of Buyers Guide

NJ_2014_15BG_cover (1)MARSHFIELD, WIS., June 5, 2014 – Nelson-Jameson, Inc. announces the release of the much anticipated 2014-2015 edition of their Buyers Guide.

Customers will notice that the new edition includes more than 50 additional pages of new and innovative products for the food and dairy industries including expanded offerings in the popular color-coded and metal detectable product lines. The easy-to-use “How to Order” boxes, terminology, and other guides were expanded to help provide customers with a one-stop source to find the right product for their applications.

The newly designed color-coded insert also includes eight additional pages of products to expand Nelson-Jameson’s already extensive color-coded offering. In an effort to give customers even more options, Nelson-Jameson now has many more color-coded products available in pink. The catalog offers many hard-to-find and specialty products exclusive to Nelson-Jameson, as well as hundreds of supply items used daily.

Customers can request a FREE copy of the Nelson-Jameson Buyers Guide by calling 800/826-8302, or visit nelsonjameson.com.

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At Yeast We Can Mold the Future

The food industry surely sees its share of yeast and mold concerns.   Both are relentless aggressors in food deterioration and spoilage that: “can invade and grow on virtually any type of food at any time; they invade crops such as grains, nuts, beans, and fruits in fields before harvesting and during storage. They also grow on processed foods and food mixturespetrifilm.”

Not only can the presence of yeast and mold compromise your product but they sometimes also make people sick.

So, how do we control unwanted yeast and mold when it comes to our food supply?   Obviously, industry innovations targeted at inhibiting yeast and mold growth have done a great deal for quality assurance and producers’ bottom lines.

Yet, peace of mind might be much more difficult to come by than a piece of moldy food in your operation.   Even with such preventative measures in place, yeast and mold still cause issues and are wont to show up anywhere at any time.  This provides a great deal of frustration to food producers, as their equipment, the facility, and the foods produced are all susceptible.  Consumers, naturally, can grow weary when yeast and mold compromise their latest purchase at the supermarket.

Thankfully, the industry continues to research methods to minimize the waste and possible ill health effects generated by yeast and mold issues.   For example, 3M recently introduced a new line of defense in this battle against yeast and mold: 3M™ Petrifilm™ Rapid Yeast and Mold Count Plates.

Instead of waiting on traditional agar methods, which may take up to five days to incubate, the new Rapid Yeast and Mold Count Plates provide results in 48-hours, allowing for more oversight of incoming ingredients and finished products leaving food facilities.  You can check out 3M’s Petrifilm™ Rapid Yeast and Mold Count Plates in 50-count boxes here or 500-count cases here.

Nelson-Jameson is continuously searching out new methods and products, like the 3M Petrifilm™ Rapid Yeast and Mold Count Plates, to ensure food safety and integrity.  Keep checking back here for more updates on food safety and quality issues, including a host of innovative solutions that target food quality and safety concerns.

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